Greenhouse Construction Cost Calculator

Structure Type and Glazing set the base cost per square foot before any floor area is even applied, and that per-square-foot rate can differ by several times over between a basic hoop house and a glass Venlo structure — the difference compounds across the entire floor area. Heating, cooling, and benches, by contrast, are each a flat per-square-foot add-on layered on top of whichever structure and glazing you've already chosen, so they matter, but they never overtake the foundational choice of what kind of structure you're building in the first place.

Single poly film is the cheapest option up front but typically needs replacement every few years and offers the least insulation value, while double poly film adds an air gap that meaningfully improves heat retention for a modest cost increase, and rigid polycarbonate or glass costs the most but lasts far longer and holds heat best through cold months. The right choice depends on your climate and how long you plan to operate the structure — a short-season hoop house may never justify glass, while a year-round heated greenhouse in a cold climate usually earns back the higher glazing cost in reduced heating bills.

You should still enter a Site Prep Cost per square foot even for a simple build, since some grading, base material, and at minimum a water or electrical hookup are almost always needed — set it toward the low end of the range if your site is already flat and well-drained and toward the high end if it needs significant grading, drainage work, or a longer utility run. Setting it to zero will understate your real budget unless your site genuinely needs no preparation at all.

Each system — heating, cooling, and benches — is priced independently as its own per-square-foot line item based only on floor area, so switching benches off removes only the bench cost from the total and leaves the heating and cooling cost calculations completely unaffected. This lets you toggle each system independently to see exactly how much each one adds to your total budget without the others shifting in response.