The Making of a Colorado Greenhouse

[Pilot]

I live just outside of Denver, Colorado. I also live above 6500 feet MSL. Our Summers can be hot, our Winters brutally cold, and the wind, well, that's omnipresent.

I am an avid gardener. I grew up in the soil of a farm and love everything about my plants.

Though my house has a solarium, I want a greenhouse.

So I went in search of material to make it. But to be honest, I don't even know where to start. So I'm all ears. I want to hear from people who have experience building and using a greenhouse in my type of environment.

What I can tell you is I have 18x16.5 inch flint glass I can use for the house. I likely have enough for a small to moderately sized house and have it double walled. I have other materials I plan to re use as well, such as sliding insulated glass doors and so on.

So I'm appealing to the forum now for you guys to help me decide how to go with this house.

I think the first thing is to decide how big to go. I'm thinking eight feet wide, seven tall and ten feet long.

The next question is what kind of floor?

Illl try to do up some plans based on some general ideas but I'm letting the forum decide the direction of this house!

So let's have it, peeps! Let the suggesting begin.

[Ray]

The bigger, and more uniformly-dimensioned it is, the easier it will be to control the temperature (it's a surface area-to-volume thing).

I recommend that you not use glass. It has almost no insulating properties, and you're going to want that come winter. 16mm multiwall polycarbonate is much better, and far more difficult to break, as well.

Double glass walls will be better than single, but still breakable.

Floor is, to some degree, a matter of convenience and choice. Some like bricks or concrete pavers (not mortrred together - you will need drainage); I went with gravel.

[fishmommy]

I have read that in cold climates a pit style greenhouse will help with winter heating bills

[dounoharm]

i would suggest more height if possible, to let the heat excape in summer, you want some vents at the top....remember, bigger is better as far as the machinery keeping it warm and cool....up there it will get v ery very hot....very very quickly....