The many uses of a solarium.

I had always wanted a sun room or three season porch.  So when the realtor unlocked the front door to this place and we stepped into a solarium, I fell in love with it!

One of the first things Rod did was replace all 15 windows (two of which were cracked) with thermal pane glass.  Originally each window had two panes of glass with about a four inch gap between the panes.  This was a poor design as it allowed for leaks and bugs had gotten inside where they couldn’t be cleaned out.

Solarium with 15 south facing windows

We’ve kept all of the unbroken glass and will be using it to build a green house/chicken coop for our Bantam Wyandottes (the garden chickens).

There are still many changes we intend on making to the solarium.  This fall we hope to replace the river rock and deck board with soap stone or patio block.  We also have plans for a utility sink and cabinetry since there is an existing hot and cold water faucet.  But those changes haven’t gotten in the way of it’s usefulness.

For instance . . .  it’s a great place to store firewood.

 We added four ceiling fans for air circulation.  This creates a nice gentle breeze, so the addition of a retractable cloths line and few hooks makes this a great place for drying clothes in the winter.  I also like that it cuts down on the electric bill. 🙂

This is an excellent place for starting seeds. I still need to work out a few kinks and learn patience – started them a bit too early again this year. 😉

  This spring we found another use for our solarium . . . brooding chicks!

My grandmother had a large three season porch where she would start her seeds, dry her shell beans and black walnuts, and sometimes take a little break by relaxing in her glider.  I now have that glider in our solarium and wonder what she would think of my “three season” room.