I just purchased my greenhouse. What foundation do you recommend in zone 5b?

[Guest]

PS. 8X8 (ish). I purchased the yardistry. Located in Denver, Co.

[Chris]

Save yourself a huge headache and build a 5 inch thick concrete pad.

[Tricia]

I have cement footings 3 ft deep to hit below the frost line and pea gravel on the inside.

I’ve been very happy with it. Definitely starting to have weeds grow through the gravel now that is has been a couple years.

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[Becky]

Mine is coming. 12 x18 late September. Picking landscaping Timbers this week. Pea gravel on the floor for now.

[Aliceson]

I had large pavers in my last greenhouse. We splurged and poured concrete for my new greenhouse. Zone 5a.

[Tara]

Checking your zoning first. The oh tax guy likes to come a knocking if it’s made permanent in a lot of areas.

If a small building or green house is on blocks or some sort of structure off the ground we are fine where I live.

Also, check out: Can y’all please show me pictures of your greenhouses that have step ups!

[Tim]

Use paved bricks instead of a poured concrete to avoid being taxed on it. Poured concrete is considered a permanent foundation.

[Jo Anne]

I'm in Mo, weed block fabric,I put sand down, the input paverbase then I put paver blocks down. Easy to clean, no weeds growing and retains heat.

[Sharon]

Zone 4, Iowa, concrete foundation with a drain. Made the pad much larger than the frame so I have a nice clean entrance area.

I use rolling racks so it's very easy to move things in and out if the heat and to clean or reirganize.

Don't forget to take a look at: Just wanted to share since I know some of us are fighting the heat inside our greenhouses

[Dev]

I used preassure treated 6x6 to build my frame then I put down weed cloth and filled it in with 100 of lbs of agregate gravel.

This has worked really well, love how I can water without worrying about spills!

[Harold]

You’re in 5B. Whatever foundation you do, insulate the ground underneath the parameter of the foundation. This will isolate the outside ground from the ground inside your greenhouse. Normally I would recommend a geothermal battery for the colder months but not for 5B. It’s a lot of work to build a geothermal battery but I would definitely insulate by digging at least a four foot deep narrow trench below the ground and install two layers of rigid foam board The theory is that the temperature of the earth at 5’ is approximately 50F year round.

The heat from the ground will flow up into your green house. The insulation will prevent the cold surrounding area from drawing the heat away from the greenhouse to the outside. Do your research and you’ll see the benefits.

Concerning your question, I installed 4’ sono tubes at each corner. I next created a 5” deep trench between the corners and installed 5” compacted 1/2” gravel. I used 6x6 extreme weather pressure treated Timbers. Inside I installed Cambridge Pavers patio pavers. The pavers also act as somewhat as a heat source because they absorb the heat during the day but that probably is an exaggerated benefit.



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[Samantha]

Hey, neighbor. I can’t remember if I’m 5a or 5b, but the Black Hills, SD. I have a concrete foundation. Love it. Taxes, probably not so much. But…whatever.