by Rex Coker

Created on: November 27, 2009

Screened porches, sun rooms and Florida rooms all offer a home owner a means of escape during the winter months. A place of solitude that a person can retreat to when the home is crowded with guest and family. In order to enjoy this place of solitude, it is important for the home owner to have a warm, dry place to read their morning paper and drink a cup of coffee.

Finding quick solutions for enclosing these areas of interest can be easy to do and very inexpensive. There are many products on the market for making your place of solitude a warm cozy getaway. Clear plastic, plexiglass and yes, the space gas heater. All these items can add to the comfort of the usual outside enclosures, that are attached or detached from the home dwelling.

Polyurethane plastics offer warmth and a wind break for sun rooms, where you do not want a permanent enclosed atmosphere year round. Inexpensive to use and easy to apply to the enclosure. it gives the area a wind break from chilling winds, but still lets the warm sunshine into the room. A home owner can add to the warmth of the area by installing a space heater in such areas to add warmth.

Plexiglas can also be used to enclose a screened in porch during winter months. By cutting the large sheets of Plexiglas into panels to fit the structure. You will find a quick solution for easy installation and removal for year round use. Plexiglas allows you to still enjoy the outside surroundings, while still having a wind break and warmth without losing the visual aspects of the area.

MATERIALS TO WINTERIZE SCREEN PORCHES:

Strips 0f 2 inch x 1/4 inch x 8 foot to hold the polyurethane in place over the ribbing of the enclosure.

Polyurethane comes in a roll of 8 foot x 60 foot rolls so you can easily roll out the material as you install. A staple gun will help hold the polyurethane in place until you add the wood stripping.

Plexiglas cut to fit the wall joist comes in 4 foot x 8 foot sheets. You can cut the sheets to width of the wall joist, or you can install the complete sheets. Installing complete sheets may leave you with a couple of odd cuts to make during installation, so cutting the Plexiglas to form fit each wall joist may be best for the best fit. Pilot holes drilled through both the stripping and Plexiglas will ensure that the wood does not split, and the Plexiglas does not crack.

A box of 1 1/2 inch dry wall screws.

A staple gun or tacks and hammer.

A cordless drill with fastener attachment bits for screws.

In conclusion to this article. Doing these easy enexspensive things to winterize your porches and sun rooms will give you the warmth you need to enjoy the area year round. Adding the space heater to these areas just gives you a little more added comfort when enjoying Wthe enclosure during the winter months when cabin fever is setting in.

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