Sunroom Contractor in Fullerton, CA - Rooms Built From the Footings Up

Most likely yes, because the city generally requires a permit for additions to a house and for patios and decks, which is the kind of work a sunroom or patio enclosure is, and new or replaced wiring generally needs one too. The City of Fullerton's Building Division allows no construction until the permit is issued, so we pull it and handle the paperwork before our crew starts.

Anything submitted now is built to the current California building codes along with Fullerton's own amendments, which the city made for its local terrain, climate and ground. If you filed an application before the new codes took effect at the start of this year, it can stay under the older codes, as long as the permit is issued before that application expires. We draw and build to whichever set your project falls under, including the earthquake design mentioned above.

Yes, the city requires anyone doing business or working a trade in Fullerton to get a business registration certificate before the work starts. For construction contractors, the city says a state license is required, and it may ask for proof of that license before issuing the certificate. We're licensed and insured, and it's fair to ask any contractor you're considering, us included, about both.

The cost comes mostly from the room type and what it sits on, so I give you a written number after seeing your yard instead of guessing over the phone. A four season room with insulated walls, roof and glass costs more than a three season or screen room, and reusing a sound slab or patio cover costs less than adding footings or reinforcing a deck. Size, roof style, new wiring and any architect or engineer drawings the city asks for also add to the total.

You usually can't tell from the top, so I check how thick the slab is at its edge, look for cracks or settling, and see how it sits against the house. If it isn't up to carrying walls and a roof, we add footings, which are concrete supports set into the ground under the walls, because the frame has to be anchored for earthquakes as well as weight. Sometimes I can't know for sure until we cut into an old slab, and if that changes the plan, I tell you before we go further.

Match the roof and glass to how you'll use the room, because an all-glass roof over a west-facing patio can get too hot to sit in on a summer afternoon. We usually suggest an insulated solid roof with skylights where you want light, low-E glass, which has a thin coating that cuts the heat coming through, and windows on opposite sides so a breeze can carry warm air out.