Polycarbonate greenhouse: design, construction and installation with your own hands (120 photos)

No country house can do without such a structure as a greenhouse. Agriculture is now becoming very popular very quickly. And therefore, your harvest will directly depend on how well and efficiently the greenhouse is built on your site.

Now they offer a large number of varieties of ready-made greenhouses, but we will consider how to assemble it with our own hands.

Summary of the article:

To date, the most relevant material for a greenhouse in a suburban area is polycarbonate.

Advantages of using polycarbonate

Unlike glass greenhouses, polycarbonate has more advantages, such as:

Compared to glass, polycarbonate is an order of magnitude stronger. For example, from snow in winter, glass can crack, or even break at all, polycarbonate is more resistant to bad weather.

It passes less ultraviolet rays, which means that the plants that you grow in a polycarbonate greenhouse will be burned less than in a classic glass one.

Excellent thermal insulation, in comparison, again with glass, keeps the heat better, since the polycarbonate material is double–layered.

It withstands temperature changes and maximum heights well. The glass may crack.

When warming up, it is a flexible material, due to which it is quite easy to work with, it drills well. Polycarbonate is produced in separate sheets of standard sizes, due to which you can cover the greenhouse with 3-4 sheets.

Compared to a glass greenhouse, polycarbonate diffuses the sun's rays, thereby your plants will not get burned.

Well, the last, important plus is the price. A polycarbonate greenhouse will cost much cheaper than glass.

Disadvantages of polycarbonate

But when choosing polycarbonate, do not forget about the disadvantages of this material:

Polycarbonate is not durable. Constant exposure to sunlight makes the greenhouse more fragile.

There are a lot of fakes, if you are unlucky and you have not purchased high-quality polycarbonate, then you may be in big trouble due to its insufficient strength. The weight of a standard polycarbonate sheet of good quality will be 10 kg, if your sheet weighs less, it may be a fake.

There may be problems with additional heating of the greenhouse. Avid summer residents, in order to prolong the harvest year, install additional heating in them.

The Foundation for greenhouse

The polycarbonate greenhouse should be installed on a rigid base. So, what can be the foundation for a polycarbonate greenhouse:

Timber, it is worth noting that it is not advisable to lay it on the ground, it will not last long. Such a foundation can be fixed on piles or on brick foundations.

The brick is laid on a ribbon cement base. Such a foundation is durable, but again, if it is laid out correctly.

Polycarbonate greenhouse frame

High-quality polycarbonate is not the key to success. Its frame also plays an important role in the greenhouse. Accordingly, the stronger it is, the longer it will last. From what to choose the right frame?

Plastic frame. Not a high price, the material does not rot, and there is no need for additional processing – these are the advantages of plastic material. Cons – weak snow load, often there is not a complete set. Having a plastic frame at the polycarbonate structure is the lightness of the structure, it will need to be quite firmly attached to the base.

Wooden frame. It has such advantages as the ease of fastening of the lining material, it warms up perfectly in the sun and keeps warm for a long time. Minus — a long assembly process. And requires additional processing to avoid rotting.

Aluminum frame. This material is resistant to humidity, does not rust, is easy, if you need to move to another place, there will be no problems. Perhaps the best greenhouses on an aluminum frame. But there are also a number of disadvantages – it is subject to theft, so that you can stay without a greenhouse, high price and fast heat transfer.

Metal frame. It is built from various types of metal profile, a fairly strong frame, but it is worth considering the option of galvanized arches.

Greenhouse installation

And so, you have purchased all the necessary material, now the question arises, how to make a greenhouse? Where to start?

We make a foundation, the foundation of any structure is the foundation, and for a stationary greenhouse, this is one of the main components. If you have used cement, then you need to give it time to harden.

With an ordinary construction knife, we cut polycarbonate sheets. It is worth considering that the structure would not be deformed, the sheets must be fixed at least after 1- 1.2 meters.

We assemble the frame and attach it to the base – the foundation.

We sheathe the frame of the future greenhouse with polycarbonate sheets. The sheets must be fixed in a 6 – 10 cm lash or in a joint using a special profile. In order for the structure to be more durable and durable, the joints must be made on load-bearing bases.

If you can't come to your dacha often enough for timely watering, then you need to provide an option for automatic watering. And it is also necessary to automatically open and close the vents to maintain the necessary climate.

Buying a polycarbonate greenhouse

If you still chose to buy a greenhouse, then after reviewing a large number of photos of polycarbonate greenhouses, and choosing one, use some tips before buying:

Carefully study the manufacturer, even in such a product as greenhouses, fakes are often found. It is better to buy not through an intermediary, but directly from the manufacturer.

If you are buying a greenhouse through an online store, then specify all the characteristics so that the design does not come fragile enough and you do not suffer big losses later. When receiving the greenhouse, check the stamp of the packer, with the date and number of the shift.

Please note, you are buying a completed structure, you should not finish it, if suddenly you did not have enough holes or fasteners during assembly, keep in mind. You have purchased a fake. If you have already drilled or fixed something in it, your chances of returning the goods are minimal.

Take into account the climate in which you live, how much the frame and the coating itself will be loaded. If there is not a lot of snow in your climate, then you can buy a greenhouse more economical, in which the thickness of the carbonate will be less standard.

Check the polycarbonate itself, if the ribs are pushed through, then the product is of inadequate quality.

Please note that managers can take an economy greenhouse as a basic design, which means that the thickness of the polycarbonate will be thin and the frame is not strong enough. Before buying, specify the thickness of the coating and the material of the frame and, of course, the total amount.

Please note, when buying a stationary greenhouse with an economical polycarbonate thickness, you will have to change the coating after 9 years.

Choosing a polycarbonate greenhouse is not an easy task, as it seemed at the very beginning. As well as building a greenhouse with your own hands, you need to carefully study the purchased material.

The best greenhouse for year-round use will suit you a structure with a frame of polypropylene pipes reinforced with timber. Building with your own hands is not expensive, but the result will bring you great pleasure!