How to Choose a Sunroom Contractor

A sunroom can add value to your home, bringing the beauty of the outdoors inside. Since it’s unlikely you want to construct this room addition yourself, you need to find a reputable sunroom contractor. A contractor who builds sunrooms is easy to find in Maryland if you know what qualities they should have.

Since you’ll be working with a sunroom contractor for a long time, you should be able to trust them to make your design a reality. This guide explains what to look for in a sunroom contractor and what you should ask when you meet with them.

Table of Contents

• • Tips for Hiring a Sunroom Contractor
  • Questions to Ask During a Sunroom Consultation

Tips for Hiring a Sunroom Contractor

If there are many contractors in your area, it may be challenging to select someone to build a sunroom. Keep in mind that you don’t have to hire the first company you find. Instead, remember these tips for choosing a sunroom contractor.

1. Check Their Credentials and Insurance

A quality sunroom contractor is licensed, bonded and insured. If your contractor has these certifications, they’re more likely to be reliable and use high-quality products. Look for their background information on their website.

Here is what each certification means:

• • • Licensed: A contractor’s license protects you from delays, permit issues and obstacles when you sell your home in the future. When a contractor has a license, they meet the requirements for conducting business in your state. They’ll complete the project on time and obtain all the necessary permits you need for your sunroom to be up to code.
    • Bonded:Before starting any project, ask for proof of a funded surety bond. When you work with a bonded contractor for sunroom additions, they’re financially liable for mistakes or incomplete construction. A bond guarantees that the contractor will build your sunroom instead of taking your money and leaving. Since an unfinished project can be dangerous, a bond helps protect you from harm.
    • Insured: A company’s insurance protects you against financial liability if a worker gets hurt on your property. Insurance also covers accidental damage from heavy materials or improper installation of a sunroom.

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2. Read Testimonials and Reviews

As you try to find a sunroom contractor, search their website for sunroom contractor testimonials and reviews. Most search engines and websites have information from previous clients about their experiences with a sunroom contractor. Here are some of the benefits of each type of rating:

• • • Testimonials:Customer testimonials with real names and photos explain customers’ experiences with a sunroom contractor. By checking these ratings, you’ll get an idea of the contractor’s character and work quality. A reputable company would be willing to display their testimonials on their site.
    • Reviews:Besides looking at testimonials, you should also look up reviews from third-party sites. Five-star reviews feature the positives of working with a contractor. However, you may want to look out for one-star reviews describing unpleasant experiences. Knowing a contractor’s positive and negative characteristics can help you determine if they respect their clients and work efficiently.

Reading about what others have experienced can help you better understand what it’s like to work with the contractor. If a previous client didn’t like the contractor’s attitude or felt uncomfortable having their workers in the house, you can read about it in their review. Sunroom contractor reviews and testimonials should help grow your confidence in working with a specific contractor. Since they’ll help with the entire project, you need to trust them with your money, time and property.

3. Look at Examples of Past Work

Whether you have an idea of how you want your sunroom to look or need some inspiration, check out the previous projects featured on a sunroom contractor’s website. Previous customers may have posted their completed sunrooms with their reviews, but contractors often have a portfolio of their work. You can browse through their pictures to find a design that works for your property.

Consider these factors as you think about how you’d like to craft your sunroom:

• • • Part of the house: You can convert any room in your home into a sunroom, or you could add a brand-new addition to your property. Think about how you want to use this new area to add value to your lifestyle. A contractor for a glass sunroom should have the experience to build a sunroom from any part of the home.
    • Style: Your sunroom’s materials, colors and shape should complement the aesthetic of the rest of your house. Check the contractor’s portfolio to find out if they’ve created sunrooms in your desired style.
    • Custom options: An experienced sunroom builder can make your high-quality project exactly how you want it to look. If the pictures you see have different designs, your contractor can customize their craft to create your unique sunroom.

A sunroom installer who’s proud of their work will be happy to display their previous projects on their website or in a showroom at their physical location. You also might be able to request examples when you contact them to meet with them for a design consultation. As you review their project collections, check the quality and variety of each of their pictures. They should be able to create the beautiful sunroom that you want beyond a cookie-cutter design.

4. Get in Touch With a Professional

Before you sign a contract or make any payments, you should talk to a sunroom professional to develop a professional relationship with them. Since you’ll be working with them for a long time, you should make sure they’re trustworthy and respectful of your design preferences. You might initially talk to a sales representative, but you should eventually speak to the contractor who’ll be designing and installing your sunroom.

