Greenhouse cost calculator
The whole shopping list of a real plan, priced line by line at named stores. Change the size or the options, or type your own store's prices.
Cost calculator
Price your greenhouse
Pick the size and the options the designer has. The list is the designer's own shopping list, priced at the shelf prices we read; type your store's price over any line.
Priced materials for an 8x12 gable greenhouse, 96 sq ft of floor
$3,813.80Not included: gravel (estimated separately at $56 to $186); tax; shipping or freight. Twin-wall sheets usually ship by freight, which can add a lot: get a delivered quote.
- Per sq ft of floor
- $39.73
- Gravel, estimated apart
- $56 to $186
- Labor if hired
- $2,300 to $6,600
- Lines priced
- 32 of 34
DIY with gravel: $3,870 to $4,000. Hired: about $6,170 to $10,600.
Full materials list, 34 lines: type your store's prices
Lumber
4x4 PT x 8 ft
$21.56
4x4 PT x 12 ft
$41.76
2x4 PT x 8 ft
$4.88
2x4 PT x 10 ft
$25.14
2x4 PT x 12 ft
$100.80
2x4 PT x 16 ft
$118.24
2x4 x 8 ft
$102.00
2x4 x 10 ft
$22.08
2x4 x 12 ft
$79.56
2x4 x 16 ft
$117.80
2x6 x 12 ft
$12.92
1x4 x 8 ft
$10.22
1x4 x 12 ft
$48.69
1x4 x 16 ft
$85.84
Glazing
8 mm twin-wall polycarbonate, 4 x 8 ft
$83.78
8 mm twin-wall polycarbonate, 4 x 12 ft
$1,181.20
Profiles and sealing
H connector profile for 8 mm sheet
$124.08
Base and cap connector: aluminum glazing bar and cap
$94.56
U end profile for 8 mm sheet
$356.25
Solid aluminum sealing tape
$27.50
Vented (anti-dust) sealing tape
$39.95
Ridge cap: polycarbonate R channel for 8 to 10 mm sheet
$109.90
Clear silicone, polycarbonate-safe
$26.96
Fasteners and hardware
Polycarbonate screws with EPDM washers
$199.75
Exterior wood screws, 3 in
$49.76
Rafter-to-plate tie (H2.5A)
$27.44
Exterior paint, white, for the frame
$49.98
Vents and door
Strap hinges, 3 in
$62.14
Door latch
$2.47
Barrel bolt (door and wall vents)
$34.86
Automatic vent opener (wax cylinder, no power)
$449.95
Base and site
Ground anchor kit (4 anchors)
$101.78
Gravel bed under the base, compacted
est. $30 to $150
Floor: pea gravel over landscape fabric, 3 in (optional)
est. $26 to $36
Where the prices come from
Prices as read at Home Depot, Hamilton Mill store; PolycarbonateStore.com; Greenhouse Megastore; Lowe's, Atlanta-Edgewood store; Home Depot, Bronx Terminal store; Sturdi-Built Greenhouse; Amazon.com, shipped, between Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 13, 2026, before tax and shipping. Gravel is a sourced range from HomeGuide, crushed stone and gravel prices (Dec 2025), kept apart from the priced total. One product per line, named under it. Sales tax, delivery and tools are not included.
- Home Depot, Hamilton Mill store: 16 lines, Oct 8, 2026
- PolycarbonateStore.com: 8 lines, Oct 13, 2026
- Greenhouse Megastore: 1 lines, Oct 13, 2026
- Lowe's, Atlanta-Edgewood store: 3 lines, Oct 8, 2026
- Home Depot, Bronx Terminal store: 2 lines, Sep 30, 2026
- Sturdi-Built Greenhouse: 1 lines, Oct 13, 2026
- Amazon.com, shipped: 1 lines, Oct 10, 2026
How labor if hired is worked out
$3,920 at the middle rate of $70 per hour times 56 hours. The range is the published hourly rates of $50 to $100 times our 46 to 66 hour build estimate: 46 hours at $50 to 66 hours at $100 (Fixr, Jan 31, 2025: $70 per hour; HomeAdvisor, Jun 19, 2026: $50 to $100 per hour). A sourced range for building the greenhouse from plans, by a handyperson or carpenter, not a quote, kept apart from the materials. No published guide gives a labor price for building a custom greenhouse from plans, so this is an hourly rate times our build-hours estimate. The hours are ours, for one handy person with a helper.
$50 to $100 per hour times our 46 to 66 hours; Fixr, Jan 2025; HomeAdvisor, Jun 2026
Every free plan, priced
From $2,330 to $6,505 in materials.
The 6x8 greenhouse is the cheapest of our 11 plans and the 12x20 greenhouse the dearest, priced the same way as the calculator. Gravel and labor stay apart from the total.
