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Looking into putting a cheap and easy room to hang out or do work in my back yard
Trying to make it as cheap and easy as possible and so far I've done a bit of research and found some materials but I know I would get much further by getting others' input. I don't have really any construction experience, so the first part of my plan involves buying a prefab greenhouse that's going to be cheap and lightweight, and I don't have to do any measurement of the walls and ceiling. This way nothing is gonna fall down and injure me especially on a windy day or during an earthquake, plus I can always take it down if I move. Plus, it's likely that I won't need a permit to put it up if it's under a certain size, but I am checking in with my city's building department on that. Next, thinking about insulation, I figured greenhouses would be at least a bit insulated, but as it stands I've mostly been using a desk in a garage that is hardly insulated and is quite drafty. The area I live in doesn't really get snow, maybe less than an inch every 16 years or something like that, and hardly gets to 80 or more during the year, only during a heat wave. this is why I think a cheap greenhouse with double thick polycarbonate windows would be enough insulation for my needs. I understand that a small >120 sqft greenhouse probably won't retain much heat overnight or on foggy days, but I would rather not use electric heating if I can help it. As for the greenhouse itself, I found some cheap ones that seem to fit my needs: https://www.wayfair.com/outdoor/pdp/veikous-aluminum-polycarbonate-greenhouse-for-outdoor-viko1319.html?piid=88632048 https://www.harborfreight.com/lawn-garden/gardening-garden-tools/greenhouses/10-ft-x-12-ft-greenhouse-with-4-vents-93358.html https://www.wayfair.com/outdoor/pdp/balconera-polycarbonate-greenhouse-blcg4555.html?piid=110274606%2C111029464 Silicone caulks specifically labeled for use with polycarbonates seem to be a bit expensive for me, and I'm gonna need a lot, so I am open to suggestions: https://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-10-1-oz-Plastic-and-Polycarbonate-Silicone-GE55/100285881 The hardest part for me is probably going to be the foundation. like I said, I don't have any experience, and while my dad used to be a carpenter and is definitely going to help out with the project, I plan on doing most of the work myself. That being said, the cheapest materials I can think of to make a foundation that can be easily removed are cinderblocks and wood pallets. I would have to figure out the best configuration for these and deal with leveling the pallets since I can probably find them for free but they come in all different sizes and my back yard is mostly concrete and tile with some uneven areas, and I don't own the property so I would rather not put anything into the ground, instead affixing the wood to the cinderblocks and drilling the greenhouse to the pallets to add some stability to the structure so it doesn't blow away. I'm also going to use some cheap insulation boards in the base pallets (I don't need anything with a high r-value because the polycarbonate already isn't that high, as long as it's higher than the r-value of a plywood shed.) and I might put together a makeshift fence using painted pallets just to break the wind on particularly windy days. I live in a hilly area, so the windspeeds probably only get high enough to knock over a small outdoor kids playset when it's not affixed to the ground. I would appreciate any tips on how to waterproof the pallet wood foundation. I most likely won't keep any electronics in there if I can help it, only bringing a work computer with me, I wouldn't want the ceiling to come undone and ruin any electronics. Mostly I'll have furniture and plants in there. maybe I can run wall power from the house using a landscape extension cord just to keep my computer charged if I spend extra time in there. Possibly a 1200 watt space heater? Some outdoor string lights? We'll have to see, but I plan on using caution with electricity because I would like to limit the possibility of fires, if you can believe it. But if I do more research and check in with the city I might end up getting a portable solar battery I can move in there from time to time. That's really all I've thought of so far, and I have a checklist with all the product links saved, and again, waiting to hear back from the city. This isn't meant to be an ADU, so it doesn't need its own plumbing, electrical, food storage, etc. If anyone finds this interesting and has any ideas or tips, please let me know! submitted by /u/KSuperstarU [link] [comments]
Trying to make it as cheap and easy as possible and so far I've done a bit of research and found some materials but I know I would get much further by getting others' input.
I don't have really any construction experience, so the first part of my plan involves buying a prefab greenhouse that's going to be cheap and lightweight, and I don't have to do any measurement of the walls and ceiling. This way nothing is gonna fall down and injure me especially on a windy day or during an earthquake, plus I can always take it down if I move. Plus, it's likely that I won't need a permit to put it up if it's under a certain size, but I am checking in with my city's building department on that.
Next, thinking about insulation, I figured greenhouses would be at least a bit insulated, but as it stands I've mostly been using a desk in a garage that is hardly insulated and is quite drafty. The area I live in doesn't really get snow, maybe less than an inch every 16 years or something like that, and hardly gets to 80 or more during the year, only during a heat wave. this is why I think a cheap greenhouse with double thick polycarbonate windows would be enough insulation for my needs. I understand that a small >120 sqft greenhouse probably won't retain much heat overnight or on foggy days, but I would rather not use electric heating if I can help it.
As for the greenhouse itself, I found some cheap ones that seem to fit my needs:
Silicone caulks specifically labeled for use with polycarbonates seem to be a bit expensive for me, and I'm gonna need a lot, so I am open to suggestions:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-10-1-oz-Plastic-and-Polycarbonate-Silicone-GE55/100285881
The hardest part for me is probably going to be the foundation. like I said, I don't have any experience, and while my dad used to be a carpenter and is definitely going to help out with the project, I plan on doing most of the work myself. That being said, the cheapest materials I can think of to make a foundation that can be easily removed are cinderblocks and wood pallets. I would have to figure out the best configuration for these and deal with leveling the pallets since I can probably find them for free but they come in all different sizes and my back yard is mostly concrete and tile with some uneven areas, and I don't own the property so I would rather not put anything into the ground, instead affixing the wood to the cinderblocks and drilling the greenhouse to the pallets to add some stability to the structure so it doesn't blow away. I'm also going to use some cheap insulation boards in the base pallets (I don't need anything with a high r-value because the polycarbonate already isn't that high, as long as it's higher than the r-value of a plywood shed.) and I might put together a makeshift fence using painted pallets just to break the wind on particularly windy days. I live in a hilly area, so the windspeeds probably only get high enough to knock over a small outdoor kids playset when it's not affixed to the ground. I would appreciate any tips on how to waterproof the pallet wood foundation.
I most likely won't keep any electronics in there if I can help it, only bringing a work computer with me, I wouldn't want the ceiling to come undone and ruin any electronics. Mostly I'll have furniture and plants in there. maybe I can run wall power from the house using a landscape extension cord just to keep my computer charged if I spend extra time in there. Possibly a 1200 watt space heater? Some outdoor string lights? We'll have to see, but I plan on using caution with electricity because I would like to limit the possibility of fires, if you can believe it. But if I do more research and check in with the city I might end up getting a portable solar battery I can move in there from time to time.
That's really all I've thought of so far, and I have a checklist with all the product links saved, and again, waiting to hear back from the city. This isn't meant to be an ADU, so it doesn't need its own plumbing, electrical, food storage, etc. If anyone finds this interesting and has any ideas or tips, please let me know!
[link] [comments]
