I have seen a good uptick this year, in clients that want to make the most out of every inch of space in their home and this includes the old sun porch, whether it is an open porch they want to enclose, or a 3 season sun room they want to make part of the house, so how easy is it?

Well, the good news is that as long as it has a roof and is an existing 'structure' you are very unlikely to need a variance, since its position is grandfathered in. The downside is that if you are enclosing it and incorporating it into the house, you will have to pay property taxes on this 'addition', but only if you go as far as insulating it and providing a permanent heating solution.

Some porches are built on a concrete slab which cannot be insulated without raising the floor level, and even then, it is not a perfect solution. Those that are built on a crawl space with ventilation below will do better. Generally, for a 3-season porch, it is a case of building up the floor and adding walls / windows and doors, which is the least expensive way to use this space. Adding insulation and extending your heating system means that it can be used year-round.

What if you want to build a second floor above? Although in theory you still won't need a variance because the footprint is existing, most porches were not designed to hold any additional weight.  If you are lucky enough to have a full basement below your porch, then you may be able to add above relatively easily.

In all cases, a structural engineer or architect should be able to tell you how easy this is. In order to retain the grandfathers' rights of position, you may have to underpin the foundation. Although you may spend less in the long run by taking the porch down and starting again, the grandfather rights are lost if the structure is removed.