Greenhouse - did you do it on your own?

[FlourishAnn]

Hi! I would love to build a greenhouse in my garden.I have got a lot of place so I thought that it would be a perfect idea, because of the fact that I love plants and growing them. The weather is perfect now so building it wouldn't be a problem. My budget is quite big so I can use more expensive materials. I know that it should be placed in area with a lot of daylight. I also read something about watering etc, but I decided to ask you. Maybe some of you tried to built a greenhouse?

 

[Silentrunning]

@FlourishAnn, a lot will depend on how much plant life you have, what species you are saving, your hardiness zone etc. One thing I can tell you from experience is make it twice as big as you think you will need.

 

[CanadianLori]

I bought kit greenhouses and put them together myself. And I have 9 grandchildrn ranging in ages from 8 to 26. So if I can do it, you probably can!

 

[Sean Regan]

Dunno about building one.

I demolished a 12' X 9' cedar greenhouse in about half an hour.
It was where our tea-house now lives.

 

[Gardening Girl]

I have had greenhouses for over 20 years now. I say build one! It should be located with the gable ends facing north and south unless you are going to try to build a solar style greenhouse. If you are going to go solar you should have a large south facing sloping wall. There are a lot of choices as far as the glazing material - polyfilm (be sure to use UV protected film), polycarbonate sheets, and glass if you are using a kit. If you are building your own you can use these materials or recycled materials. Be careful if you are using used windows not to put non tempered glass overhead. It is against code in the US and just plain old not safe. It should be placed in a sunny area without a lot of trees or other obstructions. You should put it somewhere that you can get utilities to - water, natural gas, propane, electric. Make sure that it has good ventilation and an appropriately sized heater. Most of all, enjoy! You will spend hours relaxing in a greenhouse.

 

[BigC]

I built my own from scrap timber

 

[NE Ohio John]

Built mine from scratch with no plans in 2016. It's 9ft x 10ft. Scrounged, salvaged & bought all the materials. Total cost was near $1500. I don't have power or water yet, but it's on my list to get it done. By far, it's not perfect but functional for me in NE Ohio.

 

[NE Ohio John]

 

[Tjohn]

The only warning I would give is, don't use real glass unless you want to have cooked vegetables. That's experience talking.....

 

[treeguy]

Glass filters out UV. Plastic doesn't, but doesn't last as long. Trade-offs... always.

 

[NE Ohio John]

The corrugate plastic I utilized is known by the trade name: PalramSunTuf. It is non-yellowing & impact resistant.

 

[CanadianLori]

@treeguy Palram polycarbonate stops UV - it is one of their speculations noted on their product packaging so it different from what you're probably thinking of. I just bought the greenhouse kits because my building skills are limited.

@NE Ohio John I really like the look of your greenhouse. So pleasant

 

[Tjohn]

 

[NE Ohio John]

@treeguy Palram polycarbonate stops UV - it is one of their speculations noted on their product packaging so it different from what you're probably thinking of. I just bought the greenhouse kits because my building skills are limited. View attachment 50511

@NE Ohio John I really like the look of your greenhouse. So pleasant

Thanks. I wanted something that lpoked me cottage style instead of a standard greenhouse

 

[Old Man]

Two years ago my Amish friends revamped our home from 900 sq ft to 4300 sq ft. As part of this is a 40x20' attached greenhouse. We live on a hillside so our greenhouse sits about 20' above the hillside. I went with Solexx for the roof, once the sun is up we have light! It is nice sitting in a warm greenhouse surrounded by green plants watching it snow outside. We use a combination of soil and hydroponics to grow our food. We have lemon, orange, peach trees in addition to all the others plants. Oscillating fans in each corner in addition to box fans to move the air around, heat is provided by a 2,000 sq ft heater that burns wood.