I got this comment by private message, and I thought I'd add a post-script to this thread for posterity's sake.
Quote:
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Dear MetroMPG ~ Thanks for the details on your great project! We've got an open porch in the back (roof but no walls) and did an interesting wraparound with netting to provide bug relief for the summer. Now we're thinking of how to keep ourselves on the south-facing porch through the cold Midwestern winters and the idea of clear, heavy plastic sounds perfectly in line with our modest vision and even more modest budget. We'll post our results!
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Thanks! Looking forward to some pictures.
Personally, I LOVE me a sun room.
This "temporary" sun room was left up until early this summer (2011).
Important stuff learned:
1) Stinky vinyl shower curtains.
You know that smell of a new shower curtain? Multiply that by 6, and that was the odour inside the sun room for several months. It was so strong that some people wouldn't go inside.
After a while, it off-gassed (I suppose that's what was going on) and dissipated.
So if you're sensitive to that sort of thing, you have been warned. Cheap or free (glass) windows may be a better option (window installers are always giving away free, old windows).
2) Ventilation
When it got warmer out (early summer), I ended up installing several removable window "panels", with screen on the outside. I put one down low, and one up high to get a current of air flowing through the room.
3) Shades.
Since this had a clear roof section, it needed shades. I ended up getting a trio of roller blinds and attached them to the peak crosspiece. Pulling them down, then they were fastened to the "eaves" portion of the structure. Of course, depending on where you're sitting, you could deploy them one, two, or three at a time.
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So that's it. In the end, my parents decided not to pursue a permanent, enclosed sun porch. They ended up getting a retractable awning that's installed in the same spot the "peak" of the sun room was.
I used the sun room a lot when it was up, and my sister whenever she came over would head for the sun room.
If my new place didn't already have a south facing enclosed porch (with windows), I would be building this again.