Which Is Best for Your Pacific Northwest Home?

If you’re looking to enjoy the outdoors without battling the Pacific Northwest rain, you’ve probably considered adding a sunroom, patio cover, or porch enclosure.
Each offers unique benefits, but which is right for your lifestyle, budget, and home?

Let’s break down the differences so you can make the best choice.

1. What Is a Sunroom?

A sunroom is a fully enclosed, glass-filled addition built onto your home, often with heating, cooling, and insulation for year-round use.

Benefits:

• Enjoy natural light even during rainy months
• Can be heated/cooled for four-season comfort
• Adds usable square footage and resale value
• Perfect for home offices, reading nooks, or plant rooms

Cost:

Typically $30,000–$60,000+, depending on size, materials, and features.

Best For:

Homeowners seeking a true indoor-outdoor space that adds long-term value and functionality.

2. What Is a Patio Cover?

A patio cover is a roofed structure, attached or freestanding, that provides shade and weather protection but remains open on the sides.

Benefits:

• Affordable and quick to install
• Great for outdoor dining and grilling
• Protects furniture from rain and UV rays

Cost:

Usually $5,000–$20,000, depending on materials and design.

Best For:

Those who want a budget-friendly, low-maintenance option to enjoy the outdoors rain or shine.

3. What Is a Porch Enclosure?

A porch enclosure converts an existing porch into a screened-in or glassed-in space.
It’s more open than a sunroom but offers more protection than a patio cover.

Benefits:

• Keeps out bugs, debris, and light rain
• Can be upgraded with windows or panels
• Cost-effective way to extend seasonal use

Cost:

Typically $10,000–$30,000, depending on enclosure type (screened vs. glass).

Best For:

Homeowners who want to extend use of an existing porch without full construction costs.

4. Choosing the Right Option for Your Home

Feature	Sunroom	Porch Enclosure	Patio Cover
Enclosed	Yes	Partially	No
Climate Control	Yes	Optional	No
Cost	$$$$	$$–$$$	$–$$
Usable Year-Round	Yes	Limited	Seasonal
Adds Home Value	High	Moderate	Low–Moderate

Local Considerations for PNW Homeowners

In the Pacific Northwest, homeowners value:

• Protection from rain and moss
• Spaces usable during wet winters
• Energy-efficient glass and insulation

A sunroom offers the most year-round benefit, while a patio cover is ideal for summer enjoyment and porch enclosures balance comfort and cost.

Ready to Enhance Your Home?

Whether you envision a bright sunroom, covered patio, or enclosed porch, Ampro Builders can design and build the perfect addition for your Pacific Northwest lifestyle.

Contact us today or schedule a free consultation to explore your options.

While there might be some individual or personal reasons why you would consider a home remodeling project for your Tacoma area home, there are some fairly standard reasons why many choose to remodel. Ampro Builders, when speaking with clients, enjoys to learn why a particular remodel was chosen; because it allows us to better personalize the final result. Listed below are the top  reasons that we found people choose to do a home remodeling project in the Tacoma area.

1. The Housing Market is a Buyers Paradise

Several years ago the housing market in the Tacoma area was turned upside down, as was the rest of the country, when home values plummeted. It became very difficult for homeowners to be able to recoup the value of their home leaving them with the decision of taking a loss during the sale or staying in the home and riding out the market. As a result of banks foreclosing on properties in wholesale fashion, left the Tacoma housing market with a surplus of homes that can be purchased inexpensively, then professionally remodeled; to either sell or remain in for many years to come.

As the housing market is gaining steady recovery, this has meant that those homeowners that have had homes professionally remodeled, noted greater returns on their investment than those that were not. The homebuyers market, being so competitive because of the surplus of homes, would mean that your home would need an edge to see your solid return on investment; professional remodeling can help do that.

2. Professional Remodeling as a Financial Investment

For those that took advantage of the housing downturn in the Tacoma area and purchased a home that had instant equity; the main decision was now to decide whether to remodel to keep, or remodel as a home for many years to come. Regardless of the reason, utilizing this instant equity to invest back into your home is a sound financial decision. Especially when choosing to have a bathroom remodeling project or kitchen remodeling project done that generally holds a good portion of the investment for 10 to 15 years.

3. Making Preparations for Retirement

Having a remodeling project done for your Tacoma area home is one of those types of improvements that will not only benefit you today, but as you move closer to retirement. By getting much of the home updates done now if can free up capital for other projects, as well as increase the value of the home in case a second mortgage is needed later on. Thinking about adding a hobby room, man cave or basement remodeling project? These are all great additions to help make your retirement that much more enjoyable.

4. Saving on the utility Bill

Many home improvements and remodeling projects can significantly help you when it comes to your Tacoma area home’s utility bill. By putting in energy-efficient windows, less drafty doors and insulation you will see a notable change in your utility bill. (based naturally on usage) Additional improvements done during a larger remodeling project such as a kitchen or bathroom remodel will bring in updated fixtures, wiring and appliances that will also help as well.

5. Making the most useful room in your home… More useful

I doubt many would argue that the Tacoma area kitchen is really the heart of the home. It’s the gathering place, office, craft room, conference center and… where you cook. For such an important room in your home a remodeling project to update fixtures, electrical, increase the size or change the style; simply makes sense. A kitchen remodeling project for your Tacoma is also one of the best return on investments (ROI’s) that you can do, as that it retains a large portion of the initial investment for up to 10 to 15 years. (Depending on materials, workmanship and warranty).

Ready to get started on your Home Remodeling Project?

Ampro Builders has become the premier home remodeling service for the Tacoma area because of our use of quality materials and timeless workmanship to provide a project that will last for many years to come. With construction materials the lowest that they’ve been over the last 10 years it’s a good time to have the professionals at Ampro Builders provide you a detailed estimate to create the remodeling project of your dreams.

Useful Links

See more about our Services – Click Here

See about Ampro Builders – Click Here