The skill, patience and endurance of people that build their own successful ecosystems has to be commended even if just for taking the initiative. Unfortunately no amount of initiative is going to remove the one difficulty which is cost.

First time handyman? It’s not a problem if this is your first project, if you cannot build a lean to greenhouse (or lean to conservatory) on a limited budget then you are probably doing something wrong or trying to complicate matters. Lean To’s are easy to construct especially the stand alone type. It can get costly if you don’t take care when buying all your materials though.

A mini lean to conservatory or greenhouse is extremely cheap to erect. They are tiny units which can be used in places like flats where there is no, or limited room for a garden. If you feel that you can build a postbox or a dogs kennel then you would most probably be able to build a decent mini lean to.

Don’t forget to take your environment into account. If you are prone to heavy wind or rain storms then it is probably best to have a solid wooden frame with a glass covering. Since glass is not the cheapest of materials the chances are better to save a few pounds if you use the correct size of fiberglass. Wood is not expensive and any lumber yard will have what you need.

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.

If the area you live in has great weather then polyethylene is both effective and cheap. Wood, on the other hand, will need to be taken care of and this might be in the form of some kind of varnish so that it can stand against harsh weather.

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 you might not get the same satisfaction as if you were building one yourself from raw materials, another option to consider is buying a prefabricated uPVC lean to conservatory installation kit. If you follow the manufacturer’s instructions you will find that they are not difficult to build and they have many advantages. They are durable enough for any weather conditions, they need no maintenance, they are easy to clean and they are relatively cheap. A wooden one is admittedly cheaper but the fact that you won’t have any long term maintenance costs definitely makes it a more efficient choice.

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