Your Greenhouse Design

After choosing the location for your greenhouse you will need to decide which greenhouse will fit your needs.


There are many to choose from: Glass, fiberglass, plastic (the least expensive and becoming the most popular) or Solar. There are a few others but these are the most popular for greenhouses that you are going to use year around and for a long time.

Glass greenhouses are or were the most common type of greenhouse. You put together a wood frame and put in the glass. You can have door two doors if you want or your can have a door and a window for cross ventilation and you should put in vents in the roof which will help with the temperature control. There are ways to make your temperature more regulated then doing it manually but that will be covered on another page for heating and ventilation.

Fiberglass greenhouses are made from white or clear fiberglass. They are lightweight and can be made out of corrugated or flat fiberglass. You always want to use good quality wood and treated with some kind of preservative, even on cedar or redwood. A safer choice of preservative is zinc or copper based.

Rigid plastic or polycarbonate come in clear flat sheets. The good thing with plastic is they are a lighter weight then glass and they are shatterproof which if you have kids around this is a plus. Because plastic is lighter weight it can be used with aluminum framing where glass is too heavy and needs either wood or steel. Plastic is a good choice if you have bad winter weather and it comes with UV protection which is good for you and the plants and they plastic greenhouses retain the heat better then glass.

Solar greenhouses can be very nice. It will cut down on the expense of heating your greenhouse but the expense of a solar greenhouse can out weight the cost of heating it. The way it works is the glazing on the glass is oriented to absorb the maximum heat from the winter sun. There are heat storing features and insulation in places in the solar greenhouse where there is very little sun to heat it. This is nice because your solar greenhouse will stay warmer longer, won't cool off as fast. This might be a good choice if you are going to be using your greenhouse for many years to make it cost effective.

There are different styles of greenhouses. The most common are the lean-to style. It is attach to an already existing structure. The window sill greenhouse and freestanding greenhouse.

If you are thinking about a lean-to type greenhouse you need to consider which way your greenhouse will be facing. South is the very best way to face the long side of your greenhouse. You may not have that option if you are attaching your greenhouse to another structure. The lean-to also has a single or a double row bench or bed because they are not usually very wide. This may not be the best greenhouse if you are planning on growing a lot of plants.

The window sill greenhouse is the least expensive. You simply remove an already existing window and put in your window sill greenhouse. The larger ones can be used from inside or outside your house because they can open from the outside.

Freestanding greenhouse is the most preferred. They can be placed anywhere you have the best sun especially in the winter months when the sun is low on the horizon. And can be placed away from any obstacle that will block the winter sun.

So make sure you have the size greenhouse that will fit all your needs well into the future and the http://greenhouse-heating-and-ventilation.blogspot.com/ are adequate for your needs.

Enjoy all the fun experiences you and your family will have with your greenhouse.

home plans by The COOL house plans company