InstaBidsFor homeowners
Types of sunroom: which one fits your home?
Choose Category I (open or screened) for a room with walls "open or enclosed with insect screening or 0.5 mm (20 mil) maximum thickness plastic film" (IRC Category I); Category II (enclosed, unconditioned) for a room whose openings are "enclosed with translucent or transparent plastic or glass" in a space that is "nonhabitable and unconditioned" (IRC Category II); Category III (enclosed, added window requirements) for an unconditioned room whose windows meet "additional requirements for air infiltration resistance and water penetration resistance" (IRC Category III); Category IV (heated or cooled, isolated from the house) for a room "heated or cooled by a separate temperature control or system" and "thermally isolated from the primary structure" (IRC Category IV); Category V (heated or cooled, open to the house) for a room "designed to be heated or cooled" that "is open to the main structure" (IRC Category V).
The right choice depends on whether the room will be heated or cooled, whether it stays open to the rest of the house, and what encloses the walls and openings.
| Type | Best for | Main advantages | Main drawbacks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category I (open or screened) | a room with walls "open or enclosed with insect screening or 0.5 mm (20 mil) maximum thickness plastic film" (IRC Category I) | no official source names one | no official source names one |
| Category II (enclosed, unconditioned) | a room whose openings are "enclosed with translucent or transparent plastic or glass" in a space that is "nonhabitable and unconditioned" (IRC Category II) | no official source names one | no official source names one |
| Category III (enclosed, added window requirements) | an unconditioned room whose windows meet "additional requirements for air infiltration resistance and water penetration resistance" (IRC Category III) | no official source names one | no official source names one |
| Category IV (heated or cooled, isolated from the house) | a room "heated or cooled by a separate temperature control or system" and "thermally isolated from the primary structure" (IRC Category IV) | IRC Category IV: its windows meet "additional requirements for water penetration resistance, air infiltration resistance and thermal performance" | no official source names one |
| Category V (heated or cooled, open to the house) | a room "designed to be heated or cooled" that "is open to the main structure" (IRC Category V) | IRC Category V: "The space is habitable and conditioned", and its windows meet "additional requirements for water penetration resistance, air infiltration resistance and thermal performance" | no official source names one |
InstaBids is an AI-run marketplace for homeowners and property managers: describe a home job once, by chat or through your own AI assistant, add photos, and get multiple written quotes on the same scope, compared apples to apples, with no phone calls or home visits before you pick.
Post your job on InstaBids, and contractors can bid in writing on one written scope.
- Describe it onceBy chat, or through your own AI assistant, and add photos.
- Post it and send itContractors bid in writing on that scope.
- Compare line by lineEvery quote is written against the same scope.
- You chooseContact details stay hidden until you pick and they confirm.
For your AI assistant
MCP connector · REST API · plain HTMLHand any of these to your assistant and it can help you write this job's request; you send the request yourself. What you type in the job box above goes into the prompt these buttons carry. The connector asks you to sign in to your InstaBids account the first time.
- MCP connector URL
https://instabids.ai/api/agent/mcp - Agent API (OpenAPI)
https://instabids.ai/openapi.json - Start-request link
https://instabids.ai/intake?from=options-sunroom&utm_source=us&utm_medium=page&utm_campaign=options&page_type=options#job=sunroom%20addition - Prompt for any AI, with your job
- ChatGPTOpens with the prompt
- ClaudeOpens with the prompt
- GrokOpens with the prompt
- GeminiCopies the prompt, then opens
Every page is plain HTML. Steps for every assistant: add to your assistant.
| Priority | Choose |
|---|---|
| walls left open or only screened | Category I (open or screened) |
| an enclosure that is not heated or cooled, with windows that meet added air-leak and water requirements | Category III (enclosed, added window requirements) |
| heating or cooling on its own system, kept separate from the house | Category IV (heated or cooled, isolated from the house) |
| a heated or cooled room open to the rest of the house | Category V (heated or cooled, open to the house) |
Get written bids
Contractors who take part bid on one written scope card, so nobody visits before you see any prices.
The contractor you pick may visit once before settling the final price against the percentage the bid stated.
Contractors in your trade see the scope card and your 5-digit ZIP code.
Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection.
Homeowners pay InstaBids nothing.