I’ve always loved the idea of a beautiful greenhouse. Back in 2016 when we first laid out our initial garden plan, we included the chicken coop, the shed and a greenhouse. At the time, we thought we would build the greenhouse ourselves out of old windows and attach it to the shed. Thus, we left lots of room on the side of the shed for both the greenhouse and the coop. The coop got built right away but the greenhouse was deemed a luxury and put on the back burner. Fast forward 7 years and we also shelved the idea of building it ourselves. I’ve seen it done successfully on pinterest and instagram many times but we decided that ultimately it wasn’t for us.

I knew I wanted a glass house, for it to be the color green, and that I wanted it to look like a classic greenhouse. During our research, we realized that the element that would add significant cost to our greenhouse would be the traditional stone wall that they sit upon. These require significant footings, masonry and materials that don’t come inexpensively. However, I really didn’t want glass all the way to the ground. Therefore, I was thrilled to find the Parkside model by BC Greenhouses. It has an aluminum skirt at the bottom that looks nice without breaking the bank.

We bought the greenhouse as a kit so we (and by we I mean Bryce and my father-in-law, Al) had to put it together. It came in a large truck in several boxes! However, before the greenhouse could be put together, the area had to be prepped. Bryce started by carefully taking up the sod and putting it to use in other places around the farm.

Once that was done, the job of digging and pouring piers and laying the foundation was next. Harris was recruited for pounding away at our shaley soil for the piers.

Once the concrete had set, it was time to get building! Al flew in for a few weeks to help build it and he was a Godsend. He and Bryce work really well together so it was mostly smooth sailing. We did do a time lapse of the whole process but no one has had the time to put it all together!

After the structure was built, Bryce had to tackle the floor. Unsurprisingly, the ground was not level so there was a gap to fill. He played with all sorts of ideas but ultimately ended up using old bricks that we had lying around! Once the gaps were sealed we put gravel down and bluestone pavers left over from an old patio.

Al made workbenches for one side of the greenhouse. I didn’t want more until I have a better idea of how I will use it. He made them out of cedar (good for a greenhouse environment) and even built in two soil compartments for me which will be handy to sweep soil into when potting up trays or pots!

We did hang up my old stained glass sign I found at a flea market. I love it so because it’s my favorite colors, pink and green, and I’ve always felt like the garden was a tonic for much of life’s struggles. I also hung my tole strawberry chandelier that I got for $5 at a garage sale. I can’t leave candles in it because they would melt but we did use it for Grace’s solstice dinner!

We are planning to install solar on the shed roof to power the vent and heat in the greenhouse; I’ll keep you updated on how that goes! I love it so far and it seems to fit just perfectly into the garden. It’s beautiful and useful, my favorite combination.