PVC Greenhouse: So you are thinking about an all PVC Greenhouse

I'm glad you are thinking about building your very own PVC Greenhouse. I found the project very satisfying and looked forward to all the time I could spend constructing it.

First, be sure that this is the right type of greenhouse for you. The choice to go all PVC should be made for the right reasons. There are some beautiful, professionally produced, greenhouses made of wood, metal, and (plexi-) glass that are very functional and could really be a show piece on the right property. A wood/PVC combo construction seems like another great DIY project.

I consider some of the main reasons to go all PVC as:
1) Price: PVC pipe and fittings are quite inexpensive ($0.17 a foot for the pipe). My total cost is about $150.
2) Light Weight: I built mine on a roof deck. The roof could support a greenhouse 50 times the weight of the PVC version but who wants to carry all that up the stairs.
3) Seasonal: The PVC greenhouse is made to be taken down in the spring. It breaks down to a medium size set of its main component parts. Everything should be long and thin and pretty easy to stash away.
4) Space: I am city dweller and, as such, I don't have a garage or easy access to a basement. I cannot overwinter my plants and shrubs indoors. At the same time, I have very limited outdoor space for a greenhouse in the winter and even less in the summer when I want to use my deck
for gardening and pleasure.

Full disclosure: This greenhouse has not been put to use for a single winter yet. There will be many challenges and the real success will be in the spring when (if all goes well) my plants and shrubs emerge from their winter slumber and thrive once again in the warmer weather.

Tags: greenhouse, pvc, roof deck