When you talk to a professional contractor, you should:

• • • Verify their credentials: As you meet with the contractor face to face or over the phone, you can check their credentials to ensure what their website says is accurate. Avoid getting scammed by people who aren’t professionals by asking for their license, bonds and insurance information. You may also be able to call your local building department to see if the company is on the list of registered businesses.
    • Ask questions: You can use this meeting to get to know the contractor’s personality. Find out if they’re open to your ideas and willing to work with you instead of telling you what to do. As you ask them questions, listen carefully to how they answer them. Your potential contractor should sound like a construction professional instead of like a salesperson. They should care more about your unique vision than about making money.

5. Collect Referrals From Trusted People

A reputable contractor should have referrals on hand, but you can also get recommendations of your own. Here are some ways to get referrals from trusted people:

• • • Friends and family: Talk to friends and family members who have sunrooms about who they used. Since you know them, you should trust their opinion. They might be able to give you the best tips for working with a particular contractor. You can benefit from their positive and negative experiences to help you sort through your list of local contractors.
    • Online referrals: Unlike a review or a testimonial, a referral is when someone voluntarily recommends a company to you. If a previous customer willingly gives a positive review of local businesses, the company must be reputable. Instead of the company soliciting a reviewer to provide a positive review, the client had such a positive experience with the contractor that they want to tell others to work with them. As a result, these referrals tend to hold more weight than reviews and testimonials.
    • From the company: Your prospective contracting company may have some referrals on hand from previous clients. If they have a list of people who can confidently put their trust in their quality and reliability, they’re most likely a reputable company.

If you get a referral from a previous client, especially someone you know, you can mention the recommendation when you get in touch with the contractor. Some companies even offer a discount if someone refers you to do business with them.

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6. Focus on Quality and Trust

The right contractor should listen to your ideas instead of rushing you into making a deal or dismissing your opinions. Look for a reliable and trustworthy company, not one with the cheapest estimate or quickest timeline.

Remember these tips as you search for a good contractor:

• • • Don’t look at price alone: Since your home is such a significant investment, you should use the highest quality materials and the most reputable workers possible. Be realistic about how much your project should cost. A substandard company will have the lowest price, but they might make more mistakes or use materials that won’t last.
    • Check the cost breakdown: When getting estimates from prospective contractors, find out what each price includes. Look for a detailed list of each cost and why the company charges you the total amount. Your estimate should have line items, such as materials, shipping, permits and labor. If your estimate doesn’t have a breakdown of the total price, you should ask your contractor how they came up with the number at the bottom of the estimate. A contractor who only gives you one number may be overcharging you.
    • Develop trust with your contractor: If you build a healthy relationship with your contractor and their team, you’ll be confident that they’re charging you a fair price. Ask questions and listen to their answers. They should have the materials you want to use for your sunroom and listen to your ideas for your sunroom’s unique design. Even if their estimate is beyond your price point, if you establish a trustworthy relationship with them, you can work with them to find materials and designs that accommodate your budget.

7. Find Out What the Warranty Covers

When you’re spending money on building a sunroom, make sure you’re getting your money’s worth. Contractors usually offer a warranty on their products to guarantee that your new investment will last a long time. Even if weather damage or faulty parts ruin your sunroom’s integrity, the contractor will replace the broken components for free if they don’t last as long as the manufacturer claims.

Your sunroom’s components should be able to withstand the weather conditions of your local area. Companies with excellent warranties offer high-quality, long-lasting products. When you discuss the warranty programs that your sunroom contractor provides, find out:

• • • The warranty’s length of coverage.
    • What the warranty covers.
    • Whether the warranty covers labor and repairing installation errors.

Questions to Ask During a Sunroom Consultation

Here are some questions to ask a contractor before you hire them to build your sunroom.

1. What Is Your Experience Building Sunrooms in the Area?

You should find a contractor with years of experience constructing sunrooms in your local area. Consider these characteristics as you look for a reputable company:

• • • Years of experience: Instead of hiring a contractor who has never worked on someone’s house before, look for one who has been in business for years. If the company has years of experience, they’ve had time to develop their craft and build a reputation with their clients. They only make money if they keep getting referrals from people who had positive interactions with them.
    • Skilled sunroom constructors: You might be able to find a good contractor, but you need one who has experience building sunrooms. Even though it may seem like a sunroom is just a room addition with glass walls, they require special permits and attention to detail. Confirm that your contractor has experience building sunrooms, with some projects on their portfolio for you to review.
    • Familiar with local regulations: Each state has different rules for building sunrooms. A reputable contractor who has built sunrooms in your local area knows what permits you need to have this addition be up to code. They may also know where to get local materials at a more affordable price.

