How to build a greenhouse made of polycarbonate with your own hands: highlights

Own greenhouse gives an opportunity to grow various tropical fruits and plants, as well as to eat fresh vegetables and herbs irrespective of the season of the year. In your garden you can build a greenhouse of any configuration. What will be built of this type of structure depends on the conditions and personal requests of the owner. However, recently synthetic materials appeared on the construction market, which have excellent technical characteristics and excellent quality. Among them we can mention polycarbonate sheet, which has light weight, high strength and considerable resistance to temperature changes and other loads. At the same time, knowing how to build a greenhouse of polycarbonate with your own hands, you can save a lot and get a beautiful structure.

Greenhouse design

As is known, greenhouse structures consist of two main parts - a frame base and a covering. As a coating material, in addition to the polycarbonate web, a special film and glass are used. The form of the greenhouse is set by the base, which is designed for various modifications - tent, arched, single-deck, gable and others.

At the same time, considering the question of how to build a greenhouse made of polycarbonate by one's own hands, it is necessary to take into account that the frame bases are also distinguished depending on the raw materials used:

• Wooden frame - this design works well, but requires additional care and treatment with a special compound to protect against spoilage by insects and moisture.
• Galvanized profile - an excellent material for the base, featuring light weight and fast installation. It also has a low cost.
• PVC structures - such frames are expensive, but their quality and service life justify the cost.

Installation work

Installation of the greenhouse consists of several stages:

1. Choose the place where the greenhouse will be located. It is better to build a greenhouse on a flat surface and not in the lowland, to avoid the accumulation of water.
2. The order of the location of the greenhouse. One of the important points in understanding how to build a greenhouse of polycarbonate with your own hands is knowledge of how to correctly arrange the structure. So, if you plan to use the room all year round, it is better to direct the longitudinal walls to the north and south, then the plants will receive more sunlight. It is also necessary to bring in advance to the construction of electricity.
3. Foundation. For a greenhouse, which will be constantly used, it is better to lay a concrete strip type base. At the bottom of the foundation ditch, first lay a layer of gravel, and then a grid to strengthen the rigidity. The lower level of the ditch should be located 0.8 m below the freezing point of the ground.
4. Mounting the base. This type of work will vary depending on the type of frame chosen. In the case of using a polycarbonate cover, the best option is a galvanized profile.
5. Carrying out the greenhouse coating.

Greenhouse coating with polycarbonate

To know how to build a greenhouse of polycarbonate with your own hands, the following information will be useful:

• When the temperature fluctuates, the polycarbonate has the property of expanding and contracting. To avoid deformation and destruction of the material, this must be taken into account during installation. For this, when fastening the sheets, the holes must be made in advance using an electric drill, so that the fastening elements pass freely. Also it is necessary to leave the space under the fasteners and lubricate the attachment point with a special lubricant, for example, lithol, to prevent sticking.
• Thinking about how to build a greenhouse made of polycarbonate, it is important to take into account that sheets of this material are fastened together by special profile elements. At the same time, to begin with, one half of the profile is fixed on the frame with the help of screws or bolts, and then, having laid the sheets, fix the second half with small efforts. Fastening occurs due to the built-in locks in these elements.
• Places of bonding with the substrate must be treated with sealant or sealed with adhesive tape.
• For any type of hotbed it is important to provide good ventilation. This can be achieved by designing windows or special holes in the structure.

To have a greenhouse is very convenient and profitable, and to build a greenhouse with your own hands is possible, knowing the basics of work and some important points. In this case, you can build a room that meets the conditions of the region of construction, and receive excellent harvests.