We dug and poured the footings ourselves (a measure of economy), but we hired a cement contractor to lay the actual foundation and the greenhouse walk or aisle.

Florida Fishing Guides
Know how on Bass Fishing and Fly Fishing. Florida Fishing Guides, Tips for newbies and old timers. Plus a couple of ideas on how to enjoy it.

The foundation is made of cement blocks; it is 5 cement blocks high and 6 long. The walk is made of cement slabs. This work and the materials cost $285.00 and the job was finished in 1 day. Within 2 days the cement had set and we went on with the rest of the construction.

The actual details of fastening supports and cross-pieces, installing doors, ventilators, and so forth are not relevant here. In the first place, they would require endless pages of text and diagrams-and such data are easily obtained from any number of commercial greenhouse construction sources. Also, there is no one "best" way to build a home greenhouse-there are dozens! The construction as well as the type will depend on the requirements of your climate and what you desire (and can afford). Incidentally, construction guides are available from lumber firms as well as greenhouse builders. I will offer, how ever, certain points of information that are generally helpful, whether you build your own greenhouse or have it built by a construction firm.

For my greenhouse, I decided I would use redwood. I used redwood because it is extremely resilient and a hardy wood. Best of all, it will not rot. It's a rot resistant wood. I used the redwood to build the frame. I believe this was one of the best possible choices I could have made, when it comes to the construction of this greenhouse. Greenhouses have what are known as "lights." This term can be a tad confusing for the non-initiated. The "lights" I'm speaking of here, refer to the glass panes found on greenhouses.

I chose to use a substance called Trenglaze, to seal the glass panes. Why I chose Trenglaze, is because it is non-hardening putty. Another thing I was sure to do was use non rusting brass screws.

I also opted to have double strength greenhouse glass installed instead of the regular single strength greenhouse glass. For durability's sake, you can't go wrong with using double strength greenhouse glass. The benefits far outweigh any additional costs. The double strength greenhouse glass only costs about $.20 more per piece of glass.

A point for you to consider, in regard to the double strength greenhouse glass; I've had this greenhouse for 4 years, and during all that time, not a solitary pane of greenhouse glass has become cracked. If that's not impressive, add to that, not one single pane has become broken in 4 years either.

The lights cut to fit by the manufacturer, measure 20 inches wide. On the roof the lower ones are 20 by 42 inches. These are larger than many greenhouse builders use, but they mean much less construction work, admit maximum light to the plants, and minimize drafts. A layer of pea rock covers the ground flanking the walks.

Finally, we painted the outside cement blocks pale green, the framework white, to blend with our green-and-white stucco home.

For Maximum Space