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It all started with having a tree removed in the backyard. It was an old silver maple that had gotten too big for my small urban plot, so down it came. I had the tree company grind the stump, and I gardened in the wood mulch for a couple years.
I thought about building a chicken coop there (long story -- I still don't have chickens), but ended up building an 8x8 wooden deck. My son-in-law Daryl set and leveled the corner blocks for me, but I managed to build the whole wooden part myself. I love the challenge of a building adventure!
But I found that I didn't really use the deck as much as I had thought, so along came the idea for a greenhouse!
Although I love the look of a glass greenhouse, I didn't want to put out either the funds to have someone build one ($$$) or the frustration of dealing with a kit. So I watched a bunch of YouTube videos about all sorts of 'greenhouse' styles, from using recycled old windows to just making a hoop house with plastic sheets.
The only thing I really knew was (1) it had to fit on my 8'x8' deck, and (2) I wanted a 'real' door that closed well, not just one built from wood and plastic.
It helped that I had already wrangled with cattle panels in my garden, so I hit upon the idea of making a hybrid with cattle panels on top of some low wooden walls around the perimeter of the deck. The low walls added enough height that I could fit a full storm door! (That part was pretty exciting!) I sketched out a rough drawing and went to work!
I have never been the type to think I can't learn how to do something. I am mainly limited by physical strength, but if it can be learned or done, I can find a way to do it!
I won't kid you -- I made it up as I went, problem-solving along the way. I found out that I can neither measure nor cut a board accurately! It was frustrating, but I didn't let that stop me!
Supplies:
Lumber, pipe insulation* and various fasteners from local big-box store
16' cattle panels from Tractor Supply
6 mil plastic from Greenhouse Megastore. It has UV protection so the plastic will last 4+ years.
Total cost was about $700, but lumber prices were very high in 2021, and I already had the deck.
*The pipe insulation (black in the pictures) is for the curved edges of the cattle panels, so they don't poke through the plastic.
Here are some photos! In the front is the storm door, and on the back is a window and an automatic fan that kicks on when the temperature or humidity gets too high.
Adding the side wall to the deck to give it additional height.
The cattle panels arch over the walls, with ends built for the door and window/fan. The black on the edges is pipe insulation.
Side view with the plastic on.
Above the window is an automatic fan.
It has a window on the end for air circulation.
The black pipe insulation keeps the cattle panels from poking thru the plastic.
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