Skylights, Solariums, Sunrooms, Conservatories - See The Light!

HOLBROOK, NY (March, 1999) - What one feature can make your building stand out from the crowd? What will make the Joneses sit up and take notice? What can you do to get the "oohs and ahhs" that translate into buildings with a "Sold" sign out front?

Bring on the light!

Buildings with spectacular natural lighting gather more positive attention than any other design feature a builder can incorporate. Whether it's a standard pyramid, dome or ridge skylight, or one of the many styles of sunrooms or conservatories on the market, the added light these products provide to the whole building transforms an ordinary building into a dramatic showpiece that stands out from the crowd.

If you visited the National Association of Home Builders shows in Dallas, TX in the past few years, you would certainly have noticed the showcase homes that had majestic skylights bringing natural light right into the center of those homes. These were no "ordinary" roof windows that allow a tiny view of the sky, but complete roof sections made of high-tech, super-insulating glass. At this year's show, Four Seasons Skylights lit up the foyer and center corridor of the LifeStages home. Last year, they lit up The Home of the Future outside the show. These designs are already having a major impact on the architectural designs of today's homes.

What can a sunroom, conservatory or skylight system do for me?

Although not usually phrased exactly this way, whenever I meet builders and remodelers, the questions they ask, all point to this same idea.

The LifeStages modular home at the NAHB show this year looked nothing like the conventional vision of a "modular" home. It wasn't boxy, it was open. It didn't look like a dark, ugly building, built in a cold, impersonal factory. It was bright. It was inviting. Most of the roof was made of glass (and this was inside an exposition hall – imagine if it had been outside under the Dallas sun)!

The point is, a sunroom, conservatory or skylight system like that on the LifeStages home can transform an ordinary building into a spectacular building! Imagine how lifeless most office buildings and shopping malls would be (and used to be) if they didn't have skylight systems to open up their atrium areas. Nowadays, skylight systems are a prerequisite for retail malls because the owners know shoppers buy more when they feel better. Natural light makes people feel better, healthier and happier.

And now Four Seasons is making it easier than ever for builders to incorporate large expanses of glass in their projects. With standard rough opening and footprint specifications, Four Seasons makes adding the most advanced sunroom or skylight as easy as framing a window or door.

In the past, builders, while recognizing the dramatic difference Four Seasons Solar Products made in their buildings, were reluctant to specify so-called "non-standard" items. Heeding this call, Four Seasons sunrooms, conservatories and standard skylights are now available with standard rough opening and footprint specs, so builders now have the confidence of trouble-free installation.

A nationwide network of 300 dealers is also available to provide local installation service on a prepared curb. Four Seasons will work with any architect or general contractor to provide shop drawings, elevations, rough openings and footprint specifications, as well as on-site installation and expert installation advice, for easy integration into the design of the building.

Four Seasons has removed all the uncertainty of adding modular skylights or sunrooms by combining its more than 25 years of experience as the world's largest and most advanced sunroom and conservatory company with industry-leading technology and helpful design and engineering professionals to make the builders' job as easy and worry-free as possible.

With Four Seasons' experienced team of glazing professionals, making buildings get the "oohs" and "aahs" that translate to "sold out" buildings is now as easy as specifying a window or a door.

So what should you look for in a sunroom, conservatory, skylight or solarium? There are several important factors to consider when deciding on a sunroom, conservatory, skylight or solarium.

One of the most popular home improvement projects today is a sunroom, patio room or conservatory addition. Because of the dramatic difference it can make in a home, as well as its extreme versatility, homeowners are using sunroom and conservatories for everything from kitchens to home offices. Of course the market has responded to this demand and many sunroom and conservatory companies have sprung up over the years. To help you sort through the claims of the different sunroom salesmen in the market, consider the following tips. The only way to ensure you hire the right sunroom or conservatory company for you is to know the right questions to ask from the beginning. Homeowners investigating a patio room, sunroom or conservatory purchase should look into the following areas:

The company. Hundreds of sunroom and conservatory companies have come and gone in the past 25 years. Inferior products and installations put fly-by-night companies out of business quickly. Look for a company that has a history and will be there to service your needs and back up its warranty.

