Aluminium versus Wooden Framed Greenhouse

Choosing your greenhouse is a pretty big decision, it is going to be in your garden for many years and, all being well, you are going to spend a lot of time in there. Before choosing your greenhouse it's well worth thinking about whether you want an aluminium or wooden frame. Read on to help you decide

Wooden Greenhouse Frame

Pros

• Wood is often chosen because it looks so attractive and traditional
• A wooden frame is more insulating than metal and will help to keep the temperature up inside your greenhouse
• Wood is the environmental choice, especially if you decide to build your own frame from scratch using reclaimed bits of timber (not for the faint hearted)
• If you have a wooden framed greenhouse it is possible, in theory, to extend it as your needs and plants grow
• As you can imagine a wooden frame will be pretty heavy and sturdy which is especially useful if you are putting your greenhouse up in a windy spot or an area prone to heavy snow fall

Cons

• Treated soft woods can pose a risk to plants and especially vegetables. Condensation can cause water to drip from the frame and onto your plants which can be damaged by the chemicals used to treat the wood
• To avoid using treated wood cedar wood is much more durable than treated wood and wont pose any chemical risks although it is much more expensive than the soft woods
• A wooden greenhouse frame will need regular maintenance to keep it looking and performing it's best
• Wood tends to be bulkier than aluminium frames creating more shade inside your greenhouse
• Insects like wood and this is one of the main places you really don't want to be encouraging pesky insects to visit!

Aluminium Greenhouse Frame

Lola our office dog loves a swim

Pros

• Aluminium framed greenhouses are great value for money, they come up considerably cheaper than wooden framed greenhouses so are a great option if you are starting out, on a budget, adding a spare greenhouse (yes really!), or dipping a toe in the water (butt)
• Aluminium does not rust and requires no long term up keep other than keeping it generally clean
• Due to the strength of aluminium very little metal is required for the frames which means a metal frame will cast very little shade inside your greenhouse
• If you are a keen DIY enthusiast or want to save yourself money an aluminium frame is pretty straight forward to assemble, a bit like flat pack (but much bigger, it is still a building!)
• Due to the lightweight materials and flat pack nature of aluminium framed greenhouses, if you have a bit of wanderlust taking your greenhouse down and popping it on the moving van would save the pain of having to pay out for another one, and you'll be a bit of an expert at putting it back up!
• Most aluminium frames will also include guttering within the design of the frame

Cons

• Lets face it, aluminium is not nearly as attractive to look at as wood, it does come in two colours but if you have parked it in a little thatched cottage garden or are going to be looking at it day in day the looks factor needs to be taken into account
• The frame in an aluminium greenhouse will not provide any insulating properties
• Aluminium greenhouse frames in windy areas will be at more risk of wind damage than wood

So those are the pros and cons or wooden or aluminium framed greenhouses, let me know if there's anything I have missed and what you decide to go for in the end. Laura