Increasingly popular among summer residents and avid gardeners, the foundation for greenhouses of this type can be made independently, and the choice of material and method is quite wide.
In this article, we will consider in more detail whether a foundation is needed for a polycarbonate greenhouse, what is the best way to make it, given the functions of the greenhouse.
Concrete block base
Using a steel floor is a much more resilient foundation. The steel foundation is best alternative in terms of cost effectiveness, and also provides firm soil anchoring and stability in addition to its durability. For winter greenhouse metal floor is less suitable. The metal quickly dissipates heat from inside the greenhouse to the outside. This makes it difficult to maintain the temperature inside the greenhouse, and the energy consumption is much higher.
How to make a frame from a wooden beam?
A concrete base is by far the option that entails the most stress. However, it is the most sustainable and long lasting solution when you build your greenhouse. The concrete base is particularly suitable for winter greenhouses, as it can withstand various temperature effects well. Heat is optimally stored in cold weather, while concrete protects against high temperatures in summer.
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Some inexperienced gardeners believe that a country greenhouse can be installed using the pins included in the kit or simply placed on the ground. However, this is not entirely true. 
Glass or polycarbonate sheets?
If you want to build a greenhouse with glass on the outside, you also need to plan for shading. Glass leaves a lot of light in your greenhouse, plus you can always have a look at your plants, which improves your garden. Without sun protection, the strong midday sun can damage your plant and burn it properly. Glass panels are significantly more expensive construction material, which is also still sensitive.
Such a decision often leads to unpleasant consequences. can blow away any gust of wind, and it will begin to randomly move around the site.
But, even if the structure remains in place, it may warp due to the softness of the soil.
Slots are formed under the base, which will let in the cold and various living creatures crawling and running around the site, which means that the plants in the greenhouse will suffer.
Polycarbonate or double ribbed plates are largely more resistant and more favorable in this regard. Double grommets have hollow chambers that are ideal thermal insulation, and this insulation is almost as effective as double-glazed windows. In addition, you are more durable and can easily insert smaller impacts. Unfortunately, this insulation provides increased humidity, so you have to make sure that the greenhouse is built to match.
Warm up your winter greenhouse
The winter greenhouse has a purpose and purpose so that you can grow and harvest your herbs and vegetables all year round. Since sunlight is not always sufficient to keep the temperature in the greenhouse at the desired level during the cold season, you must plan for the heating option before building your greenhouse. There are currently three general methods for heating a greenhouse.
Thus, foundation performs the following functions:
- Fixes the frame of the greenhouse.
- Protects the interior from the cold and uninvited guests.
- Isolates walls from contact with soil.
The choice of foundation, and this is the base for a polycarbonate greenhouse, primarily depends on how stationary you plan to make the structure. If you plan to move around the site every season, the foundation should also be lighter and more mobile. In some cases, there may also be a greenhouse without a foundation.
Electric heating of greenhouses
With an electric greenhouse, you have optimal heating options. It is important that you plan for a suitable food source before you build your greenhouse. The electric greenhouse heating system can be optimally adjusted to the desired temperature and also does not emit exhaust gases and does not consume any oxygen. Thus, none of the contaminants produced by heating can be taken up by your plants. The only downside is that an electric greenhouse heating system provides more high costs for electricity.
For a greenhouse that will be operated in one place all the time, it is more expedient to make a more solid foundation.
And now let's look at how to make a foundation for a greenhouse with your own hands from polycarbonate, how to choose the right material, which one is better.
Wood
The cheapest and easiest option. For the manufacture you need a wooden beam.
The disadvantage of the option is its fragility, since the tree can quickly rot under the influence of moisture.
Area for the installation of a greenhouse
If you don't want to dispose of electrical cables, you can also adjust the temperature using a gas heater. This usually works through a propane bottle and is suitable for greenhouses up to 30m². Heating with a gas heater is extremely energy efficient, as approximately 99 percent of the energy consumed is actually converted into heat. However, it is necessary to regularly check the gas heating and check the filling level of the gas bottle. In addition, there is sufficient ventilation to ensure that there is no oxygen supply in your greenhouse.
For the manufacture of the foundation, a wooden beam with a cross section of 10 cm or more is purchased. After marking the site with a cord, a trench is dug. The beam is laid in the soil at half the height.
