Backyard Remodeling Project

Building the Sun Room (January 20-22, 2001)

Before we could install the sunroom, we removed the 2x6 fascia along the back of the house. We installed new fascia (2x8 cedar - pretty and doesn't need paint) using special joist hangers. The sunroom needed a 2x8 nailing surface.

The sunroom arrived in 24 cartons, the heaviest about 120 lbs. I sure wish they were numbered in the order that they should be opened, but no luck. Fortunately the instructions are very clear - with just a few exceptions. 

I didn't take pictures of figuring out exactly where the sunroom frame needed to be attached to the deck. Hours of fiddling isn't great photography. It is very difficult to check for square by measuring corner to corner when there is a big pool in the middle!

The following images are a "time lapse" showing erection of the frame. It went up very quickly, once I figured out all the various connectors. Everything took a bit longer than anticipated simply because of the size of the sunroom -- 12 x 36 (effectively 14 x 36 with the under eave area).

Day 2. Lots of detail work that doesn't really show in the picture. Had to install header caps on top of all the rafters (caulking first). Only had to remove one and turn it the right direction! Then we had to connect the rafters at the front eave end. We added the small triangle of aluminum in the front bay. (The other bays will have windows). Then lots of caulking - went through at least 6 tubes today! Then we had to attach flashing off the roof edge. Then we started preparing the panels. I'll take more pics of that process later. Each panel had to be taped, top and bottom, and a vent installed. There were about 30 screws in the vent alone! (So far the vent is the only bit of engineering that seems pretty flimsy, poorly designed, and hard to assemble - you need four hands at times.) Once the panel is ready, the gasket has to be applied to the rafters, the panel positioned into place, and battens put in place and screwed down.

1/22 4:13 pm
Attaching the panels is tricky. It is necessary to lean across the 3' panels to screw into the batten. If you spread out the weight, you can lean on the lexan panels. Being about 7' tall would help this process. Two panels done, 10 to go.