"Arizona room" (Yuma, Lake Havasu City: house, buying, live in)

[waltcolorado]

I like the idea of an Arizona room and am wondering about a few things..

This would be specifically for Lake Havasu but any experience would be applicable.

Do the rooms generally have the double pane energy efficient windows?
Permits must be required to convert a patio to an Arizona room?
No AC or swamp cooling in Arizona room?
If no AC, what part of the year is it comfortable to sleep in the room?
Any reason to ever heat an Arizona room?
Do you think the Arizona room helped with keeping the rest of the house cool (and less exensive energy bill) in the summer?
Tough question... what did it cost, was it worth it?

I have experience with a patio converted into a three season room at 8600 feet in Colorado - sort of the "temperature opposite" of the Arizona room. The room is not heated but is fairly well insulated with lots of low E glass windows. During the winter, the room is thermally shut off from the rest of the house. During the summer, the room is always opened up to the rest of the house. All year, the room collects sunlight and has a fair amount of thermal mass - so can be used to add a little heat to the house occasionally especially after the sun goes down.

[curly5759]

We had an Arizona room in our last house, here in Yuma. We simply enclosed an existing roofed patio with screens,and placed a screen door in one panel for outside access. Access from the house was an existing Arcadia door.

We didn't heat or cool it, but we used it a lot. We like to be outside, and that was a nice way of being outside that still protected us from direct sun, insects and the occasional rain. The only time we really didn't use it was in the high heat of summer, July-Sept. I did put ceiling fans in 2 spots, that helped.

I would imagine permits are required, but we didn't apply for any.

Cost, well, that was a long time ago, and I built it with my FILs help. Less than $300 with paint and all, if I remember right.
Best thing we ever did, the wife and I still miss having an enclosed room outside like that, current house doesn't have one. ( We opted for a pool instead.) The people who bought our house commented to the realtor that the Az room was what sold them on the house.

Curly

[observer53]

We had one put on the house I still live in 25 years ago, and I'm thinking of taking it out. Screens get really dusty, the room itself gets dusty, and I think I'd be happier with just a really big patio running the length of the house, with ceiling fans. I'll be getting someone out to look at it soon, I hope, finances permitting.

Yes, you should get a permit.

[waltcolorado]

Are most of them just screened in patio's? I was thinking they were more along the lines of a room with a lot of windows (which could be opened to screens) but no AC.. Somewhat of a winter use only room.

I wanted to put some furniture in the room including a fold out convertible couch/bed.

Maybe the window idea would just get too blazing hot in the summer.

[BillieHiser]

It really depends on your definition of what an Arizona room is. Some are screened patios, some are full on additions to the home. There would have to be some type of cooling otherwise it would just be an oven in Lake Havasu City. Most of the rooms I've been in like this that don't have some type of cooling are just too hot to go in. And yes, in Lake Havasu City you have to have a permit to do just about anything.

[Grannysroost]

Originally Posted by BillieHiser

It really depends on your definition of what an Arizona room is. Some are screened patios, some are full on additions to the home. There would have to be some type of cooling otherwise it would just be an oven in Lake Havasu City. Most of the rooms I've been in like this that don't have some type of cooling are just too hot to go in. And yes, in Lake Havasu City you have to have a permit to do just about anything.

And consider the coordinates with the sun when buying and expecting comfortable or building.....

[observer53]

The ones made of "glass" are a fairly recent version. What was thought of for years as an "Arizona room" was essentially a screened in porch. Mine is block about a third of the way up, with a raised planter around the outside, and screens the rest of the way up.

[azdr0710]

yeah, I've always thought of an "Arizona Room" as a former exterior roofed regular patio that had the spaces between the posts/pillars "enclosed" (by glass...OR screen, I guess) so you could put more furniture out there and treat it as practically a new interior room.....

yes, consider the orientation of your patio before doing it...south-facing is nice and bright and would be great in the winter, but, if not shaded, would be too hot in the summer, as already said.....north-facing is always darker, but safe from most sun....