A domain of gardeners, the first sunrooms, conservatories, and solariums were little
more than greenhouses or glass outbuildings to country houses. By the eighteenth
century their popularity increased as glass became more affordable and intrepid
explorers returned home with exotic botanical specimens from the far corners of
the world. Often conservatories and sunrooms were used to shelter and nurture citrus
trees and for that reason a sunroom was sometimes referred to as an "orangery".
It wasn't long before people began to discover all the fascinating characteristics
of owning a sunroom, solarium, or conservatory. Soon people found conservatories
and sunrooms, to be a serene spot for a garden room. So the sun room blossomed from
a mere garden room where one could enjoy outdoor views while being sheltered from
outdoor elements to a room addition that one could decorate for nearly any purpose.
Sunroom, conservatory, and solarium building techniques greatly improved in the
early nineteenth century. Mass production also helped to make the key material of
sunrooms, glass, even more affordable and widely available. Grander conservatories
began to spring up all over the world; the greatest of them all was a public conservatory,
the Crystal Palace. This massive glass conservatory was built in London's Hyde
Park to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. The Crystal Palace met a tragic end
in 1936 when this historical conservatory was destroyed by fire. On a smaller scale,
the improved building techniques also meant that smaller houses could now add a
domestic a sunroom, solarium or conservatory for added living space.
By the Edwardian period glass room additions fell out of favor. Affluent people
lost interest in the conservatory and sunroom as a status symbol as they became
less expensive for the middle class. But even the middle class lost interest as
they found that sunrooms, solariums, and conservatories did not provide the comfort
and energy‑efficiency they began to demand in their homes.
The sunroom found new popularity in the 1970s. Ironically, it took an energy crisis
to revive the glass room additions. At this time, people discovered the power of
using sunlight to heat homes. Sunrooms, conservatories, and solariums were revived
as passive conductors of solar energy heating.
This was also the period when TEMO Sunrooms' founder and CEO, Giovanni Vitale,
saw his company's reputation grow by leaps and bounds. With the popularity of
patio enclosures, TEMO introduced its product lines to the home improvement industry
at trade shows throughout the Midwest. Condensation problems related to the cold‑conductivity
of the aluminum roofs led TEMO to design the sunroom industry’s first thermal roof
which effectively managed the condensation problem and furthered the building technology
of sunrooms, conservatories, and solariums.
Today glass room additions can be built using energy‑efficient materials to
help keep homeowners' expenses low and customized to suit virtually home and
lifestyle. Now more than 100,000 homeowners nationwide have realized the dream of
maximizing the benefits of the outdoors with a beautiful, functional and affordable
recreational gathering space. For more information about sunrooms, solariums, and
conservatories, Contact Sunshine Sunrooms and Patios Co.