Here in Louisiana we call it Lagniappe [lanˈyap]. It’s a little something extra……for free! Everyone loves free. I get asked all of the time how to build your own greenhouse. So, today I have gathered together 10 free greenhouse plans for you. Not everyone can afford or needs a glass greenhouse kit. Tom and I have reviewed the plans and have added our comments to each. These comments are based purely on our years of experience building greenhouses. We have not received any compensation of any kind from any of these plans. So, enjoy and get busy building a greenhouse this week. Please keep in mind that as far as we know no engineers were involved in these plans. In other words, we do not feel that any of these plans have been built with heavy snow and/or wind loads in mind. Also, as a general note: A lot of the plans mention using plastic sheeting that is not UV protected. Don’t expect any more than 1 years use out of non UV protected plastic. We always recommend using 6 mil, 4 year polyfilm to cover greenhouses. With the appropriate waivers in place, let’s get busy building!
We make a commission through sales if you click on affiliate links in this post.
California Style Roof Greenhouse
California Roof Style Greenhouse Plans – We used to sell and install sunrooms. That is how we really got started with greenhouses. Anyway, we used to sell a sunroom that looked like this and it was called the California Roof Sunroom. These plans seem very thorough. They even tell you how to square up your base. It is a bit distracting to try and read the plans on their website due to all of the ads, etc. But, they do offer a downloadable set of plans (ad free) for $5. Might be nice to have these to take to the jobsite.
YellaWood Greenhouse Plans
YellaWood Greenhouse Plans – These plans are from the manufacturer. They do give you a lot of specifications about the building materials, but the plans are pretty much a line drawing with measurements. If you are an experienced builder, you probably would not have much trouble with this. If you are a beginner and need more detailed instruction, this might be one to pass on.
Barn Style Greenhouse Plans
Barn Greenhouse Plans – They state one weekend for this. I am a bit skeptical of that time frame. This greenhouse has a lot of miter cuts and will require what seems like a lot of fitting to me. But hey, who can resist the looks of a barn style greenhouse?
Raised Garden Bed with Removable Cold Frame
Raised Garden Bed with Removable Cold Frame – This is a super plan and will work nicely along side of a standard garden and greenhouse. They are stating a 10 – 15 degree increase in temperature inside the cold frame. This is a great project for someone with limited space, or someone who just wants to get a head start on the garden.
300 Square Foot Hoop House
300 Square Foot Hoop House – This is a well thought out design and plan. I do however have a couple of issues with his recommendations. First is to use landscape cloth as a shade cloth. Why wouldn’t you just use a shade cloth that is made for greenhouses? Also, this is a little bit large not to have a ventilation system. I think a couple of roof vents and a ventilation package would make this greenhouse a whole lot more useable in the warmer months.
Attached Greenhouse Plans
RunnerDuck Greenhouse Plans– I really like the looks of this greenhouse, although I am wondering what it would look like with a small overhang on the roof on all sides. He has stated that you can adapt this to make a freestanding greenhouse with these plans as well. I do like the dutch door feature and the fact that he used a roof vent with an automatic opener.
Bamboo Greenhouses Plans
Bamboo Greenhouse Plans – What a great way to use bamboo! I would suggest using batten tape also when securing your film to your frame. I am not really crazy about using a door that is secured with velcro. If you are in a high wind area I would think this would give you problems. Other than that a great simple plan.
GeoDome Greenhouse Plans
Geo Dome – This may not be for a beginner. Lots of angles to cut for the frame to fit together properly. But, who doesn’t love the look of a dome greenhouse? Sounds like they did a whole lot of research before designing this. If you have some skills and time I would consider this plan.
$50 Greenhouse Plans
$50 Greenhouse – Of course this is if you can recycle a whole bunch of materials. But, he states that even with new material you can build this for around $200. If you are in an area with high snow be sure to look at the picture of what happens when you get a couple of inches of wet snow. His greenhouse collapsed. So, I would definitely rule this one out for snowy areas.
10 x 16 Greenhouse Plans
10 x 16 Greenhouse – These are nice plans. I think he is very realistic when he gives a one week time frame on building this. I would suggest a ventilation system and roof vents with a greenhouse this size. He mentions covering it with polyethylene/foil sheets. I am not really even sure what this is. I would recommend using 6 mil, 4 year greenhouse polyfilm.
In closing, my first, and second greenhouses were both ones that we built ourselves with our own plans. They were both covered with clear plastic (non UV) film. We did not know where to get the UV protected film at that point. One year is the life expectancy of the non UV material. I wish at the time we would have known the difference, but we just kept recovering. Also, not to tell tales on myself, but at the time we were building these greenhouses there was no internet and no free plans. What a help that would have been! Most of these plans are from individuals who have taken their time and energy to supply these plans for us. We thank them for their help.
Are you building a homemade polyfim greenhouse, but are unsure about how to ventilate it? Here are a couple of solutions for you. You can see that this greenhouse has roll up sides, an option which is readily available, but can be costly. We have 2 options available that insert directly into your polyfilm covering without any additional framing. They use the channel base and wiggle wire to insert directly into the greenhouse covering. You simply cut the film and install these accessories directly into the film covering without any additional framing.
