Low-Cost Winterizing, Improved: Converting a Porch to Passive Solar for the Season

The screened porch with frames attached for passive solar advantage.

The screened porch on this dear old 1890's home keeps bugs away in the summer. In the winter, we wrapped it in polyethylene sheeting to collect the warm rays of sun, in passive solar collection.

It made a wonderful green house and kept in some needed moisture. The south-facing porch warmed so well, we were able to open the house door and heat the house during the daytime.

This is the porch thermometer reading 72 degrees, while the air outside was 45 degrees on a cloudy day. Works great!


Enclosing the space creates an air pocket of insulation. The plastic sheeting holds in the heat from the house and blocks the chilling wind. This also collects the sun's rays; brings warmth inside, and keeps it. We used Blue Hawk 10 ft. x 25 ft. Consumer Sheeting, 250 square feet, 6 mil clear plastic for this project.

We had simply stapled the roll plastic whole to the exterior of the porch. One March, a big windstorm pulled the sheeting down too early. After one part had blown loose, the rest ripped free quickly.

It was too late in the spring to re-do the wrap, but the weather was still cold, exposing us to the chill. Then we really missed the porch wrap! So we made an alteration for the next winter that was far easier, much more successful, and more sustainable.

Our new, improved winterizing strategy was to build separate frames to hold the plastic sheeting. We used a drill, wood screws, staple gun, and staples. This project was accomplished in a day with three boys, who have varying degrees of helpfulness.

First, we built simple frames of 1 x 2 " wood and fastened by screws. The wood is soft, so it is easy to install the screws to connect the joints. A simple butt joint worked fine for this project. We did pre-drill the holes for the screws to prevent splitting the wood.

We stapled the plastic sheeting to
the frames with an electric staple gun.

The frames were easy to assemble with screws and a drill.

Because the house is old, and not truly square, measuring once to fit all the panels to the porch would not work well. We got a perfect fit by setting the boards in place and drawing a pencil line to mark the cut. Then we could mark and cut quickly without stopping to measure.

The picnic table in the yard made a great work surface, and we laid the frames on it to staple the roll plastic to each. Although building the frames made it take a bit longer to start the covering of the porch, it was actually much better to install, and easier to use again later.

A finished panel, with the plastic stapled to it.

Each panel was made to fit one space of the porch. That worked better than trying to find a middle fit that would work across all of the the spaces. It also gave a snug fit to the porch, which gave it a tighter seal, and better heat efficiency.

We cut the plastic to the size of each panel. It was easier attaching in segments instead of using the roll plastic whole.

The plastic is attached to the side of the frame closest to the house, holding the plastic with more securely than just with staples. The frames are sturdy enough to simply attach with a couple of screws. We don't have to keep stapling to the porch exterior each year.

Connecting a frame panel quickly with a portable drill--
the plastic is neatly secured under the frame.

Also, we can simply reverse and extract the screws, and reuse it all for the next winter. This method is much more durable too; since we stored the plastic frames in the barn loft, they are still in as good condition as when we built them.

It is easy to see through the plastic to get a view of the outside, but surprisingly snug inside. We started tomato plants from seed in November, that grew through the winter, and were the first to go into the garden in the spring.

View outside from interior, through
screen and plastic, on an overcast day

Short side of porch panelled

Since each panel was custom fit to each space, we marked them in order before removing them in the spring. It is simple to install the ready-made frames back into position.

This fall, we pulled the frames from the barn, where we had them tied together in a bundle; they are light weight. We brought them to the porch, and then I started a timer, to see how quickly we could put the frames back up. It only took 32 minutes, from untying the bundle of frames to installing the last screw.

Inside solar porch, when it is cold and sunny out

Outside completed solar porch on a cold and sunny day--
toasty and nice inside for the rest of the winter!

The payback is tremendous for the little effort and supplies we used. The initial cost of this was about $45, but because it was made to last longer, we are able to re-use the plastic instead of re-buy it, and it cost us nothing the following winters. The house is warmer all winter with no extra effort. No cold wind blasts us as we open the back door of the house. 

Reducing heat loss from the house and passively collecting the solar heat means we have lower heating costs, whether we are using gas or electric heat. Plus, we are lowering our carbon footprint with no maintenance; our favorite way.

Plants grow here and provide food, fresh oxygen and moisture in the air, and it's a welcoming space, even on cold days. Great spot for morning coffee! If you have a porch you love, and miss it in the winter, consider our game plan and see if it may work for your home.