To protect against moisture, the tree is wrapped with roofing felt or other insulating material. You can also coat it with a special protective mastic. For greater stability, the bottom of the trench can be covered with fine gravel.
Heating oil or paraffin
Gas heating costs are within the scope so you should consider this as an alternative when you are building your greenhouse. A third common option is heating with an oil or wax heater. Similar to gas heating, heat is generated by burning fossil fuels. Due to the lower heat output, you should only use this option if you are building a smaller greenhouse. Advantages are the relatively low cost of the significantly longer burn time of oil or paraffin.
This will also help additional waterproofing of the material. After laying the bars are interconnected with brackets.
Blocky
For its manufacture, according to the applied markings, they dig a trench about 25 cm wide. The depth is determined by the level of soil freezing characteristic of a particular area. The bottom of the trenches is 10 centimeters covered with gravel or crushed stone. Cement mortar is poured on top of the gravel. 
When the tank is full, the heater works up to five days without a new filling. Also in this case, you should pay attention to ventilation when you build your beautiful greenhouse. Another disadvantage is the formation of soot, which can occur when burning oil and paraffin, when the combustion chamber is incorrectly adjusted and defective.
Of course, you need a lot of material if you want to build a greenhouse. The main source of reference is the construction market. As a rule, all the parts you need are available when you create your own greenhouse. After careful planning before construction begins, you have a detailed list of materials before the first innovation. They can be collected and delivered to most hardware stores.
A layer of blocks is laid around the entire perimeter, starting from the corners. The solution is poured into the voids, and the voids along the edges are filled with soil. The top of the blocks is leveled with a cement mixture.
This view should be flush with the soil. A layer of red brick is laid on it, about five rows high, fastening everything with a cement mixture. The seams between the bricks are carefully sealed.
Pillar foundation and its variants
As a rule, the construction market also performs the necessary cutting of individual components. Only if you decide to use glass panels, you should order them to order your glassware before you build your greenhouse. Of course, other material sources are available, and many suppliers have the ability to order your parts online and ship them to you. And even if you don't want to plan and measure a complete structure, you don't have to do without your greenhouse. There are various prefabricated building kits online and from the respective dealers that you only need to assemble after delivery.
Brick-concrete
The trench in this case digs a smaller depth, about 10-15 centimeters. But if you plan to grow in a greenhouse, such a base will not work. Frost may well get inside the structure and destroy the plants. brick foundation suitable for greenhouses in which plants are grown in spring-autumn season.
What should you consider when building a greenhouse!
The easiest way to build your greenhouse is to build one. As a rule, prefabricated assembly suppliers also offer on-site assembly for an additional fee. So you can sit back and watch the pros grow your greenhouse. In general, you can build a greenhouse without official approval. However, in some municipalities there are exceptions for the size of the greenhouse. For this reason, you should always contact the responsible building authorities in advance.
Phased assembly of the frame
If you build a greenhouse, it is always a lot of work and material costs, and besides, the greenhouse is very sensitive to the weather. Therefore, it makes sense to protect your investment accordingly. Most property owners with a residential building have it insured against damage. However, the insurance policy should be reviewed, most insurance companies exclude greenhouses.
The width of the trench for the brick base should be 20-25 cm. The earth, to protect it from destruction, is reinforced with formwork made of boards. It is poured into the formwork concrete mix level with the soil. The concrete is leveled and anchor bolts are inserted into it for the future fastening of the greenhouse frame.
A week after pouring, when the concrete hardens, a row of red bricks is laid on the concrete. The masonry must be done in such a way that there are no empty spaces between the rows, and the bolts are located in the seams between the bricks.
Six Mistakes You Should Avoid When Building Your Greenhouse!
