At some point, the idea comes up: a small backyard greenhouse. A place to grow flowers or herbs, try out a hobby, or just spend time outside without fully being outside.
You’re open to it. Maybe even excited. But once you start actually looking — the kits at Costco, the glossy photos online — the excitement is quickly followed by a different feeling. It’s not really about the cost anymore. It’s about the build.
What if it takes far longer than expected?
What if parts are missing or the instructions don’t make sense?
What if you put it together “well enough,” only to watch it fail after a season or two?
Those are all valid concerns. No one wants to take on another project that stalls halfway through or becomes a source of stress instead of enjoyment. And no one wants to invest time and effort into something that doesn’t last.
That’s why we put this article together — to help homeowners and DIY-minded builders understand what goes into assembling a hobby greenhouse, avoid common pitfalls, and feel confident starting and finishing the project.
What is a Hobby House?
For the sake of this article, we are going to refer to a hobby greenhouse as a smaller sized kit that comes from a big box store, online store, or anything of the like. They are typically smaller than 10’x10’ and have a max price of about $9,000.
Just like all greenhouses, there are levels to these kits. The cheaper ones (less than $2,000) are lower quality materials and smaller sizes. The middle range ones ($2,000 – $5,000) are bigger and a little stronger, with a trade off between being an effective greenhouse, or a pretty backyard piece.
The high range ($5,000+) is going to be the strongest option with higher grade materials from an established manufacturer.
All of these options will be more user friendly and relatively easy to build.
Building these structures
What does “relatively easy” mean? It means that most of these products have paper instructions that can be hit or miss. The pictures are unclear, or the materials and hardware are mislabeled or misleading.
This is where having experience with construction helps, or even just experience with putting furniture together.
Another thing to consider is that the bigger price tag can sometimes mean better, more in-depth instructions.
Regardless, if you can buy the kit from a store or online, you can probably build it yourself. Sometimes that makes it more fun and meaningful for you and your family.
However, there are some things to pay close attention to.
Where DIY Can Go Wrong
Greenhouses are exposed structures. They sit outside through sunshine and storms. They have clear glazing to let the sun through. They are also, or at least should be, prepared for that life.
They fail when steps are missed or skipped and when things are installed incorrectly. Here is a short list of important things to remember when building your greenhouse yourself:
- Square the structure before anchoring it. Anchoring can be bolting it to concrete, wood, or pounding stakes into the ground. If the structure isn’t square, it will be out of line and may cause gaps that are hard to fill or pieces to fall out of line.
- Install Polycarbonate glazing with the UV side out. Sometimes manufacturers send materials that have been treated to resist UV rays on both sides. Most times, only one side is treated. The untreated side fails much faster, drastically lowering the lifetime of your greenhouse.
- Pay attention to sealing instructions. Sealing your greenhouse properly will ensure that the rain and snow stay out, and the climate you desire stays in.
We’ve seen these mistakes on greenhouses big and small. The good news is that polycarbonate can be replaced and sealing with silicone can be redone, but anchoring incorrectly is harder and more expensive to fix.
Projects like this go best when they are done right the first time, so they don’t turn into lifetime projects.
When to Hire a Builder
There are a few reasons to hire a builder for your hobby greenhouse. The reasons that make the most sense are if you are:
- Buying a higher end kit with complicated systems
- Want a foundation installed
- Are unsure about the kit instructions/installation process
- Have little to no construction experience.
The main reason to not hire a builder is if the build price would be higher than the kit price. We understand that sometimes it is not cost effective to pay double, if not more, than what you bought the product for.
Budget friendly kits are usually budget friendly builds, and these typically don’t need professional handiwork.
That being said, if reading this makes you feel that you would be in over your head trying to build yourself, that is a good sign to hire a builder. That way you can get an expert handling the troublesome tasks, potentially have the project done sooner, and get a warranty on any mistakes that were made.
Conclusion
Hobby Greenhouses are meant to be used and enjoyed. If you are someone who enjoys tackling projects on your own, DIY is probably the move for you. If you would rather focus on what you are going to use the space for than building it, hiring an expert is the way to go.
At Monarch Greenhouse Solutions, one of our goals is to bring freedom and food production closer to home. We do that by building greenhouses, repairing them, or supporting growers of all capacities. We are happy to add the expert touch if you would like it, and just as happy to see you take on a hobby build of your own!
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