# Tips On Building A Green House



## chandler48

It will depend on your experience at building from scratch and your tool repertoire. Have you ever built a stand alone building before? Have you checked into the need for permitting such work?


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## Bud9051

I have a relative who has one of the plastic covered metal frame green houses and his is used primarily for starting plants for his garden. Using a greenhouse to grow your garden is a different process as the heat of the summer will require thoughts of cooling.

Are you thinking about vegetables or flowers? Grow things inside or start them and move outside?

Where are you in terms of climate?

Bud


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## SPS-1

Bud9051 said:


> Using a greenhouse to grow your garden is a different process as the heat of the summer will require thoughts of cooling.


I have seen mechanisms to automatically open a roof vent when it gets too hot.


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## Kany

chandler48 said:


> It will depend on your experience at building from scratch and your tool repertoire. Have you ever built a stand alone building before? Have you checked into the need for permitting such work?


I have checked all the requirements for the permit and I have very little experience in building a stand alone building.


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## Kany

Bud9051 said:


> I have a relative who has one of the plastic covered metal frame green houses and his is used primarily for starting plants for his garden. Using a greenhouse to grow your garden is a different process as the heat of the summer will require thoughts of cooling.
> 
> Are you thinking about vegetables or flowers? Grow things inside or start them and move outside?
> 
> Where are you in terms of climate?
> 
> Bud


I plan on growing vegetables and a few fruits, that will grow inside the greenhouse. I stay in a daily hot place, around 30-35 degrees on average. However, the rains are going to start in a month or two.


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## Bud9051

Here are some pictures for you to dream with.
https://www.google.com/search?sourc...fpAhWSGs0KHY0jDSYQsAR6BAgCEAE&biw=933&bih=454

Bud


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## Missouri Bound

Do you expect to use this year round or seasonal? That will factor in your decision.
I had a small greenhouse that I used in Illinois. I used it for about 7-8 months per year.
It was a pre-built design that I built on site. It suited my needs.


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## Kany

Bud9051 said:


> Here are some pictures for you to dream with.
> https://www.google.com/search?sourc...fpAhWSGs0KHY0jDSYQsAR6BAgCEAE&biw=933&bih=454
> 
> Bud


Thanks!


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## Kany

Missouri Bound said:


> Do you expect to use this year round or seasonal? That will factor in your decision.
> I had a small greenhouse that I used in Illinois. I used it for about 7-8 months per year.
> It was a pre-built design that I built on site. It suited my needs.


I will be using it seasonally. Could you give me a little info on the pre-built design you used?


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## Missouri Bound

Kany said:


> I will be using it seasonally. Could you give me a little info on the pre-built design you used?


Mine was a metal framed, plastic covered type with benches.
The company was Poly-Tex, Inc.

If that suits your purposes, you can contact them for a catalog at poly-tex.com.

They were designed for commercial applications but all parts are available from the company and they assemble easily.

Not the prettiest greenhouses but they function well.


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## Kany

Missouri Bound said:


> Mine was a metal framed, plastic covered type with benches.
> The company was Poly-Tex, Inc.
> 
> If that suits your purposes, you can contact them for a catalog at poly-tex.com.
> 
> They were designed for commercial applications but all parts are available from the company and they assemble easily.
> 
> Not the prettiest greenhouses but they function well.


THanks will check their website out.


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## Old Thomas

I have been thinking about building a greenhouse, too. I figured I would use an exhaust fan on an AC thermostat and have a makeup air vent. If it got hot, the fan would turn on.


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## Missouri Bound

Old Thomas said:


> I have been thinking about building a greenhouse, too. I figured I would use an exhaust fan on an AC thermostat and have a makeup air vent. If it got hot, the fan would turn on.


That would work fine. But unless you build a large greenhouse natural venting is a good way to go. Roof vents attached to a temperature activated actuator open and close when needed. But very often the opposite is done with a fan and a long plastic tube with holes. The fan draws in outside are and inflates the tube which has cutout to let the air into the green house. Again, those are for larger greenhouses. The smaller ones have the roof vents and often sliding panels in the sides to move the hot air out the top, much like roof vents work with soffit vents. But the best way to keep the temperature down is with a shade covering.
You can get them from 10 to 80% shade for just about any application.


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## rmoore853

I would like to share my tips in building a greenhouse. (1) Good location (2) Choose the best for you, Kit or DIY. (3) Ventilation and Heat. (4) Proper roof and flooring. Finally, (5) Sunlight exposure.


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## Kany

Old Thomas said:


> I have been thinking about building a greenhouse, too. I figured I would use an exhaust fan on an AC thermostat and have a makeup air vent. If it got hot, the fan would turn on.


My greenhouse would not be big I won't be needing a fan or a thermostat.


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## Kany

Thank you for all the tips guys.


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## Old Thomas

I did a remodeling job long ago for a guy who had a home made greenhouse. It had a north wall taller than the south wall, with a sloped roof facing south. The north wall was covered with shelves holding gallon milk jugs full of water and sprayed black. There had to be at least 200 of them. The sun warmed them and they heated the greenhouse overnight. In cold western NY he raised plants in it from March until Thanksgiving with no additional heat.


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## rmoore853

Galvanized steel, aluminum, or wood farming are the materials needed to build strong greenhouses. The most common is wood. Constructing a greenhouse from standard lumber is much like building any other kind of structure.


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## Alexx005

Missouri Bound said:


> Mine was a metal framed, plastic covered type with benches.
> The company was Poly-Tex, Inc.
> 
> If that suits your purposes, you can contact them for a catalog at poly-tex.com.
> 
> They were designed for commercial applications but all parts are available from the company and they assemble easily.
> 
> Not the prettiest greenhouses but they function well.


This looks quite interesting! Do you think I can use something else other than plastic?


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## DoomsDave

@Kany!

Nice to meet you!

I have a greenhouse, and can likely tell you more about what NOT to do than what to do.

First, where are you? That's the numero uno consideration, because what's good, for say, Manitoba might not be so good for Monrovia California, both places for greenhouses.


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## Missouri Bound

Alexx005 said:


> This looks quite interesting! Do you think I can use something else other than plastic?


The way the structure is made is pretty specific to soft coverings.
You stretch the plastic over the frame and there are channels at the edges that secure the plastic with the use of "wiggle wires"
It does work very well. The one I had was a hoop type so the flexible plastic was the best option. The replacement plastic isn't very expensive and you can get a few years out of it. It withstands wind, hail and a moderate snow load.
But it usually sheds whatever falls on it if you have installed it correctly.


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## Alexx005

Missouri Bound said:


> The way the structure is made is pretty specific to soft coverings.
> You stretch the plastic over the frame and there are channels at the edges that secure the plastic with the use of "wiggle wires"
> It does work very well. The one I had was a hoop type so the flexible plastic was the best option. The replacement plastic isn't very expensive and you can get a few years out of it. It withstands wind, hail and a moderate snow load.
> But it usually sheds whatever falls on it if you have installed it correctly.


Alright. Thanks!


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## Missouri Bound




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