Additions & Sunrooms: Lane Homes & Remodeling, Inc. - Custom Remodeling in Richmond,VA

Originally, most of this home's rear windows were small and the back side of the house was flat and confining. Now it merges with the landscape. The addition's gracefully tiered window wall frames a majestic sweep of sun-dappled lawn and towering oaks, wedding this home with its woodsy setting. Laminated wood beams cased in drywall dramatize the room's airy heights.

Sunny hues cast a cheery glow even on overcast days, and terra cotta tiles lend earthy warmth underfoot. Tall casement windows on either side of the center windows and two awning windows can be opened to pull in fresh air.

A number of savvy features ensure creature comforts every season of the year. The walls and roof are foam-sandwich panels, which wrap the room in a built-in blanket of superinsulation to temper summer's heat and winter's chill. Casement windows and French doors draw in cooling breezes, and a pair of paddle fans stir the air on hot summer days when there's no breeze.

All this thoughtful planning paid off big time. The new space is now the family's favorite room. Owners Lynn West and Gerald Kaiser said, "It's where everyone sits when we have company and it's where we have our tree at Christmastime."