A Sunroom Remodel For A Home in Cottage Grove

Business owners Dan and Kristia, a GenX couple, learned about our design-build-remodeling firm from their Facebook friends group. They engaged us to completely redesign their kitchen space and asked us to improve the flow and functionality of their laundry room and mudroom. Their Cottage Grove, Wisconsin kitchen remodel also included updating a three-season sunroom used as storage space.

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Solving Lingering Quality Problems

During the last building boom, an amateur builder built the home around fifteen years ago. It was a time when anyone could build and sell a house, and as a result, it seriously lacked any design sense, and the quality was a bit lacking. Dan and Kristia loved the location, the house had the perfect yard, and it was well worth the investment to make it exactly what the family wanted.

Identifying a Wonderful Design Opportunity

Because the builder was not focused on design, the kitchen had a wall of cabinetry blocking any connection to the sunroom. The sunroom offered a great opportunity. It overlooked the backyard and pool area and had the potential to create the perfect indoor/outdoor transitional space. However, the original builder had connected it to the home with a narrow door, making it isolated. As a result, it had become a catch-all storage area. We identified this space as a key potential design opportunity!

Connecting The Indoor and Outdoor Space

As a part of the kitchen redesign, we evaluated several options for the kitchen layout and the best approach to connecting the sunporch to the home. We compared windows versus doors to the three-season porch. We ended up with an L-shaped kitchen which gave us the room to include a double patio door leading to the sunroom. The new patio door matches the other doors to the deck and the three-season room. These new doors allow natural light to flood the kitchen and highlight the view of the outdoors when closed.

The Sunroom Remodel

We began the sunroom remodel once the improved patio door was installed and connected the space to the main home. We removed the hard-to-open aluminum storm windows, enlarged the openings slightly, and installed Porch Conversions Three-Season Windows. The new windows give the space a new vibe! The sunroom is no longer a catch-all storage space. It has been transformed into a focal point for the kitchen, providing a connection to the home that invites you to sit, relax, and enjoy the view of the yard or keep tabs on the teenagers in the pool below.

We did a structural rehab as part of the sunroom remodel by installing new support beams and proactively repairing some early structural rot to prevent expensive future damage. Aside from the windows, the only updated finish we changed in the space was the flooring.

Our Clients Were Delighted With The Sunroom

The sunroom remodel gave Dan and Krista a new, usable space in their home. It's no longer an unused catch-all storage space. The sunroom has become an inviting expansion of the family's new kitchen, providing a great view and the perfect connection to the outdoor space. The addition of the double patio door floods the kitchen with natural light, creating the perfect transition between the indoor and outdoor living spaces.