A variety of different greenhouse types are available to suit the individual requirements and individual budgets. No matter what size you need your new greenhouse to be there is no shortage of options available as they literally come in all sizes! It all depends on how much area you have to work with, though more space does give you more flexibility for obvious reasons.
A garden greenhouse can either be attached to the home via an adjoining to the outside wall of your house, or they can be located somewhere in the yard as a free-standing structure.
Greenhouses can be of several different types as determined by the roof line, the presence or absence of side walls, and finally the foundation. A bird’s eye view of these different types of greenhouses would help greatly in making the correct decision about what best fulfills your needs.
Greenhouses are categorized into three basic types: Attached, Ridge or furrow and Detached. In this article I will talk mainly about attached and ridge types.
Attached Greenhouses
The Lean-To:
If the area you have to work with is limited a lean-to house might just be your best bet. A lean-to’s ridge line is hooked up to the side of the house or even garage and usually has a doorway leading into the building. They also enjoy the benefit of being able to share things like electricity, plumbing and heating with the main home.
The overall height of the lean-to will be limited by the supporting wall it abuts. Also, the supporting wall may hinder sunlight. You must remain vigilant during the winter that snow and ice don’t slide of the main structure onto the lean-to as well, assuming the region of the country you reside in has these risks.
Accessibility, lower cost and easy heating are the main plus points of the lean-to greenhouse. This type usually is made with straight eaves or a rounded eave style on the ridge-line.
Ridge or Furrow Greenhouses:
These are connected by a shared gutter only at the lower edges or eaves of the roof. In order to increase efficiency and maintain continuity by increasing the area under the greenhouse canopy, the inner walls don’t need to be separated in this design. The roofs of these greenhouses can be either curved or gabled. You can always use polycarbonate or other poly sheeting materials when you want to use a curved arch design. The gabled roof generally uses heavier materials like glass or fiberglass.
Even-span Greenhouses
An equal-span greenhouse can be a distinctively wonderful style which can be set up in either a free standing or connected unit. When building the connected or attached variety you should make sure it has at least one of the gabled ends connected to the end of another structure. Generally speaking this kind of greenhouse is the easiest one to add extra length too later on if desired. If your strapped for cash in the beginning stages of your build this can be a great option.
A window mounted greenhouse is incredibly space saving and can still support several shelves inside for small scale plant production. An efficient even-span greenhouse would have dimensions of 6×12 ft. in length and width respectively.
Window Mounted Greenhouses:
These are the smallest of the greenhouse enclosures available and are a wonderful choice for hobbyists. they are window mounted and contain two or three shelves that can accommodate a few choice plants. They are fairly low priced to put together and are very easy to maintain.
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