Glass Green House

Some Thoughts on Building Your Own Glass Green House

If you are interested in constructing a glass green house, there are certain factors you'll need to bear in mind to avoid spending too much of your hard-earned cash. A large part of the outlay is often decided not just by the materials used and their size, but also by the way you plan to use your greenhouse; that is, its design.

The Popular Greenhouse Choice

A glass green house, definitely the type most extensively in use today, not only allows the largest amount of natural sunlight to reach your plants, but also allows the highest amount of heat to escape in the wintry months. The only way to get around this is to provide for extra insulation. The careful placement of a 4mm solid piece of clear plastic on the inside of the glass house's frame should be enough to effectively reduce heat loss by 20%. Remember, it is the air space between the plastic and the glass that provides the insulation, not the plastic panel itself, so make sure you have left a wide enough gap.

Framing the Greenhouse

The framework of a glass greenhouse is nearly the same as that of any greenhouse, regardless of the kind of cladding material used. Whether you use a wooden, metal or plastic frame, the fundamentals of construction are more or less identical. These frames are intended to sit on a firm base with their own flooring to make working in them easier and more comfortable, and the climate easier to manage. Cheap flooring solutions can consist of anything from basic concrete slabs to timber plank-work. Whichever solution you choose, your floor doesn't need to look too finished: this is an outhouse – a working space – not an English drawing room.

Your Local Climate

Before you start building your glass green house, you will want to think about the months when the climate is at its hottest. If the temperature gets too high, it will harm plants and seedlings. The same will happen in the coldest months in a non-insulated glass green house.

Some Thoughts on Heating and Ventilating your Glass Green House

Thermostatically controlled heaters are needed to maintain your greenhouse at a constant temperature during the winter months. Electric heaters are the most common type. This is because propane or oil heaters require the installation of an efficient ventilation system if you want to avoid stunting the growth of your plants. Furthermore, ventilation is also vital during the hottest months if you want to keep from scorching your plants. Good ventilation would seem to be a very good idea.

The Orientation of Your Glass Green House

A further prerequisite for your glass greenhouse is that it should be oriented to face east/west in order to capture the greatest amount of sunshine during the winter months. In addition, you should consider the direction of the prevailing wind. If the prevailing wind blows principally from the west, you will need to make sure your door opens to the east to avoid blasting your plants with cold air every time you go in to do a spot of gardening.

Venting Your Glass Green House

There are roof vents on the market that require no electricity, which is useful if your glass green house is a long trek from the nearest power supply. A typical system employs a simple hydraulic arm. As warmth in the greenhouse builds up, the air inside the canister of the inlet warms up causing the arm to move. This opens the vent. As the temperature drops, air inside the canister contracts and the vent closes again.

Roofing Your Glass Greenhouse

The roof form of your glass greenhouse is another issue worth considering. It ought to be pitched steeply enough to avoid snow build-up and allow rain to flow freely away from the structure. You'll need incredibly thick glass and a frame strong enough to support a brontosaurus if you try use a flat or shallow-pitched roof. A steep pitch can also make for a pleasant, airy interior, and gives you the option to place some really tall plants in the centre of your glass green house.