how to build an inexpensive greenhouse

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Written by Sheryl Wiesner

6x8 Commercial ready to build greenhouse

With a little thought and creativeness anyone can have a greenhouse to be proud of for less than the cost of a commercially produced one.

The greenhouse in the picture above(coming soon) cost me $400 from a discount company but using "Frame up kits" (registered trademark) you can put up a 6x8 greenhouse for a fraction of the cost of a traditional greenhouse.

If you have livestock and live in a warmer climate, and if their 50# feed sacks are woven plastic, you can use them for the roof and siding of your greenhouse to save even more money because they are free!

Things You'll Need:

22 2x2x8 pieces of lumbar 1 frame up kit enough Visquene to cover greenhouse or use livestock plastic feed sacks if you live in a mild climate screws cordless screwdriver hand saw Staple gun to secure your outer covering.

Plan your area where you will keep your greenhouse.
Make sure the area is level and free of large plants, stones, ect., that could be a safety hazard.

Decide what kind of flooring you want.
It could be just plain dirt, gravel or cement.

Assemble everything you will need
frame up kit
5 ea 2x2x6 pieces of lumber
6 ea 2x2x59 inches pieces of lumber
6 ea 2x2x32 inches pieces of lumber

Start with 3 of the 2x2x72 inch boards and position the frame up angles at equal distance on each board and secure with screws thru the bottom of the frame up angle.

Insert your rib boards into the sides of the angles of the frame up angles and attach your other two boards as done in step 4 one on either side of the ridge.
Use screws to firmly anchor boards to plastic angles.

Flip the now completed roof over and attach your roof covering material.
I attach it at this time since it seems easier to me than waiting till the entire greenhouse is up.
If you are using clear plastic or Visquine and you want an insulated greenhouse you can line both the inner and outer sides to create a heat retaining pocket of air between the two sections.

Attach the legs by placing the 2x2's into the holes on the angle supports and secure with screws.

Attach your feet to the bottoms of the wood legs and secure with screws.

Cover the rest of the greenhouse with your selected covering material.
Again you can place this material on both the outside and inside of the greenhouse to give it added insulation.

Decide if you want it to be fully open in the front or if you wish to have a door.
You can frame the door using additional 2x2's and make it the size you desire.

Decide if you want to install permanent shelves in your greenhouse and use additional 2x2's and plywood cut to fit to create them.

Tips & Warnings

lumber can expand when wet so you should saw a 2 inch cut into the middle of the ends of each piece of 2x2 boards you can use 1/2x2 wood strips to secure your covering in place by nailing or stapling them over the covering material and the 2x2's If you live in a windy area you may wish to anchor your greenhouse so that it does not catch the wind and flip.

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