Freestanding Solariums

A freestanding solarium is a room of its own: an aluminum frame, PVC windows with screens and a solid roof, set anywhere on a level deck, patio or garden rather than against the house. That frees you to put it where the view, the sun or the hot tub is. Gazebo Penguin's Florence (12 x 12 to 12 x 18 ft) and Myrdal (11 x 10 and 11 x 14 ft) come with a galvanized steel or a polycarbonate roof; Sojag's Korado (10 x 14 to 12 x 18 ft) has a galvanized steel roof and Interpon powder-coated aluminum. These are three-season rooms, not insulated living space.

Choose the roof next: metal roof solariums give full shade, polycarbonate roof solariums let the daylight in. If the room will sit against the house, a wall-mounted solarium shares that wall and opens off a patio door. Or browse every solarium and sunroom kit.

Freestanding solarium FAQ

Freestanding or wall-mounted — which should I choose?

A freestanding solarium can go anywhere on a level surface — by the pool, in a corner of the garden, around a hot tub — and it has four walls of windows. A wall-mounted solarium attaches along one side of the house, needs one wall fewer and opens straight off a patio door. Freestanding is also the way to go bigger: the models here run up to 12 x 18 ft, while the wall-mounted ones stop at 10 x 16.

What sizes are there?

The Myrdal comes in 11 x 10 and 11 x 14 ft, the Korado in 10 x 14, 12 x 12, 12 x 15 and 12 x 18 ft, and the Florence in 12 x 12, 12 x 15 and 12 x 18 ft. The 12 x 18 is the largest solarium we carry.

Metal roof or polycarbonate roof?

A galvanized steel roof is opaque — full shade, a cooler room under summer sun. A polycarbonate roof lets filtered daylight through, which suits plants and grey days. The Florence and the Myrdal come either way; the Korado has a steel roof.

Can a freestanding solarium stay up in winter?

Gazebo Penguin says the Florence can be left up year round and is designed to withstand rain, snow and UV, and asks that snow be cleared from the roof in winter; Sojag describes the Korado as protection from snow and rain. They are still three-season rooms with no insulation — see the solarium buying guide — and no snow-load rating is published with the listings, so follow the assembly manual, including for anchoring the frame.

Can it shelter a hot tub?

Both makers suggest it: Gazebo Penguin presents the Florence 12 x 18 as a shelter for a spa, and Sojag mentions using a hot tub under the Korado. Open the windows or wind panels for airflow, and follow both the spa's and the solarium's installation instructions.