How To Start Building Your Greenhouse
Monday, September 14th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed
When starting to build your greenhouse, there are many different options for your foundation.
Some people, especially if they buy a pre-made greenhouse, will just plonk it down on an even piece of ground. That may be on gravel, or dirt or even grass. Some ready made greenhouses are complete with floor, walls and a roof.
Before you start to build your greenhouse, you’ll probably want to prepare the ground underneath it in some way. Preparing a level surface and laying railroad ties spaced about an inch apart is all you need to do. An alternative step up could be creating a simple platform of eight-foot 2 x 4’s or 1 x 6’s nailed to 4 x 4’s spaced out about every 18 inches under the slats. That way you have a solid base and drainage.
But those simple designs leave you with the problem of controlling weeds, as well as controlling mildew, replacing floor boards and other issues with wooden floors.
The next thing to do is lay your cement foundation, which is similar to a foundation under a house. There are a few potential drawbacks, and it does require more effort, but it is easier than it sounds.
You will have to build a temporary container where you intend to pour the cement, after you have levelled out the area. You’ll want to make it fairly smooth and level - not an easy thing to do unless you have a fair amount of experience pouring cement.
It would be hard to move, or remove, later on if you change your mind about where you want to put it, and that could be a problem.
But a cement foundation will last longer and give you some options about heating. You could lay carpet or tile on top with heating tubes or wires underneath, for example. It is sturdy, and very easy to take care of. Cement floors also can absorb and reflect a lot of heat, which can be handy in a greenhouse.
Building a good cement foundation will require a couple of weekends. The materials, tools and construction plans are available at a hardware store or can be ordered online and delivered.
Beyond following the directions for mixing cement, creating the frame and properly forming the surface, the key is temperature and humidity. It’s important that you carry out the project when you expect moderate to warm temperatures, relatively low humidity and no rain.
Planning ahead is vitally important, whichever option you choose. It is important to make sure that the floor will support you, and all the benches, tables, pots, etc. that you are going to need.After it is installed, it is much harder to fix, so it’s important to get it right from the start.
My next article will cover what is green about a greenhouse.
If you are interested in climate change, check out my web site at http://www.enesolarpanels.com/climate-change.html
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