Sunrooms: A Ray of Light in a Down Economy

Light commercial market offers diversification opportunity for many retailers

The drive among building owners to incorporate daylighting into their project designs could provide glass retailers a diversification opportunity that has yet to be dampened by the current economic climate. Industry professionals point out that sunroom products are holding their own in this down economy mainly because of the benefits they provide at a reasonable price point.

The applications for skylights and sunrooms are broad, industry professionals say. "Commercial daylighting is a major trend," says Andrew Blick, commercial product manager for Velux, a skylight manufacturer based in Greenwood, S.C. "The average light from natural light can actually be much higher than artificial lighting so you can have a brighter space using natural lighting versus having an artificial glow."

And for building owners hopping the LEED-certified train, day-lit solariums and sunrooms can bring points to the project's table. "Commercially, most of our business is solarium products -- an all-glass room," says Jerry DeLiberato, vice president, commercial division, Patio Enclosures, Macedonia, Ohio. "We deal a lot with hospitality, country clubs, hotels, restaurants -- anywhere they want space with an abundance of natural light."

"More and more of these kinds of benefits are becoming known, and daylighting is really becoming more of a focus in commercial design," says Blick. "There are a lot of environmentally-friendly benefits that come from daylighting."

"It depends on the application, but for the most part, people are looking to provide additional space economically and quickly, which solariums can do compared to conventional construction," says DeLiberato. "We can get in and out in 60 days versus triple that for a conventional construction project, and we offer that open-air feeling."

The market

To offer commercial and light commercial customers daylighting options, glass retailers are turning to sunrooms, solariums and even intricate skylight configurations. "We've found that the commercial market is a very strong market for us," says Brian Fabian, senior vice president, Four Seasons Sunrooms LLC, a commercial and residential sunroom and solarium manufacturer based in Holbrook, N.Y. "In today's economy, there is still a good percentage of jobs going through. They might be taking longer [because of the economy], but schools and storefronts and restaurants -- what we feel falls into light commercial -- that business has been strong for the last two years and continues to be strong."

Depending on retailers' competitive environment and geographic location, offering sunrooms may be a diversification strategy that sets them apart with their commercial and light commercial customers, says Fabian. "One of the benefits of having the sunroom or glass enclosure with unique characteristics is that there's not a super-competitive market on that," he says. "You're unique in the marketplace and you can get other [upsell opportunities] of the jobs you're [already] doing."

Sunroom manufacturers suggest that retailers best suited to get involved with these types of commercial products have sales and promotion capabilities, as well as a good understanding of the needs of the demographics in their area. "Architects and builders are … high-quality contacts as they provide referrals and help to round out the customer base," says Greg Header, president of Solar Innovations, Myerstown, Pa.

Retailers entering the sunroom market do not need to have fabrication abilities in most cases, and manufacturers will often provide extensive training to companies looking to make the transition.

"We have technical assistance we provide in the field, but for our more experienced [retailers], we find that they don't often take advantage of that because they've learned the technical aspects through their experience with their other products," Fabian says. Whether an old or new retailer, Four Seasons provides assistance, does site measures and provides production management assistance. "We're there for the initial part of the build and remain available for any technical questions that pop up."

Most sunroom and skylight configurations are essentially plug-and-play, Fabian says, making it relatively easy for retailers to pick up a new product line without significant capital outlays. "The Four Seasons systems are completely pre-fabricated for the installer," he says. "Having some background in glazing is helpful, but not required. It's straightforward laying in glass and compression caps."

Finding the right supplier

Finding a supplier that can offer unique products with a quick turn-around time is also key for commercial customers, Fabian says. "Sometimes you have a very short timeframe where a business owner or contractor wants to remodel their facility today. You want to be able to turn around a project quickly and completely." Retailers embarking on sunroom and solarium projects will also want to ensure that they can offer their commercial customers -- either themselves or in conjunction with their manufacturers -- a start-to-finish project package.

"[Commercial sunroom customers] want someone who can do the whole engineering package," Fabian says. "They need someone to make sure the structure meets the code requirements of the area and can coordinate with other contractors on the job. They want to have a company that stands behind the product in terms of warranty and workmanship." Manufacturers also point out that dealers should look for a supplier company that offers a flexible product line, allowing for day-lit enclosures that suit the project rather than limiting building and homeowners to pre-manufactured choices in a catalog. This is especially true as solariums, glass roofs and sunrooms get bigger and bigger, suppliers say. "Financially, [retailers] can get better margins when their manufacturer can accomplish many things," Header says. "When you get into the commercial realm dealing with glass and architectural glazing products, you can be a lot more creative," agrees DeLiberato. "We have an open book. Whatever you can design, we can pretty much work with that."

Reprinted with Permission from Glass Magainze
Article by: Christina Lewellen, April 1, 2009