Find out exactly what a greenhouse costs before you buy or build. Enter your size, choose your frame and glazing type, add any extras, and get a realistic total cost estimate โ supply only, or fully installed. Based on current 2025 UK prices.
Get a realistic greenhouse cost estimate in under a minute. No contractor calls, no brochures, no obligation.
Enter the width and length of your planned greenhouse in metres. If you're not fixed on a size yet, use standard sizes โ 6ร8ft (1.8ร2.4m), 8ร10ft (2.4ร3m), or 10ร12ft (3ร3.6m) are the most common sizes available in the UK and give realistic cost comparisons across brands.
Takes 30 secondsSelect your frame material (aluminium or timber), glazing type (glass or polycarbonate), and whether you need a new base built. These three choices have the biggest impact on total cost โ frame and glazing choices can change your final figure by 40% or more for the same size greenhouse.
Takes 1 minuteChoose any extras you want โ heating, staging, guttering, or auto ventilation โ and select whether you're fitting it yourself or having it professionally installed. The calculator returns a budget, mid, and high estimate covering the full cost range for your specification.
Results in under 5 secondsThe best greenhouse for your garden depends on budget, available space, how you plan to use it, and how much time you want to spend on maintenance.
Current prices for the most common greenhouse sizes and types, based on UK supplier pricing. Installation and base costs are listed separately.
| Size | Type | Budget | Mid-Range | Premium | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6ร4ft (1.8ร1.2m) | Aluminium + Horticultural Glass | ยฃ180 | ยฃ280 | ยฃ420 | Entry level. No staging, basic vents. |
| 6ร8ft (1.8ร2.4m) | Aluminium + Toughened Glass | ยฃ320 | ยฃ550 | ยฃ850 | Most popular size for home gardeners. |
| 8ร10ft (2.4ร3m) | Aluminium + Toughened Glass | ยฃ500 | ยฃ850 | ยฃ1,400 | Good growing space; room for staging. |
| 10ร12ft (3ร3.6m) | Aluminium + Toughened Glass | ยฃ750 | ยฃ1,300 | ยฃ2,200 | Popular with serious growers. |
| 6ร8ft (1.8ร2.4m) | Timber Cedar + Glass | ยฃ800 | ยฃ1,400 | ยฃ2,800 | Aesthetic choice; higher maintenance. |
| 10ร12ft (3ร3.6m) | Timber Cedar + Glass | ยฃ2,000 | ยฃ3,500 | ยฃ6,500 | Premium garden feature greenhouse. |
| Any size | Concrete slab base (incl. labour) | ยฃ40/mยฒ | ยฃ65/mยฒ | ยฃ95/mยฒ | Essential if no existing hard surface. |
| Any size | Professional installation | ยฃ200 | ยฃ400 | ยฃ800+ | Flat-pack assembly by an experienced fitter. |
| Any size | Dwarf wall brick base | ยฃ80/m | ยฃ130/m | ยฃ200/m | Per perimeter metre. Improves insulation. |
Not all extras are essential โ but some make a significant difference to how useful your greenhouse actually is.
An unheated greenhouse extends the growing season but won't protect tender plants from a hard frost. A small electric fan heater (1โ2kW) is the most practical solution for most home greenhouses โ safe, controllable, and easy to install.
Temperature-activated vent openers open roof vents automatically when the greenhouse gets too warm and close when it cools. Surprisingly cheap for how much they improve growing conditions โ and essential if you're not around during hot days.
Aluminium or timber staging along one or both sides of the greenhouse dramatically increases the usable growing space. Most greenhouse kits offer matching staging as an add-on. Slatted staging allows airflow under pots, which reduces fungal issues compared to solid shelving.
A 240-litre water butt connected to greenhouse guttering can supply a surprising proportion of your watering needs. Adding guttering to an aluminium greenhouse is straightforward and most kits include a gutter connection option. Typically pays back in water costs within 1โ2 seasons.
Without shading, summer temperatures in an unventilated greenhouse can reach 40โ50ยฐC โ enough to scorch plants and kill seedlings. Shade netting (50โ70% density) or shading paint applied to the outside of the glazing brings temperatures down to manageable levels during peak summer.
If you're planning to start seeds or overwinter tender plants through the darker months, adding a grow light extends your productive season significantly. LED horticultural grow lights have come down considerably in price and use a fraction of the electricity of older HPS systems.
A drip irrigation timer connected to a water butt or tap means your greenhouse can water itself when you're away. Basic drip systems with a timer cost ยฃ30โ80 and cover a typical home greenhouse. Particularly valuable for tomatoes and cucumbers, which need consistent moisture to avoid fruit issues like blossom end rot.
Horticultural bubble wrap lining is one of the cheapest and most effective greenhouse investments. Fixed to the inside of the frame with clips, it reduces heat loss by 30โ40% at a cost of ยฃ15โ30 for a typical greenhouse. Far cheaper than increasing heating output โ replace it every 3โ5 years as UV exposure makes it brittle.
The most common greenhouse purchasing mistakes aren't about choosing the wrong brand โ they're about the decisions made before buying.
The single most consistent piece of advice from experienced greenhouse gardeners is to buy larger than you think you need. Every gardener who has had a greenhouse for more than a season or two wishes they had more space. Growing requirements expand rapidly once you start sowing seed in earnest โ a greenhouse that seems ample in March is invariably full by May.
A greenhouse put up on an uneven or soft surface won't sit true, the door won't open properly, and glazing bars will warp and let in draughts. A properly prepared concrete slab with a level, square perimeter is one of the best investments you can make in a greenhouse installation โ and it's almost impossible to retrofit if you get it wrong first time.
Most budget greenhouse kits include a single roof vent as standard. In practice, adequate ventilation for hot UK summers requires roof vents covering at least 15โ20% of the floor area. Adding auto vent openers and a second or third roof vent before you install the greenhouse is far easier and cheaper than retrofitting them later.
Horticultural glass is a standard greenhouse glazing that breaks into large, sharp shards when damaged. Toughened safety glass breaks into small, rounded pieces and is significantly safer โ particularly important in gardens used by children, and increasingly required by household insurance policies. The price difference is modest; on any permanently installed greenhouse, toughened glass is the right choice.
Timber greenhouses look beautiful when new. Without regular maintenance โ oiling or treating every 2โ3 years โ they become grey, the wood degrades, and glazing bars become loose. If you're not going to maintain it properly, a quality aluminium greenhouse will outlast a neglected timber one and look better at year 10.
The cheapest polycarbonate greenhouses use 4mm single or thin twin wall panels that yellow and cloud within 5โ7 years. Light transmission drops significantly as the material ages, limiting what you can grow. Spending more on a 6mm or 10mm triple wall polycarbonate greenhouse โ or switching to glass โ makes far more sense as a long-term investment than replacing a degraded budget structure every decade.
Straightforward answers to the questions most people have before buying a greenhouse.
Anyone planning to buy or build a greenhouse and wanting a realistic cost estimate before speaking to suppliers.
Planning your first greenhouse purchase and want to know what a realistic total budget looks like โ structure, base, installation, and extras โ before you start comparing suppliers and reading brochures.
Adding a greenhouse as part of a wider garden improvement project and needing a realistic cost figure to include in the overall budget before anything is ordered or committed to.
Estimating the cost of adding a greenhouse or garden room as a value-add feature to a property prior to sale โ useful for quick budget checks without requesting formal quotes.
Planning a greenhouse or polytunnel for an allotment plot and wanting to compare the cost of different sizes and materials against the growing benefit before deciding on a structure.