Success!!

Got the plastic covering on the temporary solarium today. The door isn't mounted yet but the mounting location is covered. I'll just cut the current plastic when I go to mount the door, making a flap on the hinge side which will help keep wind out of the hinge gap. 

It works great! Soon as I got it covered, I turned the thermostat down and opened the windows covered by the solarium. Could feel the heat wafting in the windows and the furnace never kicked in again until after sunset. Even then, it has kicked in much less often than it usually does. The covered walls are remaining warm, where they previously became cold almost immediately after sunset. You can place your hand on the wall which is covered by the solarium, move over a few feet where the wall has the same structure and feel a highly noticeable difference. Even now, hours after dark, the house is remaining warmer overall.


One unanticipated benefit is the fact that, since the plastic disperses light, it increased the light in the house in the afternoon. Meaning less need for artificial light sources. 

Of course, the down side is that the plastic is translucent, so obstructs the view from the kitchen window. But it's a trade off and it is temporary. Besides, it won't be such an issue once I place some plants out in that space. If I build some racks, it should help me get an early start on the growing season, also.


The total cost to build this came in under $50. At that price and seeing such results so quickly, I estimate that it will have a 100% return in two months or less.

So, I still have a few things to do to finish up with it in the next few days. Filling dirt into the gaps at the bottom, where the ground is uneven. Have some cleaning up to do where scraps and tools are littering the ground and picnic table. And mounting the door, of course. I also have a number of empty milk jugs saved up and will fill those and place them in the solarium, as well. May paint them black at some point. I may also staple up some left over sheeting on the inside of the side walls for greater insulation.

When I mount the door, I'll hang a thermometer in view of the kitchen window, so I can note temperature differences. I'll probably take a few readings at ground level and at rafter level, as well. (The rafters are only a few inches above window level.) Compare those to outdoor temps and post them online.

This structure isn't anything which would last for years as is. It has proven to be a valid experiment which is well worth the investment, though. Even if I were not going to build the larger solarium, I would definitely build a more permanent smaller one across the back of the house. Besides, the plastic will have to come down when warm weather arrives, as I did not include any vents in this design. Strictly a winter thing.

If you have a poorly insulated house with sufficient southern exposure, I would advise a solarium. More permanent structures will, of course, be more expensive to build but have definite benefits which would last for as long as the structure remained intact. More solid materials would have to be used and vents for hot weather would have to be included but the whole thing would pay for itself quickly. Be sure to include methods of keeping the heat obtained, as this structure acts as a thermosyphon and the heat gained will be quickly lost after dark, if ventilation is not blocked. For me, it's as simple as closing the windows.

For now, I'm just happy this is working as planned. Even though I did a lot of thought and research, actually seeing such a dramatic difference is really cool!