SUNROOMS: As durability improves, they're a popular choice for people wanting a cheaper alternative to a traditional add-on.

It's the reason you live in Southern California in the first place. It's the reason your East Coast relatives are jealous. It's February, and you can stretch out and bask in the sun. Now, imagine being able to do that every day of the year - on your couch, while you're watching television.

Sunrooms are enjoying a rise in popularity in Ventura County. As new designs have made them more and more practical, many families have chosen to add a sunroom to their home as a less expensive, more time-efficient alternative to traditional construction.
"Most of us really want to be outside, but we don't want to deal with all the elements," said Don Robson, owner of Mr. Build, Ace Awning, Inc., a Ventura company that specializes in designing and building custom sunrooms.

The Robson family has owned Mr. Build since 1971, and Robson has had a first-hand view of the evolution of the modern sunroom. Through the years, material and design changes have allowed for more light and extended durability. Wood that chipped and warped over time, for example, has given way to aluminum rafters that look like wood, but need less maintenance.

Robson built a sunroom on his own home.
"Mine is 13 years old," he said. "It's glass and aluminum. I've never had to do maintenance on it."

Today's aluminum beams can be shaped in ways that wood couldn't. In many rooms, the beams are curved, gracefully joining the roof to the walls.

Roofs on sunrooms have changed also. Instead of a conventional flat roof, homeowners can choose a ceiling made of tempered roofing glass that comes with shades so that residents can control the amount of sunlight streaming into a room. A flat roof is still an option - a popular one because it offers more insulation and is so strong it can be walked on. In fact, Robson recently built a two - story sunroom for a customer in Camarillo.

The adaptability of the aluminum and glass is useful in custom designs. Some sunrooms wrap around the corners of a home, while others are constructed over swimming pools or spas.

The affordability and swift construction of sunrooms is another reason why they have gained popularity. A sunroom can range from $12,000 to $20,000, depending upon how elaborate it becomes and whether or not it has a glass ceiling.

Due to their classification, sunrooms are not taxed the same as standard construction.
"We're under the non-habilitable - room code section," Robson said. "They require us to have 65 percent windows in two walls. It's a recreational room."

It takes about four to five weeks to build a sunroom, including the time spent obtaining a permit and ordering materials. Actual construction generally lasts no more than a week, Robson said.

"If we start a job on Monday, we're usually done by Friday," said Stan Robson, Don's son and the designer of most of the sunrooms.
There's no questions, the Robsons agree: People love to have sunlight in their homes, especially in California.

"We live in our sunroom," Don Robson says. "We could take our living room and saw it off and sell it. We're never in our living room."

For those considering a sunroom, Robson has a few tips: