Greenhouses from Old Windows and Doors

Author: Keiren // Last updated on December 21, 2020 63 Comments

Calling all used awning windows, bay windows, storm doors, and clerestories back to service.

1) Recycled Window Greenhouse, Minnesota

Greenhouse made from recycled windows by Jan and Ed Vitse of New Look Floral (a garden and floral business) in Rochester, MN. This little gem, made from recycled windows was built in 2003. The structure is 12 feet long by 6 1/2 wide, and 10 1/2 feet tall.

2) Tinker House, Indiana

Donna Reyne of Indiana built Tinker House from reclaimed doors, windows and millwork from a home renovation. The doors are old pocketdoors on slides, slid open in this photo.

3) Recycled Window And Tile Greenhouse, Texas

Old window greenhouse by Karla and Steve Ritchey of McKinney, Texas. Used Mexican roofing tiles from a mansion in Fort Worth frame the hydrangea and variegated liriope-filled flower bed.

4) Recycled Windows And Doors Greenhouse, Texas

Re-purposed windows and doors. Linda J. of McKinney, Texas built this greenhouse using old windows and french doors. It has a chandelier inside and icicle lights that set it off at night. Originally found at “https://www.hometalk.com/455305/re-purposed-windows-and-doors”

5) Greenhouse With Materials From The Neighbors

Old window greenhouse, using recycled windows from one neighbor who was replacing all the windows on her house, and a couple of old doors from another neighbor who was getting new ones installed.

Must-Haves For Greenhouse Owners

Potting Soil

Seedling Heat Mats

6) Montana Greenhouse

Greenhouse from recycled materials by Montana Wildlife Gardener. To see additional information on building a greenhouse, visit their site for pictures and information on each step of the process.

7) Greenhouse From The Piny Woods Of Texas

Built with reused materials, the owner also incorporated trellises for vining plants.

8) Old Window Greenhouse

Old window greenhouse by Lucy and Stephen Marr. Photos by Todd Selby at theselby.com.

9) Old Window Greenhouse, Asheville, NC

10) Greenhouse From Donated Windows

Neighbors donated used windows for this greenhouse. It was built to fit the windows, without plans. It has 3 sliding windows for ventilation.

11) Salvaged Wood Greenhouse, San Francisco

Greenhouse by Jesse Schlesinger at The General Store, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

12) Old Window Greenhouse, Ohio

13) 45-Window Greenhouse, North Carolina

Greenhouse built from 45 old windows from all different places. Some bought most donated. Wanted to keep the shabby chic, vintage look so added Mason jars lights with Edison bulbs inside. The owner/builders Eric and Elizabeth love garden veggies and wanted to be able to do it year-round, and threw in flowers for pops of color. No plan, just started building and this is what it became. Lincolnton, NC.

During construction of the above greenhouse in NC. Greenhouse turned out to be 10′ x 15′. Interior shelves were built from pallets. Gutters collect rainwater runoff. By Eric and Elizabeth.

14) Small Re-Used Window Greenhouse

A post shared by Ali (@mustardseedbeginnings) on Jan 5, 2017 at 1:15pm PST

This Instagram post is a great reminder of how a greenhouse doesn’t have to be large. A small greenhouse can be easily built with a few windows for herbs year-round.

15) Asian-Influenced Greenhouse

16) Recycled Window Home In Copenhagen

Glass house Made from recycled windows in Copenhagen’s 40-year-old Freetown Christiania Commune. Considered “architecture without architects” there is a strong political will to tear the houses down—they are illegal, follow no building code, have no permit. Image by Seier + Seier via Flickr.

17) Salvaged Window And Door Greenhouse, Ontario

A gardener in Ontario built this 10×16 greenhouse. She used salvaged windows for the glass, and salvaged doors. Half of the floor is an old deck, the other half is discounted paving stone.

18) Garden Shed

Reclaimed window garden shed. Photo via downsizemyspace.com

19) Small Greenhouse From Old Windows

Old window cold frame. Photo via downsizemyspace.com

20) Cold Frame From Old Windows, South Carolina

Adina and Walter of Campobello, South Carolina designed and built this cold frame using an old window.

21) Small Greenhouse

Small greenhouse from 3 storm windows exactly the same size. Love this! Instead of using her find of 3 old storm windows for a low cold frame, Anne decided to go upward.

22) Greenhouse From Salvaged Doors

Old door greenhouse by Tara Dillard. Love this. Just attach old doors to a side of your home.

23) Lloyd Kahn Greenhouse, With Adobe Walls

Greenhouse built by Lloyd Kahn with used windows. Says Lloyd: “The rear wall consists of stabilized adobe bricks made with a CinvaRam, a compression tool I learned about in the ’60s from the Whole Earth Catalog. There’s a solar-powered fan for cooling and a small solar-powered trickling fountain inside. Note: using old windows like this requires a lot of time puttying and/or painting.” Lloyd’s latest book is Tiny Homes: Simple Shelter. For more info, see: www.shelterpub.com

24) Greenhouse Made From Leftover Building Materials

Recycled window greenhouse by Holly Willgress and Fraser Koroluk of Bella Coola, B.C.. In the process of renovations with a new roof and third floor added onto their lodge, they had a lot of old and leftover building materials. They maintain a “no new stuff” theme to their backyard. Originally found at bcmountainlodge.com

25) Greenhouse In Rockwood, Tennessee

This greenhouse was constructed by Amy Moore with reused windows for walls, and a foundation made of old railroad timber. An assortment of wood planks were used for the frame.

26) Asymmetrical Salvaged Wood And Window Greenhouse

27) Tall Old Window Greenhouse, Washington State

Old window greenhouse by Angela Davis of Washington State. Read more aboout it on her blog Gardening in My Rubber Boots.

28) Old Windows Frame A Clear-Awning Roof

A clear-awning roof allows lots of light to enter this greenhouse made from lots of different old windows.

29) Greenhouse From Salvaged School Windows

Sara of Davison, Illinois made this garden shed from windows salvaged from an old school.

15 Fabulous Greenhouses Made From Old Windows

Posted on Last updated: 07/06/2020 By: Author Shannon

Sharing is caring!

These beautiful greenhouses made from old windows prove that your dream greenhouse doesn’t have to be costly. Most gardeners dream of adding a greenhouse to their garden space, and for good reason. Greenhouses are ideal for starting seeds early in the year, for extending the growing season in cold climates, and for the beauty they bring to a property.

Greenhouses can be costly to build, however, which leaves many DIYers looking for inexpensive alternatives. One way to cut costs when building a greenhouse is to use as many recycled materials as possible.

Glass and polycarbonate panels are the most expensive components in a greenhouse. Fortunately, old windows are abundant just about everywhere and can be found for cheap or free with some searching.

When you consider how many glass windows and doors are disposed of every time a building is torn down or remodeled, it makes perfect sense to seek some out and reuse them in your greenhouse.

Want to see how other people are doing it? Here are 15 fabulous DIY greenhouses made using old windows.

15 Greenhouses Made From Old Windows

The blue greenhouse

This homeowner salvaged old windows and doors from neighbors who were replacing theirs. She built her own trusses and painted the wood and window frames blue before putting everything together. Her husband and son assisted in the framing and window installation, and the result is absolutely beautiful.

The family loves how their greenhouse turned out so much, they also use it as a “happy hour hangout”. Via Fine Homebuilding

2. Greenhouse made with old windows and pallets

One of my favorite greenhouses made from recycled windows is this one, which we featured in an earlier article. This couple used reclaimed windows and wood pallets to build a functional and practical greenhouse.

It is the centerpiece in their garden and is used to grow flowers and climbing vegetables, overwinter annuals, and even serves as a shelter for their chickens and quail. Not too shabby, huh?

