I grew up in the deep south near the gulf coast.
- Although my family lived roughly 30 miles inland, we regularly took trips to the ocean whenever my siblings and I were home during vacations from school.
We packed tightly into my parent’s minivan and stayed at a campground near one of our favorite beaches. Sometimes whenever my brother and I got bored with the water, we would take long walks strolling through the tiny beachside village. I remember how different the houses looked compared to ours back home. Most of them were tiny cement block homes, all painted in varying vibrant colors. Years later I learned that some people lump this design in with other styles, calling it the “Key West look.” Many of them had these rooms in the back that were made entirely of windows. These rooms are aptly referred to as “sunrooms” or “Florida rooms.” They’re great for getting a beautiful view out the back of your home without the downsides of sitting on a porch. When I moved to a town closer to the coast, the house I ended up with had a sunroom as well. I learned that I could run some sort of climate control and air conditioning out there and enjoy it like an insulated porch. Although I had the choice of paying to have my ductwork modified to run a vent out there attached to my central HVAC system, it was much cheaper and easier to simply install a portable air conditioner out in my sunroom. It came with a remote control and does a fantastic job at dropping the temperature down quickly while also drying out the humidity to a more comfortable level. I couldn’t ask for more with my effective portable air conditioner.