Description and installation of a greenhouse made of fiberglass reinforcement

Greenhouse construction

As already became clear, the greenhouse is assembled from fiberglass reinforcement. It is a spiral ribbed profile made of glass, polymer and other composite fibers. It is from such a material that the main supporting element of the structure, the frame, is erected with their own hands. As a rule, the frame of the greenhouse has an arched shape, since it is easiest to bend the reinforcement into this position.

It should be said that fittings are the ideal material for building greenhouses with your own hands. It bends well, is easy to handle, fits harmoniously into any design and, importantly, its cost is literally a penny. You can create a project for such a greenhouse yourself, without having any special knowledge in the field of construction and architecture.

The simplest greenhouse design is made up of the following parts:

• base support (the so-called foundation) - the easiest way is to make a support out of wood, however, if you wish, you can also lay a real concrete foundation, but it must be borne in mind that such a greenhouse will cease to be portable or you will have to spend a lot of effort to move it, and perhaps even funds;
• outer frame - this part of the structure is assembled by hand from a fiberglass reinforcement curved into an arc, which is attached to the base (support), and is connected to each other using longitudinal rods;
• doors - to fasten doors, you need to mount an additional section of reinforcement with hinges (the doors themselves, as a rule, are made of the same material that is used to cover the structure, but you can also use ready-made ones);
• sheathing - you can take polycarbonate as a cover for the greenhouse, but this option can hardly be called economical, therefore, most often the greenhouse is covered with a film.

As for the base support, it is a rectangle of arbitrary size, consisting of long boards or several bars fastened together. Its function is to hold the frame and the greenhouse itself on the surface.

Advantages

Choosing a greenhouse project made of fiberglass, I want to make sure that such a greenhouse is really better than other designs consisting of traditional materials. The advantages of fiberglass reinforcement are obvious:

• it is very light, therefore it does not cause difficulties with movement and transportation;
• resistant to corrosion;
• bends well and at the same time does not lose its strength, due to which structures made of it are considered quite rigid and reliable;
• easily takes its original shape - after disassembling the greenhouse, the rods do not take up much space;
• a greenhouse made of fittings is easy to build with your own hands - the simplest design is assembled in 1–1.5 hours;
• the reinforcement structure can be adjusted to any size, as well as supplemented with various openings, sections;
• the cost of reinforcement is quite low - no building material is as cheap as fiberglass reinforcement;
• the design is made up of modules, which makes it easy to carry and modify.

Drawing of the frame of the greenhouse made of fiberglass reinforcement

In fact, these arguments are more than enough to consider fiberglass reinforcement an ideal material for building a greenhouse with your own hands. For a low cost, you get a high-quality, durable and functional greenhouse.

Required materials and tools

The construction of any greenhouse begins with the selection and purchase of materials. In this case, a project of a simple structure will be considered, consisting of a wooden base, a frame made of reinforcement and upholstery made of film. To erect such a structure, you will need the following materials:

• wood (bars or boards) - if we consider the portable option, then bars are best for it, but you can also use high-quality wooden slats;
• reinforcement (its diameter and quantity depends on the size of the future greenhouse) - for a structure measuring 6 x 3 m and a height of 1.8 m, 50 m of reinforcement (10 arcs of 5 m each) with a section of 10 mm are required;
• film - if you buy a new one, then its total area should be 50 sq. m, but you can also use the used film that was left over from the repair work, and it may not be a single piece, but several different pieces.

Additionally you need to purchase:

• bolts, screws, nuts, nails - the length of the fastening material must necessarily exceed the thickness of the wooden bar or board;
• ridge fittings with a large section (used to fix and strengthen the support);
• wooden or metal corners (for fastening the base).

You will also need the following tools: drill, tape measure, square, screwdriver, hammer, saw, construction stapler. A jigsaw and a sander can also come in handy, but usually building a temporary greenhouse with your own hands is a little easier.

This set of tools and materials is needed for the construction of a portable and temporary structure.

If a stationary winter greenhouse is being built from fittings, then double-glazed windows and sheet fiberglass are indispensable. This material is able to withstand low temperatures, and in addition, electricity can be supplied to a greenhouse made of double-glazed windows, and heating can be made.

Assembly technology

The very process of building a greenhouse with your own hands is quite simple. If we consider the assembly technology in stages, then it consists in the following:

• we prepare the necessary materials and equipment;
• then you need to prepare a site for assembling a greenhouse - level the surface of the earth, remove stones, roots and other debris;
• we bring a tree to the site, unfold the film;
• then we fasten the boards so that we get a rectangular base;
• we install and strengthen the support on the surface of the earth;
• now we cut the reinforcement into pieces of the same length (roofing scissors can be used to cut the profile);
• the pieces of reinforcement are alternately buried into the ground inside the support to a depth of about 30 cm, then we attach them to wooden beams using a stapler or other available method;
• we strengthen the support with ridge reinforcement (the rods are attached longitudinally in the form of a mesh);
• then you need to install sections with doors and windows (if any);
• now we once again check the reliability of the structure, additionally strengthen the weak points;
• in conclusion, we stretch the coating (film), fix it with a stapler from below to the support and at the points of contact with the reinforcement.

So the prefabricated temporary greenhouse is ready. A stationary winter structure is mounted according to the same principle, only double-glazed windows are used as a coating.

Video "Assembling a greenhouse from fiberglass reinforcement"

See how easy it is to assemble a homemade greenhouse from fiberglass rebar and plastic wrap.