Check references. A reputable sunroom/conservatory company will be happy to provide you with a list of satisfied customers. Be sure to ask to see testimonials, or read testimonials on their websites.

Product selection. Some sunroom and conservatory companies have a limited selection of styles to choose from and may try to push a sunroom that doesn't satisfy your needs or fit the architectural style of your building. Choose a company that has a large selection of screen room, patio room, conservatory and sunroom styles to be sure you get the most architecturally pleasing addition.

Warranty. What kind of warranty does the company offer on its products? Again, a company's warranty is only good if the company is still in business.

Thermal Performance. Are all of the company's frame members "thermally broken" to reduce the transfer of exterior temperatures to inside surfaces?

Glass. The most important element of your sunroom. A skylight system, solarium, sunroom or conservatory is pretty much all glass, so the performance of that glass is a lot more critical to the building's occupants than the glass in your average window. For the most part, the performance of the glass determines the performance of your skylight, sunroom or conservatory and the happiness of your customers.

Does the company use tempered safety glass for your customers' protection? Tempered safety glass shatters into harmless rounded pellets when broken. Will you be able to heat and cool the building economically? Does the glass control solar heat gain? Ordinary clear glass can turn a sunroom or conservatory unbearably hot in the summer. Regular, Low-E glass has a relative heat gain of 170 BTU/HR/SQ.FT. These numbers will turn a sunroom into an oven in the summer! Sunroom and conservatory glass with a relative heat gain of 30-79 BTU/HR/SQ.FT is much more comfortable. What is the center of glass winter R-value? The R-value measures the insulating value of the glass. The higher the number, the warmer your room in winter. Look for a center of glass R value from 4.0 to 10.0 Does the glass control glare? You don't want to have to wear sunglasses inside your house. Does the glass control UV light to reduce fabric fading?

To meet overall building energy codes, Four Seasons offers double glazed CONSERVAGLASS PLUS™ with a center of glass U-value of .24 (R-4) or triple glazed CONSERVAGLASS PLUS with a center of glass U-value of .10 (R-10).

Structural Performance. What kind of loads is the sunroom or conservatory rated for? Can it handle the snow and wind loads you expect? Will it meet your local codes?

The only way to be sure you're getting the most value for your dollar is to research the sunroom and conservatory companies you're considering doing business with and ask them the right questions. Consumers who do their homework are rewarded with the best prices on the best products that will last for the long haul.

Superior Quality
For nearly a quarter of a century, Four Seasons Sunrooms has been dedicated to developing the state of the art in sunroom, patio enclosure and conservatory design and innovation. From glass to frame, only the highest quality materials are used in the company's sunrooms, conservatories and patio rooms. Four Seasons exclusive CONSERVAGLASS PLUS™ keeps you warm and comfortable in winter and cool and fresh in summer. This high performance glass is so durable that it is covered by a lifetime limited warranty. In addition, the engineering and construction integrity of Four Seasons products far exceeds building code requirements, making Four Seasons sunrooms and conservatories technically superior to give you peace of mind.

Unexpected Low Price
Four Seasons places great emphasis on building exceptional value into every product it produces. Efficient use of the highest quality materials and production methods, combined with its huge volume and purchasing power, means the company can offer the lowest prices and highest value to its customers.

Design Options
With hundreds of styles and configurations to choose from, Four Seasons has a product to fit your home's style and your budget. Whether you're looking for a screen room, deck enclosure, patio room or a full room addition like a sunroom or conservatory, Four Seasons has a solution. Exceptional materials and time-tested construction methods make it possible to quickly and easily add space and light to your home in just a few days at surprisingly little cost. Four Seasons sunrooms and conservatories are the extraordinary room addition that can cost no more than an ordinary room addition. English style or Georgian conservatories, curved eave or straight eave sunrooms, a Four Seasons patio room, sunroom or conservatory brings a new dimension of dramatic light and warmth to your home.