A plethora of greenhouse types can be had to suit your individual requirements and particular budget needs. Indeed, you can get them all the way from tiny window greenhouse units to impressively large free standing units in the garden, your options are plentiful. If larger areas are an option to use then you can add on to your greenhouse as you fill it up over time.

A homemade garden greenhouse can be an attached design which uses a wall of your home to connect to, or you can set up a detached type of greenhouse that is located somewhere in the garden,

Greenhouses can be of several different types as determined by the roof line, the existence or absence of side walls, as well the kind of foundation employed. A bird’s eye view of these different types of greenhouses would

There are basically three categories of greenhouse type: Attached, Ridge or furrow and Detached. In this article I will talk mainly about attached and ridge types.

Lean-To or Attached

If the amount of area you have is at a premium the lean-to is a solid option. A lean-to’s roof is attached to the side of the home or garage via the ridge line and has doorway built in so that you can travel freely between the two. As they are connected to the main structure of the home, they have easy access to electricity, water and heat as well.

The height of the lean-to will necessarily be limited by the wall of the home that it is connected to. Also, the connecting wall will lessen the amount of sunlight available.. It’s also important to remember to keep a watchful on your lean-to during the winter time to make certain accumulated snow doesn’t slide off the roof of your home and lead to damaging effects on the greenhouse.

Accessibility, lower cost and easy heating are the main plus points of the lean-to greenhouse.

The Ridge Roof Greenhouse:

These are joined by a shared gutter only at the bottom edges or eaves of the roof. This allows increased efficiency in terms of the amount of sunlight that is able to enter. The roof design of these structures will be either curved or gabled.

Even-span Greenhouses

An even-span (or free standing) house is a wonderful design style that can be set up as an attached or detached structure . If you decide to set up an even-span design that’s joined to your home or other structure it will usually be through one of the gable ends of the greenhouse. These greenhouses are best suited for being expanded later on if you find your self running out of room in the future.

It has the capacity to accommodate two or three benches for crop production and beats the lean-to in availability of usable space and better shape and size to maintain optimum temperature and ventilation. Free standing greenhouses like this are usually best when they stay within dimensions between 10×8 to 12×15. Bigger or smaller than that and it starts getting a bit tricky.

One of the greatest additions that can be made by any home gardener to their space is building a small hobby greenhouse. With a little planning, elbow grease and a clear set of plans, it can become a reality at reasonable cost. There really is no need to spend a ton of dough on a greenhouse kit or professional contractor.

You might be tempted to think that you already understand the ins and outs of constructing a small garden greenhouse. Slow down cowboy. Because knowing what pieces are required to build a greenhouse that’s inline with your overall goals will indeed facilitate what kind of structure will best work for your personal growing goals.

Let’s look at what will be required to think about in order to produce the perfect kind of Greenhouse for you:

The Base

Should you use a simple wood base or do you desire something more long lasting like a cement foundation. But it costs a great deal of money to have. Installing a complicated concrete foundation can be a bit on the tricky side. On the other side of the coin a wood base is much easier and less expensive to lay down, but will not last nearly as long.

Framing

Framing is what holds up the glass or other covering material. Wood framing is traditional. But modern construction provides more options like metal or PVC frames. The most important decision will be what kind of glazing material you choose to go with however.

Glazing

The more expensive option and most effective is a glass covering. More common these days are plastic or poly sheets though. The choice depends on how long you want the greenhouse to last and how much you are willing to pay in the end.

Ventilation

Heat builds up in greenhouses. When selecting your other greenhouse supplies, you must also purchase vents and fans for the space. You can get manual ones or automatic ones. How much work do you want to put into your greenhouse everyday?

Proper Sealing

After getting the base and frame assembled it’s now time to seal everything in with the proper covering. This is important because it will prevent undesirable weather from getting in. Sealing depends on the framing and covering you select.

Thinking about these areas of your greenhouse building project will go a long way in helping you decide what kind of structure to pick.

Honestly, it’s a good idea to make these choices early on. That way you make the right decisions on which design to select. By thinking about the above guidelines, you’ll be taking the first steps towards finding the right design for your greenhouse.

Naturally there is more to setting up a greenhouse involved, but these suggestions should get you well on your way.