How to Make a DIY Greenhouse | I Like To Make Stuff

We helped Josh's wife make a DIY Greenhouse with help from Lowe's. It was a fun & challenging build, but Lowe’s is the perfect partner to help you finish your fall projects and
get back to enjoying what matters. Look below for everything we used in this project!

TOOLS & SUPPLIES (affiliate links):

Josh's wife is really into gardening and planting beautiful greenery leading to her desire for a greenhouse. This way, she can keep her plants alive during the winter months and incubate some new plants so they're ready for the spring.

Josh began the design with a 3d model in Fusion 360. We got our bill of materials and the cut list then headed to our local Lowe's to get the supplies to begin framing the structure. I chose to use pressure treated lumber for this exterior addition to resist the moisture and humidity that may build up inside the greenhouse. Using Josh's measurements, we nailed together the floor and added the front and back wall studs.

Before adding a structure to your yard, you may chose to grate and level the area beforehand. Josh didn't want to tear up the yard, and here in Kentucky, the clay is super hard. In lieu of digging into the ground to level it, we chose to level the floor frame by adding 2x4 posts semi-driven into the ground. This way, Josh and i could level the floor and nail it to those posts along the span of the greenhouse. Now that we had a level surface to work from, we continued to build out the frame by connecting the front and back studs and then connecting those two walls with some ceiling joists.

For the greenhouse floor, Josh wanted something that could resist any standing water that would fall down from the plants. We found some engineered siding panels at Lowe's that are weather-resistant and come in large, 4' x 8' sheets. These panels are only 3/8" thick, so we added another layer of pressure treated 1/2" plywood to ensure the floor was strong enough to walk on. We fit three of these double-layered panels on top of the floor frame, making sure to cut around the wall studs and secured them with screws.

We decided to use the cutoffs of the engineered, exterior sheeting to make a skirting of wood panels that wrapped around the greenhouse. To cover any seams and to give the element some definition, Josh cut up some 1x4 trim pieces that really set the decorative element apart. It looked really nice and flowed super well with the overall design. Again, these step is optional, but it does look fantastic and it helps save on the more expensive material later.

At this point in the project, we have a nice looking frame of a greenhouse. To make it functional as a greenhouse, we need a way to trap the radiant heat from the sun inside the structure. We found many ways to do this from using reclaimed windows, rolls of plastic tarp pulled tight, glass panes, and sheets of acrylic.

#greenhouse #diy #how-to

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How to Make a DIY Greenhouse | I Like To Make Stuff

I Like To Make Stuff

[Iliketomakestuff]

Answer to common comments:
1. The 2x4 legs won't settle much here. Our red clay doesn't move much once it's settled, and this is a high point of the yard so it drains well and never gets saturated.
2. All wood was pressure treated, rated for ground contact, so rot is many, many years away.
3. There is a small air gap between the walls and the side of the house.
4. The garage (not temperature controlled) is on the other side of that exterior wall.

[FrederickDunn]

Hi Bobby, great demonstration. WARNING to viewers, after just 10 years, many of the polycarbonate panels require replacement. I wish there was a longer-lasting material for this purpose. Is there something that can be done to extend the life of that material? Thanks.

[catgynt]

Question: it’s been 2 years since this greenhouse was built. Could you do a look back to it; listing how it is today, what would you change to make things better or ... As always, thanks for sharing this video content. Trusting that you and your families enjoyed a great thanksgiving holiday. Cheers...

[RealMudSkipper]

Is there going to be an issue with sinking since it's resting on 'sharp' 2x4s?

[stephenleach]

How did you keep the vent flaps secure when they are down?

[OldTimerGarden]

Two things I would have done differently. I would have framed in the roof vents to prevent a high wind from ripping the vents off. As they are, there's no way to latch them closed. I also would have painted the framing to the color of the house before installing the clear panels to prevent the wood from turning gray with age or at least stained it first.

[FantaBH]

2:31 it looks like you finally have found your lost pen. :)

[jonnaughton]

Just curious why you chose to have a full wooden floor rather than use pea gravel so water can easily drain away after you've watered the plants.

[cappleget]

What is the “tent” at 4:56 used with the miter - I would like to get one!!

[imagepng_]

To show you the power of flex tape, I sawed this roof in half!

[gmacs]

Just in case you're thinking of making from experience an automatic roof vent is a must. These work like a car thermostat and open when it gets too hot. Plants don't like extremes they like a steady temperature so you may want to think about whitewashing the insides if that area is in direct sunlight for hours.

[wolfkane]

Great video, building one for my parents at their house! I have a question, whats the make model and year on that Toyota? Is it a land cruiser from the 90's?

[joelabster]

Wish you’d make me a green house!!! Or at least a room off the back of my house to safely enjoy my backyard!

[Gmastertech]

I’m building one now on a smaller scale (6x8), hopefully it turns out as nice as yours. Thanks for sharing this.

[HsingSun]

Thank you for your video. I am going to build the same shape (lean) shed in my back yard, but I would like to use aluminum sheet around the base.
Question: What type of screen did you use? White mesh?

[Natedoc]

For higher wind areas, use T posts and use bailing wire run through holes drilled through the studs and wire the studs to T the T posts. You could also use diagonal braces anchored to flat foundation stakes

[Pythonassum]

hears flex tape:
*echoes in the distance* "i sawed this boat in half!"

[compubyte]

Great job!!! thinking of building two of them and hooking together? opposite Lean-to .. But my question. would it be better to install two fans? one on each side of the greenhouse? to circulate the air? setup on a thermostat, when it's to hot to turn on the fans? when cool enough to turn them off? or are the vents on the top. really necessary to install? I'm in Southern Arizona..

[joshuamullins]

4:28 - Nice use of lining the nails up with the beat!! 👍

[roydahl]

Great build!!

Looks great to live such a dry place, this would've rotten away within a year where I live x)