12 Free Greenhouse Plans

Greenhouse Ideas for Every Size and Budget

By
Stacy Fisher
Stacy Fisher, Writer
Stacy Fisher

Stacy is an expert writer for The Spruce covering home DIY projects and crafts. She has over 18 years of journalistic experience, appearing as a DIY expert on the Dr. Oz Show and several radio shows. She has published hundreds of articles and co-authored a book.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process
Updated on 08/15/22
dome greenhouse

The Spruce / Christopher Lee Foto 

There are plenty of ways to make a cheap, simple DIY greenhouse, whether you construct it from a kit or build it from scratch using one of these free plans. The result will be a homemade backyard greenhouse that allows you to grow your favorite flowers, vegetables, and herbs all year long. Greenhouses provide seedlings and plants with warmth in the winter and cool in the summer, letting you participate in your favorite hobby every day of the year.

The free greenhouse plans listed include diagrams, illustrations, photos, written building instructions, frame materials, tools, and everything else you need to build your dream greenhouse in all different sizes and styles. DIYers can also find free plans online to build a shed, potting bench, or pergola to go with your greenhouse. Depending on what size you want—small to medium or large—building a DIY greenhouse may almost always be cheaper to complete on a budget than buying a premade version, especially if you're able to score recycled materials. Here are 12 free greenhouse plans to get you started.

  • 01 of 12

    Barn Greenhouse

    Completed barn greenhouse with clear roofline.

    Ana-White

    This free greenhouse plan is for a barn-style greenhouse that will help you grow your plants while looking stylish with its sturdy corrugated metal and greenhouse plastic sides. The free greenhouse plan includes photos, diagrams, a materials and tools list, written instructions, and videos.

    Barn Greenhouse from Ana White

  • 02 of 12

    GeoDome Greenhouse

    A geodome greenhouse with plants inside.

    Northern Homestead

    Northern Homestead has shared its free plan for building its GeoDome greenhouse. Use this plan and you'll get a greenhouse that's lightweight yet secure, absorbs lots of light, has a lot of ground growing space, and one that makes quite the statement. There's a materials list, tools list, written directions, diagrams, and photos to help you build it.

    It also has other posts on its greenhouse about how to arrange plants within it, how to cover it, how to add a hot water tank, and more.

    GeoDome Greenhouse from Northern Homestead

  • 03 of 12

    Greenhouse With Sleeping Loft

    Solar powered greenhouse that resembles a house.

    Mother Earth News

    If you're feeling ambitious, then this free greenhouse plan from Mother Earth News might be just for you. You'll get a completed greenhouse that's solar-heated and even has a sleeping loft, which almost makes this a tiny house. Scroll through the pages of this free greenhouse plan to find a materials list, images, and directions for building this great-looking greenhouse, all for under around $4,000 even with purchased materials and some hired helping hands.

    Greenhouse With Sleeping Loft from Mother Earth News

  • 04 of 12

    Polythene Greenhouse

    A white shed on a wooden riser.

    BuildEazy

    This free greenhouse plan by BuildEazy is conveniently built out of mostly 2-by-4-inch wood studs. Click through this free greenhouse plan to find shopping lists, directions, and diagrams. There are also photos of the greenhouses built by other readers who have used this simple greenhouse plan.

    Polythene Greenhouse from BuildEazy

    Continue to 5 of 12 below.
  • 05 of 12

    14-Foot Greenhouse

    Illustration of glass greenhouse

    HowToSpecialist

    HowToSpecialist has a free wood greenhouse plan that will only take you a few weekends to build. Included in the free greenhouse plans are a materials list, diagrams, tools list, and tips.

    14-Foot Greenhouse from HowToSpecialist

  • 06 of 12

    Recycled Window Greenhouse

    A greenhouse built out of recycled windows.

    Instructables

    Instructables has a free greenhouse plan that uses a unique building material—old windows. It's one of the cheapest ways to build your own greenhouse if you can scavenge up a few windows that are about to be tossed. It creates a great-looking structure that's environmental and budget-friendly. There are lots of color photos and written instructions to help you build one for your yard.

    Recycled Window Greenhouse from Instructables

  • 07 of 12

    16-Foot Greenhouse

    Illustration of a small greenhouse frame.

    HowToSpecialist

    This free greenhouse plan by HowToSpecialist will give you everything you need to build a 16-foot-long greenhouse that's perfect for your backyard. This free greenhouse plan includes lots of diagrams and illustrations along with written instructions.

    16-Foot Greenhouse from HowToSpecialist

  • 08 of 12

    10-Foot Greenhouse

    Illustration of a small greenhouse.

    HowToSpecialist

    Here's another free greenhouse plan from HowToSpecialist. This plan for a small DIY greenhouse is perfect for a small backyard. You can use the written instructions, materials and tools list, as well as tips and diagrams to build this greenhouse.

    10-Foot Greenhouse from HowToSpecialist

    Continue to 9 of 12 below.
  • 09 of 12

    Little Window Greenhouse

    A small greenhouse made out windows in a backyard.

    Crafts a la Mode

    Make a DIY greenhouse cheap with free materials you thrift. This free greenhouse plan from Crafts a la Mode takes some old windows and makes them into a greenhouse just big enough for a few plants. It's a gorgeous greenhouse that doubles as yard decor. The best part is that you can easily add more windows to make this larger if you'd like. It's certainly a unique look that's going to look great in just about any yard. There are lots of photos taken along the way to show you how to build it.

    Little Window Greenhouse from Crafts a la Mode

  • 10 of 12

    Arched PVC Greenhouse

    Illustration of an arched greenhouse plan.

    PVC Plans

    Here's a free plan by PVC Plans for an arched greenhouse that uses PVC pipes. Download the free greenhouse PDF plan and you'll get a material list, diagrams, and written directions. This is a great starter greenhouse if you're just starting to experiment with growing in a greenhouse.

    Arched PVC Greenhouse from PVC Plans

  • 11 of 12

    32-Foot Greenhouse

    Row of potted tomato plants inside a greenhouse.
    Johner Images / Getty Images

    FloridaGardener.com has a bigger greenhouse plan that you can print and use for free. A combination of wood and PVC pipes are used to build this large, hooped greenhouse that's 32 feet by 10 feet by 10 feet. There's plenty of room for all your plants and vegetables and you won't have to worry about outgrowing this greenhouse anytime soon.

    32-Foot Greenhouse from Florida Gardner

  • 12 of 12

    8-by-10-Foot Greenhouse

    A completed wooden framed greenhouse

    BuildEazy

    BuildEazy has another free DIY greenhouse plan, this one builds a large 8-by-10-foot greenhouse that you'll be able to fit all kinds of plants into. There are 13 pages in this free plan that includes drawings, photos, diagrams, and instructions on how to build it.

    8-by-10-Foot Greenhouse from BuildEazy