In Search Of The 'Oh My' Moment
“The one thing we try to deliver to our customers is the ‘OH MY’ moment. That’s the moment when a friend or relative comes into your home for the first time after your project is complete, and is completely taken aback by what was done to your home,” related Dan Brooks, Designer and Co-Owner of Sunrooms By Design with his brother John. “With the type of projects we do,we have an opportunity to achieve the ‘Oh My’ because we can literally transform a home. The greatest impact we can have is with the familiar Ranch style home.”
With the traditional Ranch style layout, a strategically placed sunroom can expand a living space in more ways than one. It’s an example of where the whole can be greater than the sum of the parts. If you add a sunroom, or for that matter, any properly placed addition behind the kitchen and the dining area, it adds very useful square footage, opens up walls and makes all of the areas more accessible and the living area more useful and fun.
“We’ve been told by our customers the new room becomes the focal point of indoor family activity because it is comfortable to be in, and with guests, allows more people to enjoy the event because the kitchen and dining areas are not partitioned off by walls,” stated Brooks.
Another opportunity to revitalize a Ranch layout is to build an extension to the living room. Nearly every ranch has a roof over hang that allows for a ‘bump-out’ to the roofs edge.This can add an additional two or more feet to the outside wall of each room. The great part about this project — it is cost effective because you do not have to modify the roof to accomplish this. Additionally, if you add fixed sky lights to the project, you can transform your living room into a sunroom.
“These home addition strategies make a great deal of sense when you consider many of the people owning traditional ranch homes have been in them for a number of years.They usually love the neighborhood they live in and don’t want to move. They also probably have a considerable equity position in their home and don’t want to get a new home with a new
mortgage. I know I can’t blame them for that,” expressed Brooks.
However, with a few strategic changes, their home will be transformed to a new living space. It will change the way they live in their home. It will feel like a new place. “All of our clients have said it was like moving into a new home. It’s very gratifying.” Gary Brooks, Designer & Co-Owner of Sunrooms By Design.
“The way you live is not limited to the inside of your home, either, Gary asserted. “Adding a secure Gazebo in your backyard or installing it on your existing deck is another way of changing the way you use your home and your yard. It will change the way you entertain. It’s easier to relax when you are not being consumed by mosquitoes.”
“The most gratifying feedback we have received from our ‘Oh My’ projects, with the sunrooms in particular, is that people who are 50+ love having a place for their entire family to gather when celebrating Christmas or Thanksgiving. When a home is opened up allowing more people to be part of an event, everyone benefits. It’s a great feeling to know we have contributed to this.”
