How to get 3.5 seasons out of a 3-season room!

Sun rooms, screen porches or three-season rooms are great additional spaces to a house, especially if you crave a living area with more of a connection to the outdoors.

The biggest difference between the three is that a sun room will typically be an extension of your house with insulation, quality windows and heating and cooling.

A screen porch will have the least protection from weather fluctuations, only offering a roof overhead and minimal walls.

A three-season room is the hybrid between the two. A three-season room will have windows and some insulation value but will not be expected to maintain temperature control in extreme heat or cold.

Years ago when I chose my additional space I opted for a three-season room. I was only hoping for a cozy area that would extend the living room so we could enjoy the outdoors even if it was slightly rainy or the summer mosquitoes were at their worst. At a “small but mighty” 10×10, even I am amazed at how functional the space has been. I have used it for a place to let dogs chill out.

I have used it as a reading nook to enjoy my coffee on rainy mornings in the Springtime.

I have used it for an extra fun space to decorate for our Summer theme parties!

And a magical sleeping porch for my niece when she was younger-

I have used it as a sitting area, a crafting area and an office to watch the yard turn from green to autumn gold in the Fall.

But my favorite unexpected use for the room has been for a season outside of the three-seasons you would expect it to be appropriate for.

The Holiday Season.

When the weather turns cold I warm the glass walls with the glow of Christmas lights.

It has become the perfect place for our tree. The french doors make it easy to enjoy from the rest of the house and the glass walls make it visible even as you are driving down the road.

There are two outlets that I had wired to a switch outside of the room so on the coldest of days I don’t even have to set foot into the ice box to operate the Christmas lights.

Not only does it give me a space to decorate away from the threat of animals, the temperature allows the tree to remain preserved so it lasts twice as long as it would inside the house.

I leave the tree up long after the holidays. February is a great time to add a few paper hearts for Valentines Day and by St Patrick’s Day the sun is warm enough to heat up the glass box so it can be opened during the day.

And just like that we are back to Spring and Summer and I have squeezed 3.5 seasons out of my 3-season room!