There is something admirable about the people that have the resourcefulness to build their own prospering ecological community. The waiting that one has to endure is too much for most. The sad truth though is, even if you have all the patience to do something like this, the one unavoidable problem is cost.

It doesn’t matter how much or how little experience you have, if it costs you too much to build a lean to greenhouse (lean to conservatory) then you are definitely going about things the wrong way. Both the attached as well as the stand-alone types are easy to build. Just be careful when you are out be buy the materials because, if you are not careful, it might end up costing you a bit.

A lean to mini greenhouse is probably the most economical to build. These units are small enough to use in areas where there is limited room for a garden such as a flat. If you believe that you can build a mail box or a dogs kennel then you could probably construct a decent mini lean-to.

Bear your surroundings in mind. If you live in a country with a lot of hard rain you should choose a sturdy wooden frame with a glass cover. Although glass isn’t cheap, the correct size of fiberglass will save you a bit of cash as well. Wood, as versatile as it is, is not that expensive either and if you go to any lumber yard you will find the ideal wood to build your greenhouse.

Talking about wood, a wooden lean to greenhouse is probably the most cost effective that you can build if you are doing it yourself. Using wood will keep you to a reasonable budget whether you decide on the free standing or the attached type of greenhouse. Some polyethylene, glass or fiberglass covering, some nails and a hammer (which you probably already have) is all that you should need.

Polyethylene is cheap and effective in areas with good weather. Wood, however, will need some kind of treatment if it needs to withstand excessive sun or a cold, rainy environment. A simple coat of varnish every now and then should suffice.

Probably the most expensive greenhouse you can build is an aluminum greenhouse. It is a pain to work with and even though it is a common enough material, it is still rather pricey. These greenhouses are meant to be attached to a garage or house and if you were even thinking about trying to cut costs this way I would suggest to forget it.

Although not something which you can build yourself out of raw materials, one option to consider is purchasing a D-I-Y uPVC lean to conservatory installation kit. They are usually easy to install (if you follow the manufacturer’s instructions), they have no trouble in any kind of weather, they are very easy to clean and relatively cheap to purchase. Obviously they are not as cheap as the wooden version which you can build yourself but I will almost guarantee that it will be standing (in a good condition) a lot longer.

Imperial Windows specialise in windows, doors and Conservatories. The lean to greenhouse (or lean to conservatory) is only one of the ranges that we supply. Visit us at http://www.imperialwindows.co.uk