All 11 plans with gravel and labor
| Plan | Floor | Glazing | Priced materials | Gravel (estimate) | Labor if hired |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6x8 greenhouse | 48 sq ft | 8 mm twin-wall | $2,330.48 | $30 to $110 | $1,400 to $4,100 |
| 8x8 greenhouse | 64 sq ft | 8 mm twin-wall | $2,712.99 | $40 to $137 | $1,750 to $5,100 |
| 8x12 greenhouse | 96 sq ft | 8 mm twin-wall | $3,813.80 | $56 to $186 | $2,300 to $6,600 |
| 8x16 greenhouse | 128 sq ft | 8 mm twin-wall | $4,522.27 | $76 to $254 | $2,700 to $7,900 |
| 10x12 greenhouse | 120 sq ft | 8 mm twin-wall | $4,094.42 | $69 to $232 | $2,600 to $7,500 |
| 10x16 greenhouse | 160 sq ft | 8 mm twin-wall | $4,831.61 | $92 to $304 | $3,450 to $9,900 |
| 12x20 greenhouse | 240 sq ft | 8 mm twin-wall | $6,504.94 | $131 to $426 | $4,600 to $13,300 |
| 6x12 lean-to greenhouse | 72 sq ft | 8 mm twin-wall | $2,765.96 | $47 to $159 | $1,700 to $5,000 |
| 8x12 lean-to greenhouse | 96 sq ft | 8 mm twin-wall | $3,203.60 | $56 to $186 | $2,250 to $6,500 |
| 8x12 corrugated greenhouse | 96 sq ft | Corrugated | $2,852.73 | $56 to $186 | $2,300 to $6,600 |
| 6x16 lean-to greenhouse | 96 sq ft | 8 mm twin-wall | $3,297.67 | $60 to $205 | $2,100 to $6,000 |
The 8x12, $3,813.80
Where the money goes.
| Group | Cost | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Glazing | $1,264.98 | 33% |
| Lumber | $791.49 | 21% |
| Profiles and sealing | $779.20 | 20% |
| Vents and door | $549.42 | 14% |
| Fasteners and hardware | $326.93 | 9% |
| Base and site | $101.78 | 3% |
The five biggest lines: 10 sheets of 8 mm twin-wall polycarbonate ($1,181.20); 5 openers of automatic vent opener (wax cylinder ($449.95); 25 x 12 ft of u end profile for 8 mm sheet ($356.25); 5 packs of 100 of polycarbonate screws with epdm washers ($199.75); 4 x 12 ft of h connector profile for 8 mm sheet ($124.08). The polycarbonate and the profiles that hold it cost more than the lumber.
What one change does to the 8x12
| Glazing | Priced materials |
|---|---|
| 8 mm twin wall, the default | $3,813.80 |
| 6 mm twin wall | $3,632.62 |
| 10 mm twin wall | $4,205.44 |
| Corrugated, one layer | $2,852.73, $961.07 less |
| Vents | Priced materials |
|---|---|
| Manual prop stays | $3,437.55 |
| Exhaust fan and intake shutter | $3,314.45, before the electrician |
| Base and benches | Priced materials |
|---|---|
| 24 in knee wall in T1-11 | $3,632.68 |
| No benches | $3,599.86 |
Labor, exclusions and how the prices were read
Labor if hired, 8x12: $2,300 to $6,600. $3,920 at the middle rate of $70 per hour times 56 hours. The range is the published hourly rates of $50 to $100 times our 46 to 66 hour build estimate: 46 hours at $50 to 66 hours at $100 (Fixr, Jan 31, 2025: $70 per hour; HomeAdvisor, Jun 19, 2026: $50 to $100 per hour). A sourced range for building the greenhouse from plans, by a handyperson or carpenter, not a quote, kept apart from the materials. No published guide gives a labor price for building a custom greenhouse from plans, so this is an hourly rate times our build-hours estimate. The hours are ours, for one handy person with a helper.
Not in the total: sales tax; freight, which matters because twin-wall sheet usually ships by truck; the gravel, which a quarry or yard prices locally, so it appears as a sourced range; tools; and for the fan option, the electrician and the outdoor GFCI circuit.
One product per line, the right size and kind, read on the store's page: Home Depot, Hamilton Mill store (16 lines, Oct 8, 2026); PolycarbonateStore.com (8 lines, Oct 13, 2026); Greenhouse Megastore (1 lines, Oct 13, 2026); Lowe's, Atlanta-Edgewood store (3 lines, Oct 8, 2026); Home Depot, Bronx Terminal store (2 lines, Sep 30, 2026); Sturdi-Built Greenhouse (1 lines, Oct 13, 2026); Amazon.com, shipped (1 lines, Oct 10, 2026). The quantities are the designer's own: lumber packed onto the board lengths stores sell, sheets cut face by face, profiles and screws counted from the drawing.
Want the full plan for the version you priced? Open it in the greenhouse designer, or start from the free greenhouse plans. The build itself is in how to build a greenhouse.
Questions
Anything else? Write to us or see the free plans.
Greenhouse cost questions
For a DIY wood-frame greenhouse in polycarbonate, our plans come to $2,330 (6x8 greenhouse) to $6,505 (12x20 greenhouse) in priced materials, plus a few hundred dollars of gravel at most. Heating, power and shelving beyond the benches are extra.
Our 8x12 plan comes to $3,813.80 in priced materials with 8 mm twin-wall polycarbonate, two benches and five roof vents with automatic openers, plus an estimated $56 to $186 of gravel. If you hire the build, add $2,300 to $6,600.
$4,094.42 in priced materials for our 10x12 gable plan with 30 in benches, at the shelf prices we read, before tax and freight. Labor if you hire it: $2,600 to $7,500, from published hourly rates times our build hours.
Corrugated polycarbonate: the 8x12 drops from $3,813.80 to $2,852.73 in materials. It is one layer, so it loses more heat at night than twin wall; check the heater size calculator before you choose it for a heated house.