I'm confused Greenhouse Base, ploycarb glazing etc...

I've finally decided on what I want for my birthday pressie A greenhouse!

But confused or what.

Firstly Base!

It seems that greenhouses with optional bases! Always thought they were kinda free standing, and if you're were wise you laid paving slabs/concrete under the bottom of the frame and screwed your frame to this!

It happens that where the greenhouse is going, well be on top of an existing 2.5 x 2.5 meter slab of concrete that blights my garden (and due to garden size it's either here or no greenhouse)

If I decide to get an greenhouse where the base is optional, then can I just bolt the frame to the concrete or say, instead of a base use bricks (hubby's was a bricky prior to a career change)

Then

Polycarb, horticulture glass, toughened glass,

I know the difference between the 3 types, ones plastic the other two are based on how they break if broken... But not how/what difference polycarb and glass within in greenhouse, as the greenhouse is going to be quite a prominent feature in my garden, as in full view I don't want something that looks cheap or nasty...

So some advice please..

Ah, there is a budget to all this, and I'm looking at around the £400 mark and greenhouse size is max 6 x 8 ft, just in case anybody got any good contenders.

 

I put my greenhouse (with toughened glass ) directly on to a concrete base. I think it's 10 years old now and it hasn't moved, no glass broken, no movement in the frame. I had electricity supplied at the same time which bumped up the cost but I'm so pleased I did as I can use heated propagators or a greenhouse heater/fan if I need it and being just a bit bigger than yours I've found that works really well for me. However, it depends what you want it for.

Obviously I can't grow directly into a soil bed, I could have used growbags on the floor but I didn't want to use it for tomatoes which I always get offered by other people anyway when they have a glut and which I think take up too much room.

What I wanted was somewhere to overwinter some of my pots and containers and a place to start off new garden plants. I also grow herbs so that I have fresh herbs in the winter as well as the summer. I found that the advantage of an all concrete floor was being able keep it clean easily, I can spray water to keep it cool if it gets too hot and most of all I've been able to put shelving in everywhere that I don't want to actually stand myself; everything is in easy reach. I did put in one scented rose in a large container because I loved being able to open the greenhouse in summer and being knocked out by the scent. I had to move that out though because it eventually wanted more space than I was prepared to give it!

I would suggest that you check the existing surface of your concrete and if it's poor get a new layer of screed on it as the smoother the surface the easier it will be to keep clean and also you won't have gaps for insects to crawl between the floor and the sides.

 

An optional base will, in addition to providing a little extra headroom, also assist in overcoming differential settlement.

 

Being an averaged height female, the height for myself I don't think is going to be a problem in most greenhouses, but for plants now that could be a different matter.

I have found one, and it comes with a free base, but I do ponder whether I might prefer having a brick base....

The greenhouse I've seen, is on offer includes free base, Louvre window, and automatic vent opener... 6x8ft, which to be a good start and even better does have toughened glass to it..

 

If it is easy for him to do then a couple of courses of bricks, laid on the concrete, will get you something to put the greenhouse on and raise it up a bit. The doorway will be on top of the bricks too, so you'll have to step over that to get in (or build ramp/steps etc.)

Would an 8' x 8' fit on the concrete pad? Space become so important that I would recommend getting the largest that will fit / you can afford.

Worth looking around locally and/or on freeserve. People are often happy to give away unused / unloved greenhouses. I have two which came off eBay - had to go and disassemble / collect them, but they were a lot cheaper than new. My 12' x 10' was £200 and the 30' x 10' was £400

I would want two roof vents ... get automatic openers if you are away from home / leave for work early / work shifts. Louvre helps get convection cooling, but greenhouses as small as 8' x 8' are difficult to cool in Summer anyway ... so you'll have to open the door too - but louvre will help in Spring / Autumn

Do consider having electricity installed - if not affordable now then lay a duct in the concrete so you can easily run a cable in later.

 

I'd forgotten about this but electrics I wasn't planning to do until next year, purely on cost grounds and working out the best route for the trunking/cabling from house to greenhouse.

Sadly 8' x 8', is bout the max, might be able to at a push got to 10' but the greenhouse isn't going to be in an idea position in the first place, as it will have a boundary fence on 2 sides and the shed on the 3rd side. This will only just give me (and not hubby) just enough access if needs be for any maintenance work if required. We are hoping to move the side boundary fence out to the actual boundary. which is another 3 and 4 meters further out which at the moment is being used by locals as their dog toileting area and dumping ground