Building A Greenhouse

There are many choices when it  comes to building the foundation of your greenhouse.

On occasion, when buying a do it yourself greenhouse, people will just plonk it down on an even piece of ground. That may be on gravel, or dirt or even grass. Your greenhouse may come complete with a roof and walls, as well as a floor.

Before you start to build your greenhouse, you’ll probably want to prepare the ground underneath it in some way. This could be as simple as smoothing the earth and laying down railroad ties spaced an inch apart. 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.

These designs, however, leave you with the large job of controlling weeds, controlling mildew, maybe replacing floor boards and other issues that can occur with wooden floors.

The next thing to do is lay your cement foundation, which is similar to a foundation under a house. This is easier than it sounds, but it requires more effort than the other alternatives and has a few potential drawbacks.

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.

In the end, you’ll be left with a semi-permanent foundation which would be difficult to move or remove later if you change your mind about the location.

You will have options with a cement foundation regarding heating, and it will last a lot longer. You could lay carpet or tile on top with heating tubes or wires underneath, for example. It’s easier to take care of and very sturdy. Cement floors also can absorb and reflect a lot of heat, which can be handy in a greenhouse.

A couple of weekends should be all it takes to build your cement foundation. 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.

Whichever option you choose, make sure you plan ahead. The floor is going to need to be sturdy enough to support all the tables, benches, pots, and of course you.The foundation is the building block, so it’s important to make sure it’s done properley.

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