What is the difference between a California room and a Florida room?

Every homeowner would like to have that outstanding part of the home that adds more value and entertainment to those who live in or visit any particular home.

More recently, California rooms and Florida rooms have emerged as home additions that add financial, aesthetic, and functional value to a home.

This article goes into detail about both a California room and a Florida room to provide you with some information on what to expect if you are considering adding either option to your home.

What is a California room?

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A California room is a mixed indoor-outdoor living space that acts as a seamless extension of a luxurious area of the home, such as a living room or a dining area. A California room is often defined as one part room, one part porch, and is one of the trends in home design that is unlikely to go out of style.

This room often has a ceiling and two or more walls that link it to the rest of the house. California rooms can be furnished just like indoor spaces, designed to an ideal comfort and luxury level depending on homeowners’ preferences.

A high-end California room may be decked out with a fully-equipped outdoor kitchen, some entertainment appliances, a built-in fireplace for those cold evenings, and game room amenities to ensure that all occupants of the home can be well entertained.

How much does a California room cost?

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Experts estimate the base cost of adding a California room to your existing home is around $15,000. However, this figure can skyrocket with increasingly intricate designs, luxurious furniture, flooring, and other desired furnishings that stray from basic fixtures.

Some of the other factors that affect the cost of a California room include, but are not limited to,

  •  Square footage
  • Quality of building materials
  • Electrical connections and plumbing
  • Labor costs
  • Geographical location, in terms of what is needed to make that part of the property build-friendly and in line with codes.

What is a California room used for?

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Like other home additions, a California room provides homeowners with a bright and relaxing space where they can unwind and entertain.

This can be gathered from the name, granted that it was chosen to allude to the growing trend of California homeowners installing features to enhance the ability to utilize the outdoors all year round.

Inspired by the California sunshine, this space is the ideal room for relaxing, entertaining, and generally enjoying the outdoors all year round.

It is the perfect embodiment of indoor-outdoor living because it brings the comforts of both environments together to a more convenient and sheltered setting that can be enjoyed regardless of the season.

What is a Florida room?

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In the simplest terms, a Florida room is a residential amenity living space built as an addition to the back or rear side of a home. It is designed to let in as much sunlight and fresh air as possible into the home.

This is because a Florida room is typically designed as an extension of the outdoors using a home’s exterior siding as a windowless wall.

Florida rooms are typically equipped with sturdy wood and stone flooring, furnished with all-weather furniture and many plants, thus carrying on the outdoor-inspired theme. An air conditioning unit is considered optional, depending on homeowners’ need for a year-round Florida room.

This iconic home addition got its name resulting from immense popularity in Florida. Since its inception in home design, it has taken on many names such as a garden room, patio room, conservatory, winter garden, and sunroom or solarium.

Founded in humble origins that featured old-fashioned napping porches adorned with rocking chairs and terrazzo floors, the Florida room has risen in status and popularity. Thus, it has found its place in many homes across the world and is enjoyed in a wide variety of décor and furnishing options.

How much does a Florida room cost?

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A Florida room can vary from a simple prefabricated addition to a fully insulated and furnished unit to a home, in the form of a four-season room. The average cost of a Florida room without insulation costs between $10,000 and $40,000.

A four-season Florida room with insulation, plumbing, HVAC, and electricity wired costs between $25,000 and $80,000. This figure is mostly determined by the size of the addition and the complexity of extending the aforementioned connections from the main home structure.

One advantage of building a Florida room is that it can improve the value of your home. While it is left out of the total square footage of a home when appraising monetary value, adding some heating and cooling ensures it is considered in the Gross Pricing Area (GPA) when marketing a home for sale.

What is a Florida room used for?

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A Florida room can be used as a simple sitting room for entertaining guests, settling down to read a book, or putting in a bar for a more elegant setting. It can also be used as an enclosed patio or a children’s playroom.

This room is a bright and bug-free outdoor space that can be considered the ultimate home retreat. Picture yourself basking on sunny mornings, coffee in hand, or entertaining a few guests for pre-dinner cocktails or brunch on the weekends.

Conclusion

A California room is best described as an outdoor space fitted with indoor amenities that is one part porch and one part room, closely related to a sunroom.

On the other hand, a Florida room is a living space built on the exterior of a home, often at the rear of the home or attached to a sidewall.

Both of these fixtures add to the visual beauty, functionality, and increased amenity of a space.

If you are considering either a California room or a Florida room, consult your home expert to advise you on what you may need and how you can implement your plans successfully.

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