Chico -- Lack of Sunrooms (Fresno, Redding: real estate, houses, rooftop)

[salemite47]

I'm considering moving to Northern CA to get more sun than the gloomy Willamette Valley. I specifically am looking at Chico real estate and am curious why there seem to be no sunrooms on the houses. I know it gets hot during the summer but much of the city is shaded with decidious trees. With the winter sun it seems a sunroom would be pleasant and could even provide some supplemental heat. In the summer the trees would provide shade or a shade cloth could be placed over the sunroom. That and some vents in the roof of the sunroom should prevent overheating. Also, one of my hobbies is growing cacti and succulents -- my preference is an attached sunroom rather than a separate greenhouse. Any comments would be welcome.

[Senno]

Well, it gets awful hot and your east or south facing sunroom would be more of a broiler at peak heat.

Not really helpful with your electric bill.

I have what you describe, just in Fresno. Trees and all.

[slo1318]

Weird question. If u want one, add it. It'll be 120 f in summer.....or more.

[nelsonent23]

I believe the sunrooms that are available now perform really well in the summer heat. The latest technology in glass is pretty tremendous and allows a home owner to install an awesome glass addition to your home that can privide you with a room you can use in all Four Seasons. I have a room in Redding and usually a few degrees hotter than Chico. When you select a sunroom company, do your homework and you get what you pay for. I believe Four Seasons Sunrooms to be the best on the market. Good Luck

[Malloric]

Originally Posted by nelsonent23

I believe the sunrooms that are available now perform really well in the summer heat. The latest technology in glass is pretty tremendous and allows a home owner to install an awesome glass addition to your home that can privide you with a room you can use in all Four Seasons. I have a room in Redding and usually a few degrees hotter than Chico. When you select a sunroom company, do your homework and you get what you pay for. I believe Four Seasons Sunrooms to be the best on the market. Good Luck

Yup, that's what's great about climate control. Hell on your energy bill, however.

[Bulldogdad]

Down here they are called hot houses.

[Dean Trails]

You will learn that in California you willl have no need of a Sun Room. Open the door and go sit on the old patio.

Weather patterns are so different from Oregon. Rainfall is considerably lower and the weather tends to be more mild in the winter. I am sitting with the window open and it is 62F outside, in February! It was warm and sunny all day. Our only concerns at present is that we need more rain. The New Year has been fairly dry.

Welcome to California,,i bet you love it!!

[AndrewCS]

To echo what Dean Trails said, I think most people in Chico go without sunrooms because they just end up outside to enjoy the sunshine. There's so many different recreation areas to take in the rays that a sunroom is sort of an afterthought for Chico homeowners. That doesn't mean people don't add them on though, but I almost never see them just because I don't think they see as much use as they might in regions where they're more popular.

[Steve97415]

In general, Chico is a city of rather basic architecture. There aren't a lot of strawbale homes (which would make a lot of sense there) or solar panels on rooftops. What you will see are a lot of 60's-70's era basic L-shaped ranch homes with 8ft. ceilings, very basic kitchens and Jack-and-Jill bedroom arrangements. Many people comment that Chico is more affordable than most towns in northern California. Building quality is a part of that. The average home in Chico was built on the cheap.

But I agree on sunrooms -- it's just not a sunroom type of climate. Even in winter, there are plenty of days when it is pleasant to be outdoors. As for growing cactus and succulents, with a Sunset Zone 9 climate, you can probably grow enough of them outside there that cossetting them indoors will start to seem pointless after a year or two.

[oldtrader]

In the Willamette Valley people have sun rooms to give them a feeling of being outside, as due to the weather they can't be outdoors much of the year. In Chico they can be outside much of the year. Rather than go to the expense of a sun room, they would rather build larger home for the same money as would cost for a home with a sunroom.

Sun rooms are great in the dreary north west, but not needed in most of California.