Expert: Dan Griffin - 4/28/2010

Question
QUESTION: Hi Dan,

My question is pretty much like Bud's, where as I have a cover cement patio (14 deepX18 wide)that I want to raise the floor and enclose the patio making this area a sunroom that will be attached to my formal dinning room. Unlike Bud's approx 5 inches I have a 16 inch difference. So your suggestions on venting may be much easier to achive in my case...could you possibly give me any idea how much more I might expect the contractor to charge me for doing this? I'm not looking for an actual cost just an approx of the difference of raising the floor or going with our second choice..keeping it as a step down room.

ANSWER: Deb, there are so many issues.

If this is going to become part of the house it will require a footing which it probably does not have now if the present space is an exterior patio.  YOu don't tell whether your house is a slab/ or wood framed over a crawl space or basement.  Do you intend now or ever to let the house HVAC deal with the space?  Does this have a real roof over it that is tied into or part of the house roof?

The best approach in my opinion would be to remove the patio, create the footing, raise the floor up to finish floor.  It might be possible to leave the patio, create a footing, add lots of fill sand and have a new slab at finish floor.  There will certainly be addtional cost for creating footing and frame floor or new slabs.  A good builder or a design professional can help you see other possibilities.

This issue comes up over and over again.  I'm thinking of one bull headed friend in particular.
I want a patio, says he.
No problem says I, but, say, do you think you might ever close it in?
No, just a patio.

Within 6 months he wanted a cover.  As fall came on he wanted to just screen in the sides.  Well, then if it had windows we could stay out here even when it gets cooler.  This is sure not a one time story.

If you love the house and plan to stay, go ahead and plan on making it a room.  If it's just a patio, keep it a patio.  Let me know which way you do head.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dan,

Thanks for such a quick reply. Re-reading my question..I'm think ...how silly I was when asking it..Your right, I left out some pretty important details. I do plan on staying in this home (with basement) God willing another 20 years or so :). The patio does have a roof which is tied to the house, and as a result had to have footers by code. It also has 2 large pillars which we had elec outlets put in, as well as an outdoor ceiling fan and a tongue in-grove ceiling. When built several years back we insisted that the ceiling of the roof be in line with the dinning room ceiling so that it shared the same view as looking out our sliding doors in the dinning room. I hope these details give you a better idea of what I would like to accomplish? What I have not added to the whole mix here as not to complicate it too much...we are looking to add an addition to the back of this for an additional full bath. Now there will be some cost..lol. My concern at this point is still..how much I might expect to add to the cost of enclosing this room by raising the floor..or do I just go with the step down? the least of my choices. Thanks for anything you may be able to tell me.

Deb

Answer
Deb, as a 60 plus year old, you don't want a step(s) down.  The actual cost will be subject to materials, labor rates,  site conditions, etc.  A concrete slab of that size (14x 18) would be at least $1000.  I chose concrete because most homes here are on slabs and you've never indicated what you have.