2. Do You Have a Team of Installers or Do You Contract Out?

Before you sign a contract with a sunroom company, you should find out who will construct your sunroom. The installers will be coming into your property and walking through your house. A reputable contractor should have a trustworthy team of workers who are qualified to complete your sunroom. The contractor should also be onsite during most of the project, available to answer your questions and deal with any potential concerns.

If the sunroom company contracts out their workers, you won’t get the chance to meet them until they arrive at your house. On the other hand, if the installation team consists of employees with the company, they should be able to:

• • • Keep you up to date on progress: If your project takes longer than expected, the team should tell you about it as soon as they notice delays or obstacles.
    • Take care of all the details: A contractor should take care of all the permits and inspections themselves instead of hiring someone else to do it.
    • Efficiently complete the project: If they have a team of hired professionals, you can be confident that they’ll do the job correctly and efficiently instead of taking their time or using low-quality materials.

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3. What Is the Project Timeline?

When your contractor and their team build your sunroom, workers will be walking through your house all day. The construction process can disturb your routine and make it challenging to maintain your lifestyle. Knowing the project timeline gives you a sense of how long the workers will need to finish the sunroom. Make sure you get a realistic timeline from your contractor so you can know what to expect during the construction process.

An experienced contractor can give you an exact length of time and any potential problems that could delay completion instead of telling you what you want to hear. If you could find referrals, you could also ask friends, family and other trustworthy sources how long it took to get used their projects completed. Keep in mind that most sunrooms take about a month, so if it’s significantly less or more than that, you may want to look for a more reputable company.

4. What Does the Work Schedule Look Like?

Besides finding out how long the project will take overall, you should also know what each day will look like. If the contractor doesn’t have an exact schedule for each day, it might be a red flag that they’re not well-organized enough to build your sunroom efficiently. Unforeseen circumstances might delay your project and interrupt the plan, but an experienced contractor probably follows a general protocol to help them stay on task.

Knowing what their daily schedule looks like also gives you an idea of what to expect each day. If these workers are coming into your house and interrupting your day, you should at least find out when they’ll arrive and leave. Keeping track of their daily schedule can help you get a sense of control over the project. Your contractor should be informing you of each step of the building process, letting you know about any delays or what they’ve accomplished.

5. How Will You Keep My Property Safe?

It’s best to work with a company with the proper licensing and insurance. As the contractor and their team handle heavy materials, machines and debris, they may accidentally damage your property or make a mess on your beautiful floors. Your professional, reliable contractor should know how to keep your property safe from damage and have a plan in place in case of an accident. When you meet with prospective contractors, ask them how they’ll protect your property from foot traffic, dust and heavy machinery.

Most companies place sturdy drop cloths on floors, grass and shrubbery to guard against debris from shoes or building materials. An experienced contractor should tell you what waste you can expect and how they anticipate keeping your property safe. Aside from protecting your home and yard, find out who’ll clean up at the end of each workday. A reputable contractor will usually clean up your property and put any unused materials in a safe place until they come back the next day.

6. Who Will Obtain the Required Permits and Inspections?

A reputable contractor should get all the permits and inspections you need instead of expecting you to do it. Your local area’s regulations say you need specific paperwork to make your sunroom a legal room addition. In that case, a local contractor should have the experience and credentials to know which permits you need and how to get them.

Instead of hiring a national company, consider a local contractor that knows how to build sunrooms in your area to give you a room addition that’s suitable for your existing property. They’ll also conduct the proper inspections at the end of your construction project to ensure everything is up to code.

Contact Maryland Sunrooms for the Best Sunroom Contractors in Maryland

Maryland Sunrooms has a team of trustworthy installers who can set up one of our Four Seasons sunroom systems on your property. To get an idea of what we offer, review our site for unique designs that could complement your home’s aesthetic. Whether you want to upgrade your current sunroom or invest in a brand-new project, our inventory contains a wide variety of high-quality products.

A sunroom can bring the outdoors’ natural beauty into your comfortable, energy-efficient living space. You can use your sunroom for many things, such as a gym, studio or family room. For more information about our sunroom installation services, schedule an in-house appointment with us, or call 301-829-1313.