Solarium installation in Whittier CA - a bright room you can still use in summer
Want a sunny room that doesn't bake by August? We plan shade and how it closes off from the house from day one.
Is a solarium right for your Whittier home?
Solarium installation in Whittier means adding a glass-heavy room that collects the sun's warmth, with a way to close it off from the rest of your house or open it up, so you decide how much of that heat comes inside.
Most people who call us have a patio, slab or deck that gets plenty of sun, and they want to use it more of the year. A solarium can do that if it's planned for the heat. The price mostly moves with the size of the room, how much of it is glass, whether the base under it now can carry a room, how it ties into your wall and how much shade it needs. The schedule turns mostly on the city or county review and the inspections, and we take care of that paperwork for you. If you're still weighing the shape and the roof, our sunroom design work is a good place to start, and the written estimate I bring you puts your own number on it.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Solarium rooms and sunspaces
How our solarium installation works, start to finish
I start at your patio, slab or deck and at the wall the room will join, because those two spots decide most of what follows. Before anything gets drawn, we figure out which sides of the room catch the most sun and what will cool them, and we plan how the room closes off from the house so you can shut the heat out on a hot afternoon. Then our crew gets the base right, frames the room square to your house and ties it carefully into the wall. After that we set the glass and the roof, finish the inside and clean up. If something isn't level along the way, we fix it then, not after the walls are closed in.
A lot of solariums work best with a covered strip outside the sunniest side, so we also do patio cover installation to throw shade on that glass and give you a cooler spot to sit. If you haven't settled the layout, the roof or how much glass you want, we can do the sunroom design first so you see the choices side by side before you commit.
Why Whittier homeowners call Sunscape Whittier Sunrooms & Patios for a solarium
I measure and lead the build
I come out myself to look at the job, measure and talk it through, and our own small crew does the building with me on site. The person who walked your yard with you is the one making sure it gets built that way.
Trained to redo what isn't square
I learned under an old-school builder who made me tear out anything that wasn't level and square, and I've run this business since 2021. That's why we put the most care into the base under the room and the joint at your wall, the parts you'll never see once it's done.
Licensed and insured, easy to check
We're licensed and insured. Whittier only issues permits to properly licensed contractors or to owners working on their own house, and you can look up any contractor's state license number on the California State License Board website before you sign.
We sort out who reviews it
Depending on the location, use, size and type of the project, Whittier's planning review can involve city staff, the Historic Resources Commission, the Planning Commission or the Design Review Board. We work at city addresses and in the unincorporated county areas nearby, so I find out early which office and which review your room goes through.
On a solarium, the heat plan matters more than anything else, so let's talk it through at your house. Call (562) 203-1022 or send us a note with the room size you have in mind, your address and a few photos of the wall the room will join.
Get a written solarium estimate for your Whittier home
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set up a visit. I'll come out for a free estimate on site and put it in writing, and there's no pressure to book.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What happens after you call about a solarium in Whittier?
Call or send the form
Call (562) 203-1022 or use the form, and we'll get back to you to set a time for me to come out. Have your address handy, since it tells us whether the city or the county will review the job.
I visit and walk you through
I look at your patio, slab or deck and the wall the room will join, measure, and go over the room types and what each one means for how you'll use it. Then you get the estimate in writing so you can look it over at home before you decide.
We handle the permit side
We find out which office handles your address, put the paperwork together and keep you posted on where it stands. The review is usually what sets the start date, so we get it moving early.
Our crew builds and finishes
Our own crew builds the room start to finish with me on site, and we book each inspection as the work gets there and meet the inspector ourselves. Whittier asks for at least one business day's notice for each inspection, sometimes more when inspectors are busy, so we leave room for that in the schedule.
Solarium questions from Whittier homeowners
Do I need a permit for a solarium in Whittier?
Yes. If your address is in the City of Whittier, the city requires a building permit to build, enlarge, alter or convert any building, and its planning staff look at the project before the building plan review. Planning takes counter applications for residential additions and residential patio covers up to 600 square feet, while additions of 600 square feet or more go through a Development Review Project application, so the room's size matters early. We take care of the paperwork and meet the inspector for each visit.
How do I keep a solarium from getting too hot in Whittier?
Plan shade for the sunniest glass, and make sure you can close the room off from the house. Research from warm-climate countries reports that captured sun heat can make a sunspace less comfortable or raise cooling needs, and a federal guide on passive solar design says shade from landscaping, overhangs, shutters and solar window screens helps cut heat gain on windows in full sun. So here's my question back to you. Which side of your yard gets the late-day sun? That's usually the side we start with.
Can I pull the permit for a solarium myself in Whittier?
Yes. Whittier issues permits to owners of residential properties for work on their own house, and you can also apply through an authorized agent by giving that authorization in a notarized letter. The steps are on the city's plan check and permits page. If you'd rather not deal with it, we handle the permit side on our jobs.
How much does a solarium cost in the Los Angeles area?
A sunroom addition in the Los Angeles area usually costs about $23,000 to $66,000 for a 200-square-foot room. That's a general sunroom range for the area, not our price, and a solarium lands wherever its size, glass, base and shade put it. Your own figure comes from the written estimate after I've seen the space.
What energy rules does a solarium have to meet in California?
California's Energy Code sets energy and water efficiency requirements for additions to existing homes and for alterations, and a solarium added to your house falls under them. We plan and price the room around those state requirements from the start, so they don't turn into a surprise once the plans are under review.
What does a high fire severity zone mean for a solarium in Whittier?
In Whittier, an addition on a property in a High Fire Severity Zone may also need a completed fire flow form on top of the usual permit steps. The city also notes the state's updated wildfire hazard map may affect insurance, building codes and defensible space requirements going forward, and that the map shows long-term wildfire likelihood, not current fire conditions. We look into this along with the rest of the permit side, so you'll know before the plans go in.
Services that go with solarium installation
Patio cover installation
A cover off the side of the room shades the hottest glass and gives you an outdoor spot out of the sun.
Sunroom design
Settle the layout, the roof and the amount of glass on paper before anything gets built.