Thinking about adding a hobby greenhouse?

 
My decision to build an attached solarium on the back of my house came after months of research. The choices are endless. The first thing you have to do in such an endeavor is determine your needs. What will this added room be used for? If you want this room to have electrical outlets, be carpeted, heated and be used year around you are most likely looking at a sunroom or patio enclosure. However if you are looking at only growing plants with a controlled temperature, then a greenhouse will most likely fit your needs. There are a number of installers locally that can help you with the design and the installation of sunrooms, patio enclosures, solariums and hobby greenhouses. You will first have to decide where you want a contractor to construct this attached room or install it yourself. I decide to order a hobby greenhouse and construct it myself. I was looking for an unheated three season room that looked and functioned like a greenhouse but would also serve as a sitting or reading room. A wicker table and a couple of wicker chairs would add to a relaxing setting. I took into consideration how much direct daily sunlight this room would get and what direction the attached hobby greenhouse faced. With an easterly exposure and location in a shaded area I felt any heat build up would be released through the ridge vent that came with the unit. If you are thinking of installing a sunroom with a direct southerly exposure or with continual sun exposure and no shade trees then it would be advisable to use low-E double pane thermo glass with a tint. Preferable a bronze tint. Without the proper thermo glass it will get quite warm. Local installers can help you with this choice. However this design is not the most ideal if you’re thinking of growing plants. Greenhouses do better with clear glass.
As part of my research, I first checked out local manufacturers and then checked on manufacture’s listed on the Internet. I didn’t go the route of looking at local patio room installers and then using the products they install. I wanted a hobby greenhouse that had clear single glazed glass. On the Internet I found a greenhouse manufacturer called National Greenhouse company, a division of Nexus Corporation. The units they carry come in specific sizes and are shipped totally unassembled. The aluminum framing and the glass was packaged separately. The doors and windows were packaged ready for installation. Working with Brian Wolosych, a company representative out of Oxford, I was able to chose the right sizes and styles to meet my needs. I chose a 110 square foot straight eve lean-to-model that attaches directly to the house. It came with a greenhouse storm door, awning windows and ridge vent. I chose white aluminum framing. Shipped by truck to my house, I come to realize that it took more than one person to unload the glass and materials and construct the framing. However I was able to install all the glass, the windows and door myself. Before installing any structure, especially if it attaches to the house, you will have to apply for a building permit through your local municipality’s building department. They most likely will require that the unit be installed on a foundation with footing that meets local frost laws. Between myself and my nephew, Justin, we dug the floor area and the 12 inch wide by 42 inch deep footings needed for a concrete pour. I used a product called Brussels Dimensional Stone made by Unilock as my 28 inch knee wall. The greenhouse was then assembled on top of this knee wall and attached to the house. I had a contractor remove a double hung window and had French doors installed to enter the greenhouse from inside the house. A snow load of at least 30 to 35 pound per square foot is a requirement by most communities in our part of the country and a wind load of at least 70 to 80 miles per hour. Your local building department will most likely specify a total wind load based on the room location. If the room has a direct southwest storm exposure they may require a wind load of up to 90 miles per hour. This is very important and should be checked out before you order any do-it-yourself patio room. You can also have the choice of tempered glass or polycarbinate panels. Polycarbinate (also called Lexan) panels are very durable, however can scratch and are not allow by some communities as a roof panel because they don’t meet the roof snow load requirements. The building department will require a minimum of 1/8 inch tempered glass. It was very important for me to make sure that my knee wall was level and exactly 28 inches high. If I was off by more than a quarter of an inch the framing would not be square and not allow for the glass panels to fit. The ridge vent comes with a thermostat control devise that allows for it to open automatically when the room gets too warm.
At any of the area home and garden shows you will find a number of companies that sell and install patio enclosures, greenhouses, sunrooms and solariums. They usually charge anywhere from 100 to 120 dollars per square foot. This includes all materials and labor. Some of these companies also sell just the structure for you to assemble.