Serving Cerritos, CA and surrounding areas. (562) 581-8864
Your backyard gets great light but you can never stay out there. A custom solarium gives you a sun-filled room you can use every day, built to handle the Cerritos heat and permitted by the city.
Solarium installation in Cerritos turns underused patio space into a permanent glass-enclosed room where most or all of the walls and ceiling are glazed to flood the space with natural light, most projects run two to six weeks of construction after permits are approved. Unlike a standard sunroom with insulated walls and a few windows, a solarium is designed to maximize daylight - making it the brightest indoor living space you can add to a home.
Many Cerritos homeowners come to us after spending summers on a patio that is too exposed or winters in a home that feels dark. A solarium solves both problems. The space stays connected to the outdoors visually while your family stays comfortable inside. If you are comparing options and want a fully weather-sealed room with a more traditional room-addition feel, our patio cover installation service offers a more shade-focused outdoor structure at a different price point.
The key difference between a solarium and other enclosure types is the glass. A true solarium uses glass as the primary building material rather than a framing system with glass inserted into it. That means the glass choice - how well it manages heat, glare, and UV transmission - determines whether the room is comfortable or not. In Cerritos, where the sun shines over 280 days a year, that choice matters more than almost anywhere else in the country.
If your backyard patio sits empty from May through September because the Cerritos sun makes it unbearable, that is the clearest sign a solarium would change how you live in your home. With the right heat-reducing glass, a solarium turns that wasted outdoor space into a room you reach for every day. Without it, you are paying for square footage you avoid half the year.
If you find yourself turning on lights in the middle of a bright California day, your home may not have enough windows or open space to take advantage of the light outside. A solarium is one of the most effective ways to bring natural light deep into your living space. Many Cerritos ranch-style homes from the 1960s and 70s were built with small windows and minimal glass, and a solarium corrects that entirely.
Many Cerritos homes have aluminum patio covers or older wood pergolas that were installed decades ago and are now leaking, sagging, or pulling away from the house. Rather than replacing like-for-like, some homeowners use the moment to upgrade to a fully enclosed solarium that gives them weather protection, light control, and year-round usability all at once. If your cover is failing, this is the right time to think bigger.
A solarium attached to the back of your home adds usable square footage without eating into your yard the way a traditional room addition does. If you want a place to relax, work, or entertain that feels different from the rest of the house, this is worth exploring. In Cerritos, where lot sizes are modest, making the most of an existing patio footprint is often the smartest path to more space.
Every solarium project starts with a site visit where we measure your space, assess your existing patio slab or foundation, and talk through how you plan to use the room. From there we handle design, permitting through the City of Cerritos Community Development Department, HOA submission if your neighborhood requires it, foundation preparation, glass installation, electrical connections, and any climate control equipment. We work with homeowners from the first sketch through final city inspection. For homeowners who want the maximum level of customization in their glass room, our custom sunrooms service covers fully bespoke builds where every dimension and material is specified to the homeowner's preferences.
Some homeowners want a full solarium with a glass roof; others prefer a hybrid design with a solid insulated roof and glass on the walls. Both approaches work well in Cerritos as long as the glass choice is right for the climate. We also handle smaller projects where an existing prefabricated solarium structure is being upgraded or repaired. If you are not sure which direction fits your home, call us and we can talk through your options before you commit to anything. For homeowners looking at the broader range of enclosed outdoor spaces we build, our patio cover installation page covers the lighter-structure end of the spectrum, from simple shade covers to more involved outdoor room projects.
Best for homeowners who want maximum natural light and a true solarium experience where the sky is always visible above them.
Suited for homeowners who want glass walls and lots of light but prefer a solid roof for better shade and rain management in the Cerritos climate.
A faster, more affordable path for homeowners with an existing sound concrete slab who want a quality solarium without the timeline of a full custom build.
Ideal for homeowners who already have a solarium or older glass enclosure that is leaking, drafty, or no longer comfortable and needs to be brought up to a modern standard.
Cerritos gets over 280 sunny days a year, which is both the reason to build a solarium and the reason to choose the right glass. Standard glass in this climate turns an all-glass room into an oven from June through September. Heat-reducing glazing - glass that blocks radiant heat while still letting in visible light - is not optional here, it is what makes the room usable year-round instead of just in winter. The same solar intensity that drives homeowners to want more glass in their homes is the factor that demands the most care in how that glass is specified. Cerritos also sits in a seismically active part of Los Angeles County, which means the foundation your solarium sits on and the anchors connecting it to your home must meet earthquake-resistant construction requirements. Your contractor and the city building inspector will both review this during the permit process. Homeowners in Norwalk and Artesia face the same seismic and climate conditions as Cerritos, and we bring the same approach to every project across our service area.
Cerritos homes were built primarily between the 1960s and 1980s, and older construction can create surprises when a contractor opens an exterior wall to create the solarium connection. Outdated wiring, older plumbing runs, or framing that needs reinforcement are not unusual in homes this age. This is not a reason to avoid the project - it is a reason to hire a contractor who will assess the wall condition before committing to a price and talk through any issues before work begins, not after. HOA rules also govern many Cerritos neighborhoods, and a glass structure typically requires architectural committee approval in addition to the city building permit. Getting both approvals before any board is cut is the standard practice here, and any contractor you hire should handle that process on your behalf.
We ask a few quick questions - how you plan to use the space, the rough size you have in mind, and whether you have an existing patio slab. This helps us give you a realistic ballpark before visiting your home. We reply to all new inquiries within one business day.
We visit your home, measure the space, and check your existing foundation or patio slab. We also look for anything that might affect the project - an HOA fence line, a gas meter in the way, or an older exterior wall that needs reinforcement. You leave this meeting with a clear picture of what is possible and what a realistic cost looks like.
Once you sign a contract, we submit the permit application to the City of Cerritos on your behalf and handle any required HOA submission. Permit review typically takes two to four weeks. Use this time to finalize glass type, flooring, and climate control so there are no delays once approval comes through.
Site prep and foundation work come first, then framing and glass installation. The city sends an inspector to sign off before the permit is officially closed. We walk you through the finished room, show you how to operate vents and any climate control equipment, and answer any questions about maintenance.
We give you a written estimate with no pressure and no obligation. Most homeowners hear back within one business day.
(562) 581-8864We specify glass for Cerritos's intense sun, not for a generic national average. That means heat-reducing glazing is part of every solarium we install - not an upgrade you have to ask for. A room that stays comfortable in July is the point; the glass is what makes it possible. For independent guidance on energy-efficient glass ratings, the ENERGY STAR windows program provides ratings you can verify independently.
We pull permits through the City of Cerritos Community Development Department and handle HOA architectural committee submissions for you. An unpermitted solarium can surface as a problem at closing if you sell - we make sure your investment is documented and city-approved from day one.
Cerritos sits in a high seismic hazard zone in Los Angeles County. Every solarium we install is anchored to meet earthquake-resistant construction requirements - not because the city will catch it if we do not, but because a structure that is not properly anchored is a liability. The 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake is a reminder that this region shakes. We build accordingly.
Cerritos homes from the 1960s and 70s sometimes hide older wiring or framing quirks behind exterior walls. We inspect carefully before we commit to a price and talk through any complications before work begins - not after. Your estimate is written, itemized, and reflects the actual condition of your home.
These are not marketing claims - they are the specific things that prevent a solarium project from going sideways. Every homeowner who calls us gets a straight answer about what their project involves and what it costs before signing anything.
Add a shade structure to your Cerritos patio that keeps the sun off without a full glass enclosure.
Learn MoreFully bespoke sunroom additions where every dimension, material, and finish is built to your specification.
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