My rough and ready little greenhouse was made by my partner, Christian, during lockdown. He’s an architect and some of his friends find his homemade structure hilarious, as it’s not exactly a reflection of his seven years spent studying. He doesn't care. “I wasn’t going for perfection - I made it up as I went along. I was going for cheap, cheerful and eclectic. I took inspiration from the DIY structures people make on allotments."
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Tools you'll need
Christian enjoys DIY and seems to know instinctively how to put things together. However, he says that he only has rudimentary carpentry skills and used basic tools for the greenhouse – a saw, drill and screws. He built it against a fence and an existing small shed, so only had to create two sides of the structure.
Materials needed for your own greenhouse
He used materials that we acquired easily – an old and very heavy Georgian door from a building project his brother had been working on, some windows from friends and some timber we already had kicking around (we always have mysterious pieces of timber kicking around). The only material we bought was the translucent plastic roofing material – clear multi-walled polycarbonate, but you could also use corrugated PVC.
How to make your own greenhouse using old windows and doors
“I built a frame, using good sized posts. I infilled it with the door and windows and then used bits of timber to fill in the gaps in between. I topped it with the roof, which is sloping so that water can run off [into an old water tank]. I used old scaffolding boards and old shelving units to make shelves and cut down an old rotted wooden potting bench to make a work area. I made a simple latch for the door with a piece of wood on a screw, which swings around to close or open.”
Tips for making your own greenhouse
Tips from Christian:
1) Make the floor solid – I used old paving slabs, with gravel in between.
2) If you can, build up against an existing wall or a fence - this makes it a lot easier as there are fewer walls to build.
3) Painting all of the timber black is a good way of bringing it all together.
4) Always have the door opening outwards to give you more space inside – I made originally had the door going inwards, but soon realised that was a mistake.”
Christian would be the first to admit that if you’re after an all-singing, all-dancing greenhouse that is draught- and leak-proof, this is not the type of structure for you. In very wet weather it definitely leaks and the gap between the door and the frame means that it’s always a tad draughty (although this is advantageous in hot weather). The one thing I really would have liked is windows that open – on a hot day it can get boiling in there, and although I can always open the door it would be nice to have a through draft and to be able to let stray insects out more easily. It’s also tiny – just 1m x 2m – but it fitted the space we had available.
I feel like I enter another world when I go into it, and I feel instantly relaxed in there
All that said, I absolutely love my little greenhouse – I feel like I enter another world when I go into it, and I feel instantly relaxed in there. I would not use the space for growing anything too delicate, but it’s perfect for sowing hardy annuals and growing outdoor varieties of tomatoes and cucumbers, and for overwintering dahlia tubers, tender herbs and pelargoniums.
Christian has subsequently made another structure, this time using a discarded door we asked the owner about on a walk, some stained glass windows from his Grandma’s old house and more windows from somewhere or other (once people know that you're in the market for materials, they seem to materialise quite easily). It didn't have enough glazing to make it good for growing and is in a slightly more shady area, but makes a nice place to sit in the summer if the weather is bad, and in the winter we use it for storage. “Home-made buildings take time, but I like making things and find it relaxing," says Christian. "It’s a great way of using up materials - plus it meant we didn’t spend any money.”