Here you should always have a second or third person to look at the plans to eliminate errors. Find out which foundation is best for your floor and what type of construction you prefer. However, you should keep in mind that there is a reason why some materials are much cheaper than others. If you want to build a solid greenhouse, you don't have to be too economical on material. Construction also means cultivation. If you are building a greenhouse, this is of course also after some care has been completed. Therefore, you must check all parts regularly and replace damaged parts immediately to keep your greenhouse beautiful to look like years from now. Color and glaze. Whether you choose wood or metal for the frame, you must provide all parts with a protective coating before you build your greenhouse. Even later, you should regularly re-coat all weather-sensitive parts to prevent corrosion and weathering. Malfunctions in ventilation. Good ventilation is extremely important for your greenhouse. Poor ventilation can lead to excessive humidity, too much ventilation will cool your greenhouse too quickly. Wrong position. If the location where you have chosen the wrong greenhouse, the sunlight cannot be optimally used. Therefore, you should observe the time when you have the ideal lighting conditions for your property.
- Material quality.
- Of course, everyone wants to keep costs as low as possible.
This special kind grounds for small greenhouses exclusively for spring and summer use. At the same time, it is the easiest and fastest to build, as well as the cheapest option.
Careful planning of work processes, texture of material and purchases, as well as the place where you want to build your greenhouse is extremely important. Therefore, you should never be too proud to ask a qualified person for advice if something is not clear. A planning error can subsequently increase costs significantly or, in the worst case, render the greenhouse unusable. The old adage "He who builds cheap, builds twice" also applies here.
Design features and materials
Take your time, don't skimp on material, and use whatever help is offered to you. Then you will have joy for a long time in your greenhouse and its yield. Choosing the right greenhouse roof is very important when you want to enjoy a new hobby for a long time. If you buy a ready-to-use greenhouse kit, the right cover will be included directly from the manufacturer. If you want to build a greenhouse yourself, you must make the right choice of suitable materials.
For installation, support posts made of timber, concrete blocks or ordinary stumps are used. Their height is 50 cm, the number is determined by the size of the greenhouse. The step between the columns should be a meter.
According to the markup, in accordance with the dimensions, columns are installed, starting from the corners. Embedding is carried out flush with the soil. A building corner is laid on the dug posts for attaching the frame of the greenhouse.
Glass used to be the first choice for greenhouse roofing due to the lack of alternative materials. Glass is still used today, but is now an exception or only used in very complex building projects. The reason for this is that, on the one hand, glass is expensive compared to so-called double-bridge plates and, on the other hand, is heavier.
Due to the heavy weight of glass, special requirements must be placed on greenhouse statics, and modern plastics also have great advantages over other safety aspects such as tear strength and stability. Comparing glass and plastic in relation to weight per square meter with similar insulation values, quickly gets to a factor 5 weight difference in favor of plastic.
Concrete
This type of greenhouse base is alternative to block. For its manufacture, a ready-made or self-prepared concrete mixture is used, consisting of cement, sand and crushed stone (1: 3: 5).
Filling begins with the preparation of wooden formwork. Shields are installed along the perimeter of the marking in a dug trench. The bottom of the trench is covered with a layer of sand, and formwork is installed on it. 40 cm high. The boards are deepened to a height of 20 cm.
The concrete mixture is poured layer by layer into the finished formwork evenly around the entire perimeter. Each layer is carefully compacted. For a fortress, metal reinforcement is laid in concrete. The above-ground part can be finished with a layer of bricks in several rows.
After complete hardening, after about 7-10 days, the formwork is removed. Such a basis is the strongest and most durable. In addition, it is the most reliable protection of the internal space of the greenhouse from rodents and cold. on the foundation is usually arranged on this material.
Photo
IMPORTANT: Before installing the greenhouse on a concrete foundation, let it stand for at least two weeks after the formwork has been removed to avoid destruction of its individual parts.
Stone
The stone has always been the most reliable material for construction. For its manufacture, it is necessary to have certain masonry skills, so it is better to entrust its manufacture to an experienced bricklayer. 
The material for manufacturing can be any stone mined in your area. For masonry, a stone is selected that meets the following parameters:
- Size up to 50 cm;
- No cracks or other defects;
- Configuration for ease of installation.
Stones are laid on a low pillow of sand. The dry, largest, flat stones are placed first.
The rest of the stones are wetted and cleaned of dirt before laying. Seams during laying should not exceed 1.5 cm. Also, stones should not be allowed to come into contact without mortar between them.
If the structure of the stones does not allow them to be laid close, then the voids are filled with rubble. Tampering during laying is carried out with a hammer, in order to avoid subsequent destruction of the structure.
