Everyone wants to eat healthy, tasty and, most importantly, useful, and the desire to grow vegetables on their site all year round is quite natural. This desire can be realized only if there is a greenhouse on the site, for the construction of which there are many materials. Among others, the leadership is firmly held by polycarbonate. However, it has a significant drawback - a rather high price. That is why many options for the construction of greenhouses from scrap materials have appeared, among which wooden window frames are most often used, which, due to the widespread installation of plastic windows in houses, is not at all surprising. And the not very aesthetic appearance is more than compensated for by low financial costs, and with proper arrangement, you can get a structure that is qualitatively not inferior to a polycarbonate greenhouse.
How to make a greenhouse with your own hands? step-by-step instruction:
1. Choosing the location and size of the future greenhouse
The greenhouse should be located in a place that will be maximally accessible to the sun's rays and, at the same time, maximally protected from drafts, freezing and flooding. In this regard, it would be most rational to place the greenhouse as an extension on the south side to any structure.
Determining the size of the greenhouse should be based on the following factors:
- The size of the available land plot;
- Dimensions, and most importantly the number, of window frames;
- Varieties of crops grown;
- The location of the beds and aisles (the central one should ensure the movement of the small cart);
- In the greenhouse, you must stand and work at full height.
After that, a detailed plan-drawing of the future building is drawn up.
2. Making the foundation
When erecting a greenhouse from used window frames, it will not be possible to do without a foundation, since this "building material" is quite heavy and when erected on "bare" ground, such a building will inevitably sag and collapse. In this case, a concrete strip foundation is best suited, which must be deepened below the freezing point of the earth in order to make the greenhouse warmer.
3. Preparation of frames
Before mounting the frame, it is necessary to dismantle: remove glass panes (can be damaged during installation work), unused handles, hinges and latches. Then you should carefully close up all the cracks in the vents that are not used for ventilation. Polyurethane foam will perfectly cope with this. All frames must be cleaned of old paint and treated with an antiseptic compound. Such manipulations can significantly increase the life of the wood.
4. Do-it-yourself greenhouse frame installation
Since the window frames are already a kind of frame, then, in order to obtain a strong structure, it will be enough just to put them on the foundation correctly and fasten them to each other using metal plates and screws (self-tapping screws). The installed roof lathing will add to the empty strength.
After completing the installation of the frame and glazing bead, you can re-paint it in order to decorate their appearance and extend their service life. After the paint has dried, the frames can be fitted with the disassembled glasses again.
5. How to make a greenhouse roof
The best and at the same time affordable and simple roofing material for a vegetable garden under the roof is an ordinary plastic film. Which is easy enough to pull, and then gently nail it to the roof batten using wooden planks. The simplest and most common option would be with a flat roof. However, it will be much more practical to build a gable roof. In this case, in the hot season, there will be no problems with the ventilation of the greenhouse, since the film can be removed in separate sections for ventilation. When winter comes, it will need to be dismantled.
6. Features of ventilation
Good ventilation of the "warm garden" is easy to achieve with the help of vents located in the window frames. But it is worth remembering that they should not be placed too high in order to exclude excessive heat loss. So, the most optimal will be the location of the ventilation vents at a level of 50 centimeters above the ground. This solution, in addition to retaining heat, guarantees unhindered access to the greenhouse for insects, so that there will be no problems with pollination of the plants.
In addition to a significant reduction in financial costs for the construction of a greenhouse, the use of old window frames will provide a number of other advantages such as a high level of strength, reliability and stability of the finished structure. But most importantly, framed glass helps create and maintain the optimal temperature inside the greenhouse, which is so important for a good harvest.
Watch the video on how to build a greenhouse yourself from polycarbonate:
Greenhouse made of PVC pipes:
