I just moved into a sunroom that we converted into a second bedroom.
My mother is elderly and needs some help while she recovers from hip surgery.
Since she lives in a one bedroom, one bathroom condo, converting the sunroom was the only choice we had if I wanted a room for sleeping that wasn’t the pull out couch in the living room. The project took some time and a bit of careful and meticulous work, but transitioning the room was mostly straightforward. She had plastic windows that we replaced with storm proof, double pane glass windows. We replaced the aluminum frame that the old windows attached to, then added a drop ceiling to cover the ugly aluminum overhead. I even added a few light fixtures before I finished the new ceiling. The floor wasn’t hard, since it had a well-sealed concrete finish already. We added spanish tile and now it looks amazing. But still, there was the difficult task of cooling and heating this new space. I knew some people who undertook a similar project and simply added an opening for a vent above the sliding glass door that separates the room from the rest of the house. This wasn’t ideal, because without ductwork attached to the vent, there is no air stream to push the cold air into the warm sunroom. I tried a portable air conditioner at first, but the machine I bought was extremely loud and seemed inefficient when we looked at the electricity bill after I struggled to keep the room at a livable temperature, let alone a comfortable one. I would have never guessed that a window air conditioner would solve my HVAC needs. After some searching, I found a machine that fits perfectly in one of the windows in my new bedroom. It’s not as loud as the portable air conditioner and it seems at least twice as effective at cooling the former sunroom.