Intake Shutter with Solar Powered Opener
The first option is a solar powered greenhouse shutter. This has louvers and a wax cylinder powered opener. It will open when it is warm and close when it is cool automatically. They are available in 6 different sizes. If you would like to use this on another type of greenhouse such as polycarbonate, we can remove the base channel and you can insert this directly into a wood framed opening.
Solar Powered Roof Vent
The second way to do this is with a solar powered roof vent. This is a lightweight polycarbonate vent. It weighs less than 10 pounds, but you get all of the benefits of the durable polycarbonate covering. It also has the was cylinder powered opener that will automatically open and shut the vent as the temperature requires. To install this you simply cut the polyfilm and install it directly into the greenhouse covering.
A lot of people prefer to build their own greenhouses rather than purchase a kit. With these 2 ventilation options, there is no reason not to build your own polyfilm greenhouse.
If you are in the process of designing or purchasing a greenhouse you probably have questions about what accessories you should purchase with the greenhouse. I get asked this a lot. Some people want to completely ignore the accessories, while others have read every article and believe they should buy everything that you can put in a greenhouse. My recommendation is to start with the ventilation package. Yes, you will need it even if you are only overwintering plants and even if you are in a cold location. I have seen sunny winter days when it was 60 degrees outside and my fan and shutters were operating. And, I keep my ventilation system set at 90 degrees. On the other hand, I hate to see people load up on a lot of items that they will never use. A heater is a good idea, if it is close to the time of year you will need it, or if any modifications to the structure are needed to accommodate for vents, etc. I think the rest of the items should be added as needed.
Here is a nice article from our friends at Garden and Greenhouse which talks about some small hand tools and re purposed items. These are things probably most of us would never think about, but will be used over and over again.
If you already have or are thinking about getting a greenhouse you should consider purchasing several inexpensive tools and related products. Although the items are not very expensive they can make a difference in how much you enjoy greenhouse gardening and how efficient you are at doing it.
I received an email yesterday with this in the subject line. STILL a very happy customer!!! Lynne and Mike were kind enough to share a few words about their tempered glass shed style attached greenhouse. They purchase their Acadian Lean To in 2007. It is always nice to hear that people are happy with their purchases. Following is the email.
Just wanted to reach out and express our complete satisfaction with your product. It has been ten years now and we enjoy the greenhouse as much now as when it was new. Many enjoyable snow storms and rainy afternoons. It has endured the severity of the east coast temperature extremes and provides sanctuary to our plants without fail. Can’t thank you enough for all of your customer service during the purchase and shipping process. I wish all establishments had your dedication to customer satisfaction. Thank you so much,
There are many benefits to polyfilm greenhouses. One thing is that some municipalities will consider this a temporary structure and will not require permits, wind and snow load ratings, etc. They are also less expensive than a rigid polycarbonate covered greenhouse. One disadvantage to this is that most of the greenhouse polyfilm found today has a 4 year UV protection, so you will have to figure on replacing the covering every so often. Double polyfilm greenhouses consist of 2 layers of polyfilm with an air inflation system for greenhouse film blowing air between the 2 layers. This will give you a much better R rating than just a single layer of film. Manufacturers claim that it can save you up to 40% of your energy costs. That is quite a considerable savings. I find that the inflated film is more rigid and less susceptible to damage than a single layer of film. This all happens without lowering the light transmission properties of the polyfilm. This is an excellent choice that has been used by many commercial growers through the years and is totally acceptable for a backyard greenhouse operation. Be sure to use greenhouse polyfilm that is UV protected and has an anti condensate coating on it. If the film is not UV protected you should not expect to get any more than one years use out of it, sometimes even less. The anti condensate coating keeps droplets from forming on the film. This will contribute to the overall health of your plants. Any condensation that does form on the roof will come off in sheets rather than in droplets. If you have water dripping on your plants you will have damage to your leaves, fruits, flowers and overall less healthy plants. So, when considering your first or next greenhouse, take a look at a double polyfilm greenhouse and see what benefits it will give you.
With the long holiday weekend upon us, there is not a better time to visit a local display greenhouse. I have several favorites. I love to go to Bellingrath Gardens in Alabama. They have a beautiful conservatory. City gardens in New Orleans also has an excellent conservatory. Even the small town of Monroe, LA has the Biedenharn with a beautiful conservatory. If you have a little more time and can take a trip the Biltmore in NC will also take your breath away. Also, Calloway Gardens in GA has a conservatory with butterflies and plants. These are all probably within an 8 hour drive of our location. You will probably not have to go far to find several in your area as well. Take a young gardener along and inspire them. You will find many styles and sizes of conservatories and greenhouses to explore. This article is about a couple of photographers who have started on a quest to explore greenhouses in far away places. I am totally envious of them.
Magnus Edmondson and India Hobson’s greenhouse quest began in Oxford, England, at the Botanic Garden, on a Sunday morning. “We were the only people there, and it was so incredibly quiet,” they write. The only sounds were “gasps of wonderment” and the “occasional sigh.” From there, Edmondson and Hobson, photographers based in Sheffield, were hooked. They began what they call “a self-initiated Greenhouse Tour of the World”—they find, explore, and photograph greenhouses, potting sheds, polytunnels, conservatories, and other indoor spaces made by humans, for plants.
Advance Greenhouses participates in affiliate programs, which means we may receive commissions if you purchased an item via links on this page to retailer sites. This is at no additional cost to you. Our editorial content is not influenced by commissions. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about what we do.
