Sunroom contractor in Highland, CA - rooms planned around the summer heat
Sunward Riverside Sunrooms & Patios builds sunrooms, patio enclosures and screen rooms for homes in Highland, CA, closing in patios and decks you already have or adding a new room off the back of the house.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Services in Highland, CA
Patio enclosures
A lot of Highland houses already have a concrete patio out back, and closing it in is usually the quickest way to gain a room you can use most of the year. I check the slab for cracks and slope first, because the walls and the water seal both depend on what that concrete is doing.
Deck-to-sunroom conversion
If your house has a raised wood deck, a deck-to-sunroom conversion can use space you've already got, as long as the framing underneath can carry walls and a roof. We look under the deck before we price anything, and we'll tell you if the posts or footings need work first.
Sunroom additions
On the older houses here, a new room off the back has to meet framing and rooflines built long before anyone pictured a sunroom there. We work out how the roof ties in and where the water goes before anything gets drawn up, since that joint is where most leaks start.
Four season sunrooms
If you want to sit in the room on a July afternoon and again in January, it has to be built like part of the house, with insulated walls and roof. When a room needs heating and cooling, we bring in licensed trades to put it in alongside our build.
Patio cover installation
Sometimes the honest answer is shade rather than walls, especially on a yard where the back of the house bakes all afternoon. A patio cover keeps the sun off your windows and the slab, and it costs less than closing the space in.
Screen room installation
A screen room suits people who want warm evenings outside without the bugs and don't need the space sealed up for winter. We set it on the slab you have when it's sound, and pitch the roof so rain runs away from the house instead of toward it.
Highland, CA properties and local conditions
Heat is the first thing I plan for on a Highland sunroom. Temperature records for the city from 1903 to 1967 put the average July high at about 92 degrees and August close to 91, and while those are old numbers, they're a fair warning about what a wall of glass facing the afternoon sun will do here. A room like that turns into an oven unless the roof is insulated, the glass suits the side of the house it faces and there's a way to move air through it, so I settle those three things with you before we pick a single panel.
Most of the calls we get here are for patios and decks people already have. Years as a maintenance supervisor taught me that the expensive problems are the ones you can't see, so I spend most of the visit on what the room will sit on and how water gets kept out where the new floor meets the house.
Permits, licenses and what sets the price in Highland
The City of Highland's Building Department issues the permits for additions and decks, and for the electrical and heating and cooling work a sunroom often brings along, so on most jobs here the city's plan review decides when we can start more than our calendar does. A brand-new detached structure goes through the city's Planning Division before Building and Safety sees the plans, which adds a step. When your job needs a permit, we find out which office covers your address, prepare and file the paperwork and meet the inspector on site, and I'll tell you what's still up to the city. Before you hire anyone, check two things, a California contractor's license and a Highland business license, which for a contractor based outside the city, like us, is the city's Out of City license.
We drive up from Riverside, and Highland sits right next to Redlands and San Bernardino, where we also build, so fitting a visit into the week isn't hard. The price here mostly comes down to the size and type of room, what it sits on and how the roof ties into your house, and the written estimate I send after the visit puts a figure on yours.
Get a free sunroom estimate at your Highland home
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out to your Highland house. I'll measure, look over the patio, deck or wall we'd be building against, and send you a written estimate, with no obligation to go ahead.
(951) 394-2905What happens after you call us about a Highland sunroom
Call us or send a request
Call (951) 394-2905 any day between 7 AM and 10 PM, or use the form, and tell us a little about the patio, deck or room you have in mind. We get back to you to set a time for me to come out.
I come out and measure
I measure, look over what's there now and talk through how you'll use the room, so it's worth being home for this one. Then I send you a written estimate, so you have a figure in hand before you decide anything.
We file permits and build
When the job needs a permit, we file it with the city, and its plan review sets how soon we can start, with us meeting the inspector on site. Our installers build the room with me, and licensed trades handle any electrical or heating and cooling work.
Walk through the finished room
At the end I walk through the room with you, checking the doors, windows and the seals where it meets the house. The work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee, so point out anything that isn't right.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit to add a sunroom to my house in Highland?
Usually yes, because the city issues permits for additions to a house, and electrical, solar and heating and cooling work in the room each need a permit too. Decks need permits in Highland as well, which matters if we're building on one. Permits can be applied for any time through the city's online permit portal, and I'll tell you at the visit which ones your room is likely to need.
Does a sunroom contractor need a California license to work in Highland?
Yes in nearly every case, because the Contractors State License Board requires a state license to build or alter a structure whenever the project needs a building permit. The license is also required when a job uses additional workers or comes to $1,000 or more in labor and materials across one or more contracts, which takes in just about any sunroom. We're fully licensed and insured, and it's reasonable to ask any contractor for their license number before you sign.
How much does a sunroom cost in Highland, CA?
The biggest swing in price is the kind of room, from a screen room on a sound existing slab at the low end to an insulated glass room with its own heating and cooling at the high end. Anything that has to be fixed first, like a cracked slab or a deck with tired posts, adds to the cost, and so does tying a new roof into an older house. The written estimate after my visit gives you the figure for your room.
How large a down payment can a contractor ask for on a sunroom in California?
Under the state's rules for home improvement contracts, the down payment can't be more than $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less. Any other payments have to be listed in the contract and tied to work done or materials delivered, and that covers a sunroom like any other home improvement job.
What is the best way to keep a sunroom cool in Highland's summer heat?
Plan for the heat before you pick the room, starting with an insulated roof instead of clear panels, glass chosen for the side of the house the room faces, and windows or vents placed so air moves through. If you'll use the room through the hottest months, it usually needs real cooling, and we bring in licensed trades for that. A patio cover over the sunniest side can take a lot of load off the glass too.
How do I turn an existing deck or patio into a sunroom in Highland?
Start by finding out whether what you have can carry a room, because walls, a roof and glass weigh far more than patio furniture. On a slab I look at cracks and which way the water drains, and on a deck I look at the posts, beams and footings. If it passes, we build on it, and if it doesn't, the estimate shows what needs fixing first.
About Highland, CA
Highland runs from its older streets up toward the foothills, with houses from the early part of the last century near the old center and newer neighborhoods built in tracts further out. The Highland Historic District is on the state's list of historic places, and the local historical society points to its early 1900s houses, Craftsman bungalows among them. It's mostly a city of homes, and it shares a long border with San Bernardino, where a lot of the houses we see look much the same.
On an older bungalow, a sunroom has to meet framing, siding and a roofline built a century ago, so I take extra time on how the new roof ties in. On the newer tract houses, the question is usually the slab out back and whether it was poured to hold more than a patio table.
Explore the services
Riverside, CA
Start your Highland sunroom with a visit
We answer the phone every day from 7 AM to 10 PM, so you can call (951) 394-2905 after work or send the form whenever it suits you.