Solarium installation in North Tustin, CA - a glass room you can use all year
Patio too hot by afternoon and too chilly in winter to use? We build a heated and cooled glass room that ties firmly into your house.
What does solarium installation in North Tustin involve?
A solarium is a fully enclosed glass room with all-weather windows that's heated and cooled, and solarium installation in North Tustin means building one onto your house so it works as real living space in every season.
Most calls start with a patio nobody sits on after lunch, or a family that wants a bright room for more than a few months a year. Before anything gets ordered, I'd rather settle how you'll use the room, because that decides the room type, and the type sets most of the price. After that, the cost moves with the size, whether the room needs a new foundation, the windows and roof panels you pick, and whether it gets heating and air conditioning. The schedule usually turns on permit review and on when the windows and panels arrive. Settle the insulated windows and the wall, floor and roof insulation in the first plan, because they go in far more easily while the room is being built and often cost more to add later. Your written estimate shows what each of those choices adds.
What happens after you call us about a solarium?
Call or send a message
Tell us roughly how big a room you're picturing and whether it will open to the house. We get back to you to set a time for me to come out.
I measure and write it up
I measure, look at the slab, deck or wall the room will tie into, and ask how you plan to use it. You then get a written estimate that lists the room type, windows, roof and base, so you can see what each piece costs before you decide anything.
We handle permits and build
Once you're ready, we look up which office reviews your address and handle the permit applications and inspections for our work. Our own crew, led by an experienced installer, builds the room, and I check in as it goes.
Walk through the finished room
Before we call it done, I walk through the room with you and hold it up against the written plan. The windows and roof panels you agreed to on paper should be the ones in front of you.
How we install a solarium
A solarium is mostly glass tied to your house, so I spend the most time on the windows and on how the whole frame connects down to the slab or deck below it. The sunroom industry's specification calls for a continuous load path, one connected structure that carries the room's forces down to the ground, in every sunroom, including ones built on an old patio slab or wood deck, so we check that base first and plan a foundation if it can't carry the room. Then our crew frames the floor and walls, fastens the room to your house wall, sets the roof panels and gutters, and installs the windows and doors. The same specification asks that windows in a room open to the house resist air leaks and water and meet thermal performance requirements, which is why I'm picky about which windows go on the estimate. Insulation goes into the walls, floor and roof while they're open, and we seal the joint with the house before we clean up.
If you're still weighing a solarium against something simpler, our sunroom design work puts the size, glass and roof on paper before anything is ordered. And if what you really want is shade, patio cover installation keeps the space open for a good deal less.
Get a written solarium estimate for your house
Send the form and we'll reply within 1 business day to set a time for me to come out, measure and look at where the room will tie in. The on-site estimate is free, and there's no obligation to go ahead.
Solarium questions from North Tustin homeowners
What is the best way to choose between a solarium and a three-season room?
Choose a solarium if you want the room every month of the year, and a three-season room if you'll mostly use it in mild weather. A solarium is heated and cooled with all-weather windows, while three-season rooms and enclosed patios usually aren't heated or cooled and have uninsulated windows or screens. If you're not sure, I'll price both on the estimate and leave the call to you.
How much does a solarium cost in Orange County?
A sunroom in Orange County usually costs about $17,000 to $120,000 per job. Larger rooms that need a foundation and get heating and air conditioning land at the higher end, and a solarium is always heated and cooled. Your written estimate gives your own figure, broken out by room type, windows, roof and base.
Do I need a permit to build a solarium in North Tustin?
Check before you build, because Orange County runs the building permit process for unincorporated areas, and its list typically requires permits for building additions and patios without naming solariums. Finding out which office reviews your address is the first part of our permit step.
How do I check if my North Tustin lot is in a fire hazard zone?
Look up your address on the county's Fire Hazard Severity Zones map, because buildings in Very High zones must use the fire-resistive features the California Building Code sets for wildfire exposure, which can change the materials in the room. Look at the North Tustin Specific Plan early too, since it's a local land-use plan with its own map. We're based in North Tustin and work in many of the cities around it, so I check both for your address before the design is settled.
Does a contractor need a license to build a sunroom in California?
Yes, whenever the work is subject to a permit of any kind, even if the job is under $1,000. California's awning contractor license covers patio covers but not patio enclosures, so ask any builder which license class they hold for an enclosed room. We're licensed and fully insured.
How much can a contractor ask for as a down payment on a sunroom?
California law caps the down payment on a home improvement contract at $1,000 or ten percent of the contract price, whichever is less. If a builder wants more than that up front, stop and ask why before you sign.
Other work that often goes with a solarium
Sunroom design
Useful when you want the room drawn out and priced choice by choice before you commit to glass, a roof and a base.
Patio cover installation
A good fit if shade over the patio solves the problem and you don't need walls, windows or heating.
Book a solarium measure at your house
Call (657) 356-0209 or use the form with your rough room size, whether it will open to the house and your address, so I can check your lot against the fire map before I come out.