Craftsman Sunroom & Deck Addition
Accessory Structures | Outdoor Living | Passive & Energy Saving | Remodels
The homeowners of this Craftsman-style Passive House in Corvallis wanted to make more of their large backyard. They wanted a quiet retreat that could also host the whole family, and one they could use in every season, not just the few dry months of an Oregon summer.
The answer was an all-season sunroom that opens completely onto a new composite deck. In summer, it becomes one large indoor-outdoor gathering space. In winter, the glass doors close and a wood-fired oven keeps the room warm and cozy.
The Challenge
Oregon weather makes most outdoor spaces seasonal. The family wanted a room that could shift between an open-air entertaining space and a warm winter escape. It also had to connect easily to the kitchen for hosting, include a safe area for kids’ backyard games and fit the home’s Craftsman style. Because the house is a Passive House, the addition also needed to protect the home’s energy performance.
Our Approach
We designed the sunroom around folding panoramic glass doors that slide and stack against the walls, opening the room completely to the new deck. When they’re closed, their thermal efficiency keeps the room comfortable in cold weather. We extended the front porch’s hip roof across the back of the house to cover part of the deck, which shades the kitchen window from summer sun, and added skylights for controlled daylight. A tilt-and-turn kitchen window swings open so food and drinks pass straight out to the deck.
Inside, a wood tongue-and-groove ceiling and a handmade blue-and-green tile surround behind the wood-fired oven bring a feeling of nature indoors. Layered lighting in the sunroom and on the deck lets gatherings continue after dark, and new pavers beside the deck create a safe play area. We built on Diamond Pier footings and used high-recycled-content decking to reduce the project’s environmental footprint.
The Result
The backyard is now the center of family life year-round. Summer evenings are spent on the deck with friends, and when the weather turns, everyone moves into the sunroom by the fire.
“We love our new outdoor living space, we host weekly BBQs for our friends and this is the perfect space to gather in the summertime evenings. When the weather turns we retreat into the cozy sunroom, heated by our wood fired pizza oven.”
Carl & Julie
Corvallis, OR
Slide the green circle left and right to see before and after.
A Seamless & Energy Efficient Addition
With the addition of the sunroom and deck, we extended the hip roof from the front porch onto the back of the house to cover a portion of the new deck. This new roof reduces solar heat gain to the home through the kitchen window, while integrated skylights allow a controlled amount of natural lighting to the deck and kitchen.
Unique “Forest River” Tile Design
The homeowners wanted to emulate a sensation of nature with the varying blue and green tones used in the room. The tile backsplash behind the Nectre 350 Wood Fire Oven features Fireclay handmade tiles laid in a vertical orientation with an offset pattern to create the vision of a river flowing through a forest.
Outdoor Lighting
Expert lighting design was utilized throughout the indoor and outdoor space. Step lights were installed on the deck posts, deck stairs, and deck perimeter for safety, recessed spotlights on gimbals shine overhead the BBQ and table to provide task lighting while cooking and eating, outdoor sconces illuminate the entire area with a shaded bulb, and soffit uplighting provides additional overhead brightness for reading on the couch. Spotlights highlight the landscaping for evening outdoor mood lighting.
Natural Ceiling Design
Wood tongue and groove ceiling panels and wood-wrapped structural beams bring in natural warmth to create this cozy sunroom. LED tape lighting around the perimeter of the ceiling beautifully accentuates the wood ceiling and makes the room feel tall in the evenings, while a valance piece shields any direct view of light bulbs.
Indoor/Outdoor Sunroom Using Panoramic Doors
These panoramic doors have individual door panels that slide and stack up against the outer walls to connect the sunroom to the deck and any outdoor activities, creating an indoor/outdoor sunroom. The window also slides and stacks to utilize the westerly evening breeze to naturally cool down the sunroom. Each of these openings has an accordion screen to close off when there are insects.
Kitchen Pass Through Window
These Tilt/Turn European kitchen windows swing completely open, allowing dishes, food, and drinks to be easily passed between the kitchen and deck.
Sustainable Building: Diamond Pier Footings
Diamond Pier footings are a sustainable alternative to standard concrete stem walls and footings, due to the reduced amount of concrete used and thus reduced embodied carbon which is required to make concrete. We also selected composite decking with a high recycled content to reduce the demand for new plastics.
Energy Efficient Addition
- Solar Panels
- Diamond Pier footings
- Construction crew accessed site via electric vehicles
- LED Light Fixtures
