Things to consider
Use
What and how much do you plan to grow in your greenhouse? Our greenhouses are made to be used during the winter months as a cool greenhouse (staying above freezing on the colder nights). Instead of a three season greenhouse -late spring-summer and early fall- our method allows it to be used at full potential year round. Even through our greenhouses are designed for the colder months of the year you will need a heater for the coldest weather. An 8×12 greenhouse can usually get by with a 5,000btu 120v electric heater. Larger greenhouses either just heat one end of the greenhouse, use a 220 electric heater, radiant heat, or a gas heater. After visiting our greenhouses a year or two later, we have often found them to be under-utilized. Also consider that the nature of polycarbonate provides deep penetration of sunlight so you can have multiple layers of plants.
Location
Whether a stand-alone or attached greenhouse it’s important that you have a southerly, southwest, or southeast exposure. Shading of trees can be a problem, however, deciduous trees often can provide needed shade in the summer while allowing sunlight to penetrate in the winter. Sites that are steep or sloping will require extra work and may not be suitable. How easy will access be for building on the site your are considering? Carting stone/cement and material will incur more cost. Consider where your greenhouse will be in relation to your garden and more importantly your kitchen. The path from our kitchen to our greenhouse is the most traveled. For an attached greenhouse remember that you may lose a window or two to the outside, but you gain a window into your greenhouse.
Utilities
For stand-alone greenhouses you need to figure out electricity and water. Electricity is fairly straightforward by digging a shallow trench and having an electrician run conduit from your electrical box to an outlet in the greenhouse. Water can be more of a challenge. A deeper line is necessary for a water line which runs from a basement to hydrate that is either inside the greenhouse or outside. For smaller greenhouses it is usually practical to water from Nov – April with a watering can. During the warmer months your greenhouse will need lots of water once or twice a day and using a watering can will become burdensome. Missing even one day could lead to the death of your plants. If you have either an outside hydrant or wall cock extending from you house you can just use a garden hose which can attach directly to the greenhouse and its watering system. Attached greenhouses can usually be easily fitted with water and electricity.
Stand Alone versus Attached
Many people simply do not have a good spot on their house for an attached greenhouse. However, because our greenhouses are custom made they offer more possibilities. Attaching our greenhouse to an existing barn or shed is a great idea because every greenhouse needs a potting area and place for storage. Why use growing and display space for that. A third option would be to build a greenhouse/potting area combo. An example of that can be seen on our website under our gallery page.
Cost
Cost is determined by the type of structure, size, number of vents, doors and benches, distance from Middlebury, VT, and the greenhouse site your are considering. To be clear, our greenhouse is not a kit, but is custom built for you on site. The basic greenhouse includes an insulated concrete pad, oiled wood framing, standard 8ml double wall polycarbonate, hartford green metal flashing, self- operating vents, one exterior fiberglass door. You can then choose additional accessories or systems that are right for you and your greenhouse. To help reduce costs for our long distance projects or those who are builders you have the option of purchasing our handbook and doing the site work, foundation and door install and save 40% over the cost of our Basic Greenhouse price. Below are a couple of examples.
A greenhouse that is half as big as one does not cost half as much because the same systems that go into a small greenhouse go into a larger one. Both the stand alone and attach cost similar. A stand-alone structure has more glazing area while an attached has the extra costs of insulating and finishing off the adjoining wall. Typically, it takes six to eight days to build these structures that include site work, concrete, framing, glazing and installing the various systems.
Below are examples of two different size greenhouses. Price will vary based on travel distance, site location and accessibility, size, shape, number of vents, doors and systems.
Please note that these are estimated prices only and subject to fluctuations in material costs.
| Greenhouse Size | Basic Greenhouse with vents only |
Install glazing, trim, & vents only |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8×12 Stand Alone | $12,000.00 | $7200.00 | ||
| 12×16 Stand Alone | $ 23,000 | $13,800 |
Additional accessories not included in the basic greenhouse price but can be included are, low pressure water system, 120 volt exhaust fans, thru wall air exchange for attached greenhouses, benches and shelves. additional vents or doors.