3. A photographer’s cedar framed greenhouse

This greenhouse – built by the husband and wife team at Vaughan House – is the envy of many greenhouse dreamers! It is absolutely beautiful. It is used to house plants, of course, but also for photo shoots and as a rentable wedding and event venue.

The frame consists of cedar beams, and old wood-framed windows make up the walls. Read more about the build process here.

4. Greenhouse potting shed in TN

Using old windows found on Craigslist, a couple in Tennessee built this beautiful greenhouse that is also used as a potting shed. Since the windows are not all the same size, it took some planning to get the pieces to fit together, much like putting together a puzzle.

The greenhouse is finished with a gravel floor, a gas wall heater, and equipped with gutters and a rain barrel. Via Hometalk

5. Antique windows greenhouse

After collecting over two dozen antique windows, Christina from After Dinner Design put them together in this chic greenhouse build. She and her husband used recycled finds for the interior of the greenhouse, including the sink and an old farmhouse table. This entire project is upcycled inspiration!

6. Tinkerhouse in the garden

This little gem, named Tinkerhouse, sits in Dreyne’s garden near her studio. It’s a mishmash of reclaimed doors, windows, and wood from a home renovation. The interior is filled with fun little items found here and there, like a chandelier and burlap draperies.

7. Quaint greenhouse in Canada

This cute little greenhouse sits in a yard in Harrison Hot Springs, BC along with an antique store and chicken coop. You can tell this was built to fit the windows, and it turned out perfect. See more photos of the property at Funky Junk Interiors.

8. $300 greenhouse from salvaged windows

Here’s another DIY greenhouse from old windows we wrote about a few years ago. Cheft on Instructables built it using windows salvaged from houses being torn down in his neighborhood. He began by laying the windows out on the ground to plan out two equal sides for the walls, then used that layout to build the frame.

9. Greenhouse with french doors

Using a collection of old windows and french doors, Linda J on Hometalk and her husband built this adorable little greenhouse for their garden. At night they light it up with icicle lights for a charming after dark garden space.

10. A little hothouse in California

Javan on the Houzz forums shared this greenhouse he and his wife built using windows given to them by a neighbor. They use it to grow peppers, tomatoes, and climbing cucumbers. Like may people who build a greenhouse with reclaimed windows, they did not use plans to build this; rather, they built a frame to fit the windows they had.

11. Greenhouse framed with pallet racking

While using reclaimed windows for a greenhouse is great, using recycled framing materials makes it even better! Jason Ellis of South Carolina used pallet racking he found for free on Craigslist as the frame for this beautiful greenhouse.

The 1900s-era windows came from an old bank and many of the other materials were found for free. Read more about the build at Gardener’s Path.

12. A little greenhouse in Ohio

If building a large greenhouse seems intimidating, try your hand with a small scale version. This cute little greenhouse in Ohio, posted on the Houzz forums, is a perfect example of a simple greenhouse design using old windows. The shutters make a nice finishing touch!

13. Greenhouse behind the General Store

Featured on Apartment Therapy, this gorgeous greenhouse sits behind the General Store in Santa Cruz, CA. The rustic building adds interest to a patio area and is filled with heat-loving succulents.

14. Down to earth greenhouse

© Down to Earth Digs

This greenhouse is absolutely beautiful, and it’s made almost completely from recycled materials! Stacey at Down to Earth Digs uses it to start seedlings every spring, and it shows up in many of her stunning garden images. Her husband built it without a set of plans to follow, just creativity and ingenuity. Amazing!

15. Fairfield greenhouse with attached cold frame

Lastly, here is a gorgeous greenhouse with an attached cold frame. Barb from Our Fairfield Home and Garden found three antique windows at a yard sale and from there, an idea for building a greenhouse from old windows took root.

Barb spent over a year saving up salvaged windows before starting the project. As she was unable to do the labor herself, the biggest part of her cost was paying builders to bring her vision to reality. The result is every gardener’s dream!

Like this article? Subscribe to our newsletter to get more great content and updates sent to your inbox!