Sunroom Contractor in Spring Valley Lake - More Use From Your Patio or Deck

Spring Valley Lake is an unincorporated community, so permits come from San Bernardino County's Building and Safety Division, which issues them for additions and alterations, and a sunroom on your house usually counts as one. When your job needs a permit, we pull it and set up the inspections, and we build to the California building code the county enforces. If you'd like to ask the county yourself, its desert area line is (760) 995-8140, and the county's permits page shows what it covers.

Usually not, because the county's no-permit allowance tops out at 120 square feet and only covers one-story detached tool or storage sheds and playhouses with no utilities, under 14 feet tall and inside the setbacks. A room attached to your house wall isn't that kind of building. The county also says setbacks apply whether a building needs a permit or not, so I check where your lot lines sit before we draw anything.

Yes, a contractor needs a license from the California Contractors State License Board when the job needs a building permit, brings in additional workers, or comes to $1,000 or more in labor and materials. The county doesn't issue business licenses for businesses working in its unincorporated areas, so the state license is the one to check before you hire. We're licensed and insured, and I'm glad to go over that when I come out.

State rules say a contractor on a home improvement job can't ask for or take a down payment of more than $1,000 or 10 percent of the total contract price, whichever is less. If someone asks for more than that up front, that's a good reason to slow down and ask questions before you sign.

The size of the room and whether it's a screen room, a three season room or a four season room move the price most. After that it's the glass and roof you choose, whether your slab or deck can carry the room as it is, how it ties into your house wall, and whether you want power and lights out there. Your estimate lists each of those, so you can see where the money goes before we start.

Most of the wait usually comes from settling the design, getting the county permit and bringing materials in, more than from the build itself. Once the county issues a permit, work has to start within 12 months or the permit expires, so there's room to plan. I can give you a better sense of timing after I've seen your base and we know which room you want.