Monolithic concrete slab
Is the most reliable and durable. This type is simply necessary in areas with unstable soil.
To fill the slab, a gravel embankment is first prepared or a foundation pit is dug with a gravel pillow. Further technology coincides with the pouring of a strip concrete foundation, only the formwork is created in the form of a box equal to the area of \u200b\u200bthe greenhouse. Concrete is poured into this box in layers.
IMPORTANT: When laying, it is important to provide technical drainage holes for draining water.
The manufacturing technology of a monolithic concrete foundation has its own technical features, so it is better to entrust its construction to specialists.
Screw piles are steel pipes 1.2 meters high, equipped with curved blades for immersing them in the ground. Deepening is carried out using special mechanisms or manually.
This does not require preliminary drilling of wells, since the structure of the piles involves their self-screwing into the ground.
The process of installing a greenhouse on such a basis is carried out within a few hours.
The pile foundation is particularly durable and able to withstand the load five to two hundred tons. At the same time, screw piles can be installed in any soil.
The cost of piles compared to a strip or wooden foundation is 30% lower. In addition, such a foundation, if necessary, can be moved to another location. For the installation of the greenhouse, only 6-8 piles are needed.
The advantage of the installation is that there is no need preparatory work on the ground. Preparation consists in leveling the site, on which the piles are then mounted. For fixing the base of the greenhouse at the piles, manufacturers provide special heads.
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To put a greenhouse for year-round use, it is important to establish a foundation. There are several types of foundations. But before installing them, it is necessary to perform a number of preparatory work, which are the same for all types. It is also necessary to sensibly evaluate your own capabilities, because the installation of the foundation requires a lot of time and effort.
The need for the right foundation for a polycarbonate greenhouse
Many gardeners are interested in whether a foundation is needed under. There is no need for a foundation for a temporary structure. But if a long-term operation of the greenhouse is planned, then it is worth building the right foundation.
Benefits of using a foundation:
- The design becomes more durable and reliable. The greenhouse is affected by wind, weather precipitation and other unfavourable conditions. If you do not take care of the foundation, then the greenhouse can move.
- With the right choice of the type of base, it becomes possible to protect seedlings from pests and weeds.
- The necessary thermal insulation is created for growing crops in winter.
Thanks to the foundation, the greenhouse becomes stronger and more reliable. It is able to withstand heavy loads and provide comfortable growing plants. Be sure to install the base in winter greenhouses.
In order to properly equip the foundation, it is necessary to choose the optimal type of foundation. Each of them has its own characteristics, positive and negative points.
At the same time, for the seasonal construction of the foundation is not necessary. This is just a waste of money, effort and time. Summer residents often build a small greenhouse only in the spring to breed seedlings, after which they dispose of it. But for long-term use of the greenhouse, a reliable foundation is required.
Types of foundation for a polycarbonate greenhouse
First you need to identify the purpose of building the foundation. Only then can you choose right foundation. It is necessary to take into account the term of operation of the greenhouse. For year-round use, you need a strong foundation. Sometimes only a protective barrier against insects and weeds is erected.
Foundation types:
- Tape made of concrete;
- Pillars;
- piles;
- Monolithic slab.
Each type has its own uses. The concrete foundation is the most popular among summer residents. Pillars and piles are a more economical type of foundation. A monolithic slab provides the most reliable foundation.
When choosing the optimal type of foundation, you need to take into account the type of soil, terrain, greenhouse area, climatic conditions and the period of construction.
Many species may require prior leveling of the soil. Especially it concerns monolithic slab. It is necessary to install such a foundation on the most even surface so that the greenhouse does not squint during operation.
Features: how to put a polycarbonate greenhouse without a foundation
If the greenhouse is installed only during the warm period, then the foundation is not needed and you can save on materials and time. But such an installation has its own characteristics. First you need to choose the right place to install the greenhouse.
It is necessary to study the soil and choose a well-lit area. If the soil is sandy, then this is a good basis for planting vegetables. If the earth is made of clay, then the top layer will need to be replaced. The place itself should be well lit. There is no need to build a greenhouse next to buildings that will shadow the greenhouse. If the soil is wet, you will have to equip the drainage system.
