Does a greenhouse really need a foundation course ..?..?

Question

Would there be any detrimental factors if I just built my aluminium framed greenhouse on levelled earth, as opposed to using slabs or something similar as a foundation ?

Answer 1

people like you worry me ...hope you never decide to be a builder ...you are thinking the wrong way round ..you got to start on a solid base ....sure you can do it ..but it wont last ...it will start sinking in the corners the door wont fit properly ..as a builder for over forty years i have noticed people spend more time trying to cover up bad workmanship than if they had done it right in first place ...

Answer 2

The question really is; "How are you going to deal with rain in the wintertime?"

Will the rain water come sliding down the sides off the roof and roll under the sides and across the dirt floor? A muddy mess!

I'd suggest putting down a gravel pad 3" to 4" deep as a floor and make some kind of arrangement for the rain, gutters or a drain along the bottom of the walls. Kind of like digging a shallow rain trench around a tent. Or just raise the greenhouse up on that 3" to 4" gravel floor.

Answer 3

It worked fine for my dad who thought much like you on the subject.

Answer 4

what are you fastening it to that will hold it down in a good wind?....

mine has 4 by 4 timbers as the 'hold down' and they're fastened to buried cinder blocks with cemeted-in tie-downs....