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Three Season Room, LaGrange NY, Part 1

According to DBS, Three Season Rooms should be built to mimic the original part of the home. In our eyes, the room should not look like they were added on, but to look as if they were part of the existing dwelling, at least aesthetically. This is your chance to increase and modernize the functionality of your home!

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This is a three season room that we constructed in Dutchess County, specifically LaGrangeville, NY, minutes away from Poughkeepsie. As you can see in the photo above, there are plenty of windows to allow as much sunshine as possible into the room. You’ll also notice the transom windows (the smaller, fixed panels above the double hung) for a bit of extra sun exposure! This was all possible because of the height of the ceiling. Also due to the ceiling height, we were able to get some beautiful trapezoid glass fixed panels towards the top of the wall. Again, extra sunlight, and it does make a great difference! In this cases, since the three season room is not heated, the quality of the windows is very important. You want to choose well insulated windows so extra heat is not lost.

We will shoot up to the peak of the room. Do you see that orange beam that sits between the rafters? That is an engineered beam that acts as support to the roof. Having this eliminates the need for support by a flat ceiling, or horizontal ceiling beams (collar ties). This keeps your roof from collapsing in, due to any load (snow, etc.). In this particular project, we installed 2×10 rafters (the wood running vertically to support the roof) to allow for more space for insulation (which means more kept heat. BINGO!). The reason we like to install 2×10 as opposed to the minimum that is structurally needed (of course, according to code) is for that exact reason; to insulate more and keep in as much heat as possible.

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As you can see in this picture, and as you know and I’m sure have read about it our last blog, this three season room is built on a pier foundation, which means that it is suspended in the air. All (every single) roof edge overhangs, and are framed. These overhangs protect the surfaces below from the elements. As you can also see, the new construction is being covered by Tyvek wrap, which is a breathable material that acts as a moisture barrier and protects the wood behind. This was news to me! I had no idea what that was. Tyvek is used to protect until the siding is ready to be put onto the structure.

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The windows that you choose for your room really dictates the amount of ventilation throughout. One option (seen in the above photo) is the double hang window, where each sash (the part of the window that holds the glass) has the ability to move. This is very popular, however the downside to this type of window is that the max ventilation you can receive is 50%; because at least 50% of the window is covered at all times. The neat thing about these specific windows, though, is they are also called tilt wash windows, which makes them very easy to clean! Another option a gliding window, where the maximum ventilation is also 50%. Also an option is the casement, or crank, window where you can obtain 100% ventilation.

The walls are 6 inch composite tongue and groove bead board, which is conducive to the changing temperatures of your three season room. No cracking here! Another thing to notice is the amount of outlets that code requires, as well as your preference. Cable, wifi, power sources are all very important factors when creating a room from scratch. Where will you mount your 60” flat screen television?! You want to know that there is a cable hook up in that vicinity before the project is done so that you are not left in the cold with no Sunday football!

Please stay tuned for part two of this three season room that will debut Friday, 12/14!