Many are intersted in building greenhouses today.  Now that you have decided that you would like to build a greenhouse, lots of planning needs to be done.

What type of greenhouse do you want to build and what kinds of plants do you want to grow?  There are large freestanding greenhouses, smaller lean to greenhouses, window greenhouses, and even some indoor greenhouses. In order to determine which type of greenhouse will meet your needs, you need to determine what those needs will be.

Do you want a greenhouse to start seedlings early in the spring or do you want to keep your plants growing late into the fall or are you interested in wintering your plants.  You also need to determine the kinds of plants you want to grow in your new greenhouse–flowers, vegetables, herbs.

In addition to the types of plants you want to have in your greenhouse, you also need to know how many you want so that you will be able to determine the size of your new greenhouse.  This is also determined by the area that you have available as well as the climate in your vicinity.

After you have determined what you will grow, the size of greenhouse you will need, and where it will be located, you must determine the best materials to suit your needs.  You need to determine the framing material, the covering materials, and the base or flooring.

Framing can be made of wood, which provides a good deal of strength, and is needed for certain types of covering such as glass.  Other types of framing materials are PVC, steel and aluminum.  Each type of framing material has benefits and drawbacks.

Coverings are another decision to make.  Polyethylene is used quite often and is a heavy duty clear plastic which bends quite easily and is therefore often used with PVC frames.  Polycarbonate comes in sheets or panels and has the clarity of glass.  It also comes with different layers with each layer offering more durability.  Corrugated plastic works with wood, aluminum, or steel frames but is used less often these days.  The last and most traditional is glass.  This is probably the most difficult to install and breaks quite easily.  It is very attractive, clear, clean and crisp so it is often used in fancier greenhouses such as Victorian greenhouses.

The base for your greenhouse is determined by such factors as the terrain of your location, the strength of the base needed for the type of greenhouse, and the weather in your location.  Bases are often made of steel or lumbar.  Some greenhouses are placed on concrete foundations which can significantly increase their cost.

As you can see, there is much to consider in deciding on your greenhouse plans for building a new greenhouse today.  There will be more things to consider such as greenhouse supplies as well as greenhouse kits that you will need to consider later on.

If you have decided to construct a free standing greenhouse, let’s look at the types of materials that you could consider for your framing. Depending upon your needs some are better than others.

Five basic types are galvanized steel, aluminum, pvc, wood, and fiberglass.

Galvanized steel’s best feature is that it is strong. I can, however, rust a bit even though it is rust “resistant.” Galvanized steel costs a bit to ship and may not be readily available for do it yourself construction but comes in some lower end greenhouse kits.

Unlike, galvanized steel, aluminum is also strong but will not rust and is lightweight. Aluminum is usually available in building supply stores. Aluminum can easily be drilled to provide holes to attach the greenhouse covering.

PVC is a material that is easy to work with, cheap, and available. It works well for Quonset type greenhouse frames as up to one inch can be bent to form hoops. Covering can be screwed to the hoops to cover the frame.

Wood can be used if it is treated to prevent deterioration. Any type of covering can be used over wood frames and it is even strong enough for a glass covering. It can be drilled and/or stapled to. Some higher end kits use pressure treated cedar or redwood as they are lightweight and strong. Redwood is one of the most attractive and lasts forever.

Fiberglass tubing can also be used in your framing. It won’t conduct heat or cold which helps to keep the heat in and the cold out of your greenhouse.