Sunrooms & Patio Covers · Nashville, TN
The Nashville homeowner's guide to sunroom
What the work involves, what drives the price, what your options are, and what a bad job looks like — written so you can judge any sunroom builder in Middle Tennessee, including us.
Warning signs
How to know you need us
If you recognize any of these, it is worth having somebody look before it becomes a larger job.
- A deck or patio you stopped using because of heat, insects or rain
- An existing sunroom that is too hot in summer and unusable in winter
- Condensation, leaks or rot at the joint where an older sunroom meets the house
- Wanting more usable living space without the cost of a full addition
- A view or a garden the house does not connect to at all
- A screened porch with failing screen, rotten framing or a sagging roof
Your options
More than one right answer.
A sunroom builder who only ever recommends the most expensive option is not giving you advice. Here is the honest range.
Screened porch
The best value in this climate and the fastest to build. Solves insects and rain and adds months of use.
Three-season room
Glazed but unconditioned. Comfortable for most of the Tennessee year and considerably cheaper than a conditioned room.
Conditioned sunroom
Insulated, heated and cooled, counted as living space. A genuine addition, permitted and inspected as one.
Rebuild an existing room
Frequently the right answer for an older aluminum sunroom, where the structure is tired and the glazing is single pane.
What it costs
What actually drives the price.
We do not quote sunroom over the phone, because an honest number needs somebody to look at the job. These are the things that move it.
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Conditioned or not
A screened porch, a three-season room and a fully conditioned addition are three very different projects with three different code paths.
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Foundation and structure
Building on an existing deck or slab is only possible if it was built to carry it. Frequently it was not, and that is a foundation job first.
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Glazing area and type
Glass is a large share of the cost, and in this climate the low-E specification matters as much as the quantity.
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Roof type
Tying a new roof into the existing one properly costs more than a bolted-on aluminum pan roof and looks and performs much better.
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HVAC and electrical
Conditioning the space means either extending the system or adding a mini-split, and both are real scope.
Every estimate is free, written and carries no obligation — including the parts we would find only after starting, which are priced up front rather than left open.
What happens
From your call to the finished job.
Design and permit
Two to six weeks. A conditioned room needs drawings and a permit and sometimes an engineered footing detail.
Foundation
Footings or slab, inspected before anything is built on them.
Shell
Framing, roof tie-in and glazing. The roof connection is the detail that decides whether it ever leaks.
Finish
Interior finish, electrical and conditioning, then trim. Typically four to eight weeks overall for a conditioned room.
Done badly
What goes wrong, and why it matters.
These are the shortcuts that make a quote look cheaper and cost you more later. Ask anyone you are considering about them.
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Building on a deck that was not designed for it
A deck rated for people and furniture will not carry walls, glazing and a roof.
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Bolt-on roof under the eave
It is the standard cheap detail and the standard source of rot at the connection.
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Conditioning a three-season room later
Insulation, glazing and structure differ. Retrofitting is more expensive than building it conditioned.
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Skipping the permit on a conditioned room
It is living space. Unpermitted square footage is a problem at appraisal and at closing.
Before you hire anyone
Six questions worth asking any sunroom builder.
Including us. If a contractor cannot answer these easily, that is the answer.
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Are you licensed for sunroom and can I see the certificate?
A licensed and insured contractor will have this to hand and will not be irritated by the question.
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Is the estimate written, itemized and free?
A verbal number is not an estimate. Itemized means you can compare two quotes on the same basis.
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What happens if you find something once you start?
The honest answer names a rate and a process. The answer to worry about is that it never happens.
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Who is actually doing the work?
Employee crew or subcontractor is not a wrong answer either way, but you should know which, and who carries the insurance.
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What is the workmanship warranty, and is it in writing?
Materials carry a manufacturer warranty. Workmanship is the contractor, and it should be written down.
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Will you pull the permit?
For permitted work, a contractor who suggests skipping it is telling you something important about the rest of the job.
FAQ
Choosing a sunroom builder in Nashville
How do I choose a sunroom builder in Nashville?
Check the license and the insurance certificate, get the estimate in writing and itemized so you can compare quotes on the same basis, and ask what happens if something is found once work starts. A contractor who cannot answer those easily has told you what you need to know.
Should I get more than one quote for sunroom?
Yes, and compare what is in them rather than the number at the bottom. The cheapest quote is often cheapest because it leaves something out, and on sunroom the thing left out is usually the preparation that decides how long the work lasts.
Is the cheapest sunroom quote usually a bad idea?
Not automatically — but an unusually low number is information. Ask specifically what is included, what grade of material is quoted, who is doing the work and what the workmanship warranty is. If all four answers are good, the low quote is a good quote.
Do I need a permit for sunroom in Nashville?
It depends on the scope. Metro Nashville and the surrounding counties permit and inspect a good deal of this work, and a contractor suggesting you skip a required permit is telling you something about how they approach the rest of the job. We pull the permits our work requires.
How far in advance should I book sunroom?
A few weeks where you can. Booking in the quiet season usually means better scheduling and sometimes better pricing than booking in the rush, and it gives you time to make the selections properly.
Free estimate
Need a sunroom builder in Nashville today?
Tell us what is going on and we will get you a free estimate from a local sunroom builder. No obligation, no pressure.