The Sunroom Installation Process
Adding a sunroom to your home is an investment. So, naturally, you want to do your research before you pay money to make such a significant change to your house. This guide will give you a general idea of the process we follow during our sunroom installations in PA and Maryland.
Every good project includes plenty of planning. That’s why we offer a free consultation before doing any work on your home. And when we say “free,” we mean it — no sales pitches, conditional discounts or pressure to buy. We understand many homeowners have a goal in mind when adding a sunroom and we want to make sure we will meet your expectations. Even if you don’t know exactly what you want out of your sunroom, we can answer any questions you have to give you ideas. If you’d like to look into multiple types of glass projects, we can discuss them during our consultation as well. Just check the boxes for the products you want when you complete the online consultation request.
As part of the consultation, we will let you know what to expect from a sunroom installation from Garrety Glass. We can also answer questions like:
- When should I install a sunroom?
- How long does it take to install a sunroom?
- What would my sunroom installation timeline look like?
To figure out the little details about the installation process, we may ask some questions of our own, such as:
- Do you need an electrical hookup for your sunroom?
- Will you use your sunroom in the winter?
- What do you want your sunroom to look like?
If you don’t know an answer to one of these questions, no worries! That’s why we have consultations in the first place. Just think through what you do know you want before we meet.
We also understand that you want a contractor who knows what they’re doing. During the consultation, we can provide references and testimonials from our customers. If you’d like to see one of our sunrooms in person, we also have customers who can show you their rooms — just make an appointment with us. Feel free to ask about our company and staff’s experience as well as our 50-year warranty. If we can’t give you an acceptable answer, call our company owner — he lets every customer have his number so they’re 100% satisfied.
After we’ve decided on an exact project, we’ll give you a price estimate. As part of the quote, we also provide available installation dates. We want to provide you with as much information up front as possible so you can make an informed decision. By the end of the consultation, you’ll know what we can build, how much it will cost and when we can get started.
If you decide to sign a contract to have us install a sunroom in your home, we have a few preparations to make before we start the actual installation process. These steps help us build a sunroom to your exact specifications.
To make sure everyone is on the same page, we will first arrange a meeting with you, our installation manager and our design consultant. The installation manager will walk you through every step of the installation process. Meanwhile, the design consultant will help you choose your sunroom’s appearance and features. Throughout every project, we prioritize communication and we want you to have control over your room’s installation. We don’t end this meeting until you fully understand what the project involves and have satisfactory answers to all your questions.
Once we finalize the details, we measure your home to determine how much material we need to order to prepare and build your sunroom. One of our representatives will visit your house and take measurements in the area where we plan to work. Since we do this step outside, you don’t have to be home for us to measure everything. We’ll leave a notice letting you know that we have the measurements when we finish.
After taking the measurements, we move on to arranging permits and inspections. We believe that you shouldn’t have to worry about navigating the red tape associated with these documents. So, we get that part of the process done for you. How long it will take us to get everything settled depends on your community’s laws. Zoning requirements, regulations and building codes will determine how quickly we can move on to the next stage. We’ll try our best to get approval as fast as we can, but we don’t have control over the waiting period. When we receive the needed paperwork, we’ll let you know and send you the bill to cover it.
At this point, we have a detailed plan and the permission to make it a reality. It’s now time to prepare your house for sunroom installation. The kind of preparation we need to do depends on your home. For example, we might have to level out the ground we build on and work with you to change your landscaping. Your sunroom will need a sturdy foundation, so we often need to pour one out of concrete. If you want walls on the house side of the sunroom instead of siding, we need to take it off. We will also make room for an entrance while considering electric wiring, plumbing and other types of infrastructure.
During the consultation and first meeting, we’ll give you the most accurate timeline we can. You should have a good idea of how long the preparation phase will take beforehand. As we get things ready, we’ll make sure to disturb your home as little as possible. Any changes we make will have your prior permission and we thoroughly clean up after ourselves at the end of every workday.
After preparing your home for its new addition, we take some final measurements and order the materials needed. We work with Betterliving Sunrooms to get high-quality sunroom materials. Keep in mind that we don’t use kits — Betterliving supplies the materials we need and we use them to create a customized project that fits your requirements. Betterliving sunrooms have a 50-year warranty through Craft-Bilt Manufacturing Company that can transfer to future owners of your home. In other words, we offer the best sunroom warranty you’ll find anywhere.
Betterliving will begin the manufacturing process once we submit the order. Both Betterliving and their parent company, Craft-Bilt Manufacturing Company, have headquarters in Soudertown, Pennsylvania. That means they fabricate the materials only two hours away by vehicle and can provide a quick turnaround time. Once the materials get delivered to our location in Dallastown, we’ll stage them so we can make the installation as efficient as possible. We’ll then get in contact with you to agree on a date and time for installation.
Here comes the exciting part!
A few days ahead of your scheduled installation day, we’ll contact you to confirm our visit. Inclement weather can force us to reschedule, but we’ll notify you as soon as possible so we can choose an alternate day that works for you. And if something comes up on your end, feel free to let us know so we can work something out.
On the big day itself, we’ll send over our factory-trained installers. They work as part of our company team — we don’t use sub-contractors. These experts receive training from Betterliving to put their sunrooms together as intended. Since they understand each part’s purpose, they can quickly assemble them to create a sturdy addition. You can rest assured that our team members know what they’re doing.
To make a sunroom that will last for years, we need durable materials. That’s why we source our building materials from reputable companies like Betterliving. Here’s some further insight about the materials we use to create your sunroom.
Depending on the type of sunroom, you can choose different materials and colors to integrate it into your home flawlessly. We’re happy to discuss material options as much as you need to until you’re satisfied.
Whether you order a three-season or year-round sunroom, glass will make up the majority of the structure. We pay utmost attention to the kind of glass we install in the room’s walls. Our sunrooms have a 12-layer glass system that lets you get the most out of your new addition. These windows insulate the room, saving you money on heating and cooling while reducing environmental impact. They also have the durability to withstand weather and accidents so you can focus on enjoying your sunroom.
Betterliving creates their three-season sunroom structures out of durable aluminum. These components don’t need painting thanks to their baked-on enamel finish and the frames interlock for superior structural strength. Meanwhile, they use reinforced vinyl for their year-round sunrooms. This thick material insulates the room and has no visible fasteners, letting the sunroom blend seamlessly with the rest of your home.
We offer gable-style and studio-style roofs that fit your vision. Gable roof sunrooms tend to suit two-story homes while studio-style sunrooms look better on single-story houses. They have similar materials to the framing and paneling, such as vinyl and aluminum, that make them just as sturdy as the rest of the addition.
Our sunroom doors feature metal door wheels so they slide more smoothly when you open and close them. They also last longer than other types of sliding door wheels and are easy to maintain. A silicone-based lubricant can keep your door working just as efficiently as they did on day one.
Why Choose Garrety Glass?
At Garrety Glass, we work on a human-to-human level. We have high standards and aim always to improve, but that doesn’t mean we’ll use jargon and sales-speak around you. As a locally owned and operated business, we understand the area we work in. Only our own team members install our sunrooms, so they have the same accountability as we do.
Our team values communication, knowledge and honesty above everything else. That’s why we offer free, no-pressure consultations. We’ll answer any questions you have about our sunrooms and other projects and estimate a price and timeline. Interested? Use our online form to request a consultation today. Or you can contact us if you have a quick question.
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