Homestead How-To Budget-Friendly Greenhouse

By Kristina Guidroz, Guidroz Family Farm

Why We Chose to Build Our Own Greenhouse

If you’ re a home gardener, homesteader or just a plant lover, you have no doubt dreamed of having a greenhouse of your own. We grow a lot of our own vegetables right here on our homestead, so a greenhouse is almost a necessity for us. We have tried a few of the kits on the market, but none have lasted as long or have been as sturdy as the ones we’ ve built.

The second greenhouse we built cost us pennies on the dollar compared to a store-bought kit, and will hold strong for years to come.

Basic Tools Needed

We used a few basic tools that we already owned, and the majority of households probably have on hand. If not, you likely know someone who will let you borrow them. You’ ll need a tape measure, drill, saw horses and a skill saw, along with screws.

Using Reclaimed Materials and Community

I’ m a big believer in reduce, reuse and recycle, not only as a homesteader but as a good steward to the planet. I love anything second-hand and using reclaimed materials. The best way to gather materials for your project will be to ask around.

Many of us are on social media these days, and that’ s a wonderful place to start. A quick post on your page can lead to finding cheap deals or even free supplies. When people in your local community know what you do, they’ ll start reaching out when they have something you could use. Accept these offers; there’ s always another project on the horizon.

Patience plays a significant role here, as you may not collect all the materials at one time. I suggest planning ahead and thinking through what you may need.

Sourcing Windows and Planning the Structure

We put out the word to friends and family that we were looking for windows. Any shape or size will work, depending on your building skills. If you’ re not very adept at building,

I would suggest looking for multiple windows of matching sizes.

The number of windows you’ ll need will depend on the size of the greenhouse you plan to build. The windows we were given were six feet by six feet, so we planned out the size accordingly.

To be the thriftiest will require you to be lenient and willing to change up your plans. Our finished product came out to approximately seven feet tall, 16 feet long and six feet wide, which incorporated both windows.

Why We Chose a Lean-To Greenhouse

You may be wondering why there are only two windows. That’ s because we went with a lean-to, one of the classic building techniques. If you have an available exterior wall, constructing a lean-to greenhouse will simplify the whole process. It gives you a solid starting point to build off of, and it’ s one less thing you’ ll need to construct.

22 AcreageLife February 2026 AcreageLife. com