While you may already have a few ideas in mind about your greenhouse, now is the time to get into the planning phase. All the considerations need to be made to select your greenhouse, making sure you have zoning and building permits and sizing your greenhouse just right to fit your requirements.
HOW TO CHOOSE A GREENHOUSE
It can feel intimidating to choose a design to build on your own or to buy a greenhouse kit. You want to have a structure that is going to serve purpose and give you a lush garden, so these are the things you need to consider.
Your Yard Space
The space you have available is going to be one of the biggest factors in your choice. You may want a freestanding structure, but you simply don’t have the space, so you might be better off going with a lean-to or even a portable design. If you have the space for a freestanding greenhouse, then you need to think about how big your area is. What’s the layout and shape of your yard? Is it flat or hilly? This will give you an idea of how big your greenhouse will be and even its design (i.e., hilly areas do best with uneven-span greenhouses).
How Much Do You Want to Grow?
After knowing the size of the greenhouse you could work with, you should consider how much you want to grow. This should be thought of before choosing the plants themselves. Do you want a self-sustaining garden? Some people will install a greenhouse meant for that purpose, but they only grow a few plants, which means a lot of unused space.
What Plants Do You Want to Grow?
When you’re thinking about the things you want to grow, think about how these plants will be situated in the structure. Some greenhouses might not be great for plants that grow tall. If you want hanging plants, you want a structure that is durable enough to hold them all without collapsing.
Costs
The first consideration where cost is concerned will be your materials. You want to think “low-maintenance” later on, which is going to increase how much you spend in the beginning. And, of course, the larger the structure, the more you will pay.
PERMITS COME FIRST
Sometimes, you can add a shed or a greenhouse to your property with no issue, but there are municipalities and even neighborhood associations that have restrictions on this. They might allow a greenhouse, but they will need you to fill out forms and apply for licenses or permits. You always want to check all the rules in your local area before you purchase a kit or building materials.
Two sets of rules that you will really want to be aware of are zoning and building laws. A county can set regulations for buildings, but a city can impose its own set of rules. If you live in a planned community or Home Owners’ Association, this could be what stops you from building, even if building and zoning laws say you can. These rules are extremely limiting. While these will be up to you to find out, we can go over what you can look for with zoning and building laws.
Zoning Regulations
Typically, zoning laws and ordinances are about what the land can be used for and its purpose. Most of the time, these are rules set at the city level. A good example of this is that zoning laws prohibit residential property from being used for agriculture. Usually, greenhouses will still fall into the “residential” category, which is a good start. These are a few of the rules that would be set by your zoning department:
- There will be a limit on the number of buildings that can be on your property.
- Let them know what the building is being used for.
- There will be a set area where you can build your greenhouse, which will determine how far from your property line a building can be.
- They will also limit the size of your buildings, which might affect your choice of the greenhouse.
- The structure will need to fit in with the building codes.
Building Regulations
These rules will come from your county. Rural areas will have few, if any, limitations. There will be limits on residential areas, but these regulations are just to ensure that any structure built is safe (building codes). So your county’s building codes may focus on any of the following:
- structural integrity
- what materials can be used
- building size
- effects on the environment
- the appearance of the structure
Moreover, these codes will put some limits on what your greenhouse will look like, including its height and materials. The main purpose of these codes is to make sure that the building is structurally sound and won’t collapse or topple. Sometimes building codes will even require your building to have its own foundation, which will add to your costs.
Resources and Costs
Greenhouse manufacturers can help you out with the regulation process. They likely know what greenhouses will meet the requirements for your area. Of course, the best place to reach out to will be the building and zoning departments, which will be at the city hall and the county office. There will probably be more legal “red tape” that you will have to go through if you want to build in an urban or suburban area. Just remember to check every regulation before buying anything for a greenhouse.
There will be costs for these permits, and they will not be cheap. It’s important to factor this into the overall budget you are putting towards your greenhouse. These permits can range from around $300 to well over $1,000.
