HOLBROOK, NY -- One of the most popular home improvement projects today is a sunroom addition. Because of the dramatic difference it can make in a home as well as its extreme versatility, homeowners are using sunroom additions for everything from kitchens to home offices. Of course the market has responded to this demand and many sunroom companies have sprung up over the years. To help you sort through the claims of the different sunroom salesmen in the market, the experts at Four Seasons Sunrooms, America's premier sunroom manufacturer for over 30 years, offers the following tips.

The only way to ensure you hire the right company is to know the right questions to ask from the beginning. Homeowners investigating a sunroom purchase should look into the following areas:

The Company. Hundreds of sunroom companies have come and gone during the more than 30 years Four Seasons has been in business. Look for a company that has a history and will be there to service your needs and back up its warranty.

Check references. A reputable sunroom company will be happy to provide you with a list of satisfied customers. Be sure to call those customers and ask how happy they are with the service and product they received. License and Insurance. As with any home improvement contractor, be sure yours has the proper license and insurance for your area.

Product selection. Some companies have a limited selection of styles to choose from and may try to push a sunroom that doesn't satisfy your needs or fit the architectural style of your home. Choose a company that has a large selection of styles to be sure you get the most architecturally pleasing addition. Do not settle!

Warranty. What kind of warranty does the company offer on its products? Again, a company's warranty is only good if the company is still in business.

Thermal Performance. Are all of the company's frame members "thermally improved" to reduce the transfer of exterior temperatures to inside surfaces? Are the company's windows and doors ENERGY STAR qualified?

Glass. This is the most important element of your sunroom. Does the company use tempered safety glass for your protection? Tempered safety glass is 4-5 times stronger than regular window glass (annealed glass). It shatters into harmless rounded pellets if broken. Does the glass control solar heat gain? Most available glass will turn a sunroom unbearably hot in the summer. What is the R or U-value? These ratings measure the insulating value of the glass. The higher the R-Value and the lower the U-Value, the warmer your room in winter. Does the glass control glare? You don't want to have to wear sunglasses inside your house. Does the glass control UV light to reduce fabric fading? Always make the sales representative demonstrate the glass performance!

The only way to be sure you're getting the most value for your sunroom dollar is to research the companies you're considering doing business with and ask them the right questions. Consumers who do their homework are rewarded with the best prices on the best products that will last for the long haul.

FOUR SEASONS HAS THE ANSWERS

Superior Quality

For nearly a quarter of a century, Four Seasons Sunrooms has been dedicated to developing the state of the art in sunroom design and innovation. From glass to frame, only the highest quality materials are used in the company's sunrooms, conservatories and patio rooms. Four Seasons exclusive CONSERVAGLASS™ keeps you warmer and more comfortable in winter and cooler and fresher in summer. This high performance glass is so durable that it is covered by a transferable lifetime limited warranty. In addition, the engineering and construction integrity of Four Seasons products far exceeds building code requirements, making Four Seasons products technically superior to give you peace of mind. We will demonstrate this superior performance when you visit one of our showrooms or when we visit your home.

ENERGY STAR Qualified

ENERGY STAR is the government-backed trusted symbol for energy efficiency. Its symbol identifies highly efficient produces and designates superior energy performance to save energy and money and help protect the environment. All the windows and doors used in Four Seasons Sunrooms are ENERGY STAR qualified.

Unexpected Low Price

Four Seasons places great emphasis on building exceptional value into every product it produces. Efficient use of the highest quality materials and production methods, combined with its huge volume and purchasing power, means the company can offer the lowest prices and highest value to its customers.

Design Options

With hundreds of styles and configurations to choose from, Four Seasons has a product to fit your home's style and your budget. Whether you're looking for a deck enclosure, a patio room or a full room addition, Four Seasons has a solution. Exceptional materials and time-tested construction methods make it possible to quickly and easily add space and light to your home in just a few days at surprisingly little cost. Four Seasons sunrooms and conservatories are the extraordinary room addition that can cost no more than an ordinary room addition. English style or Georgian conservatories, curved eave or straight eave units, a Four Seasons sunroom addition brings a new dimension of dramatic light and warmth to your home.

Four Seasons Solar Products, LLC is the largest manufacturer of sunrooms, enclosures and conservatories in America. Four Seasons designs, builds and ships its products from its headquarters and manufacturing facility in Holbrook, New York, to more than 300 independently owned and operated dealers and franchises in over 30 countries worldwide. Four Seasons Sunrooms consistently outperforms competing products in controlling solar heat gain, winter heat loss, air infiltration, condensation, glass durability, window and door operation and sheen of paint finishes.

Four Seasons Versus 'Ordinary' Construction

HOLBROOK, NY -- Close your eyes and listen to the gentle pitter-pat of a warm spring rain as it caresses the roof of your new building addition ...

Relax in your favorite easy chair after a sumptuous meal and put your head back to gaze at the stars ...

Enjoy the winter holidays basking in the warmth of friends and family as you watch the snow fly all around you. You feel like you're in the middle of a romantic snow globe scene, but you're perfectly warm and dry and comfortable ...

Think you'll feel this way in an "ordinary" room addition of 2-by-4s, plywood and drywall? These sensations are only available from the comfort of your Four Seasons Sunrooms addition. Surrounded by Four Seasons exclusive CONSERVAGLASS™, you're as safe and comfortable as you could be. But it's the views! Ahhhh ... the Views ... that make the difference!

With panoramic views of the surrounding landscape, from horizon to sky, you feel like you're one with nature, but protected from some of its less attractive traits. No cold, no heat, no mosquitoes. In a Four Seasons Sunroom, you can commune with nature in climate-controlled comfort.

The price for all of this beauty and comfort? No more than the price for "ordinary" construction of "sticks and stones"! Other benefits of Four Seasons Sunrooms over "ordinary" construction:

• Pre-engineered designs: All Four Seasons Sunrooms designs are inspected and approved by licensed engineers to ensure that they are safe and strong. You have the peace of mind that your building has been designed and tested and certified to be trouble-free. Can your "ordinary" builder promise you the same?
• Hundreds of Designs: Four Seasons Sunrooms has hundreds of unique designs to suit any architectural style of building. Does your "ordinary" builder have hundreds of designs to match your taste, your style, your application and your building?
• Pre-fabricated: All Four Seasons Sunrooms are prefabricated in our state-of-the-art factory to ensure fast, trouble-free installation. This means our crews spend less time on your site and you can enjoy your new addition sooner.
• Maintenance-Free: All Four Seasons Sunrooms are manufactured with maintenance-free aluminum or vinyl exteriors. No year-after-year scraping and painting for you!
• Exclusive CONSERVAGLASS™: Only Four Seasons Sunrooms has an insulated, tempered, safety glass made exclusively to meet the demands of sunrooms and conservatories. CONSERVAGLASS™ keeps you warmer in winter and cooler in summer.
• Top Quality Installation: Four Seasons Sunrooms only accepts the finest craftsmen to install our product. There are no fly-by-night "tailgate jockeys" on our crews. And Four Seasons has an extensive training program, not only for our installers, but for our design consultants too!
• Transferable Lifetime Limited Warranty: CONSERVAGLASS™ is covered against breakage, seal failure and any manufacturer's defect that obstructs the view through the glass. This warranty covers not only the original purchaser, but is transferable to future homeowners. This warranty provides for 100 percent glass material replacement for 20 YEARS from the time of complete installation and 50 percent coverage for the life of the room.