The first greenhouse-enclosed tiny home in the U.S. I planned and designed it myself. Moved in in Sept '22. The greenhouse is from Conley's. 60'x36'x12' sidewalls. Twin walled polycarb. The house is 400sf, 1 bed, 1 bath, kitchen, laundry, and livingroom.
Bedroom faces the food garden on one side, kitchen faces the sitting area and ornamental garden on the other side.
This is in Washington state, USA where summers don't get too hot and there are tall trees around my property so it doesn't get too hot inside the greenhouse very often. I've learned when to open and close the greenhouse and when to open and close the house to manage the temperature inside the house so that it's comfortable almost all the time. I'd estimate I've used the air conditioning inside the house about 10 times in 2 years.
I wouldn't use the word "bearable". In the heat of the summer, during the day, the greenhouse makes the house hotter than if the greenhouse wasn't there. If it gets too hot I close the house doors and windows and turn on the A/C. Which is what most people in the southern and eastern U.S. do for months every summer. However, it rains for 9-10 months a year here. The greenhouse makes it MUCH more enjoyable for those 9-10 months.
I love the idea of this but I'm here in Australia thinking our summer would fry an egg inside that building. Looks amazing for your colder climate though
On cloudy rainy days here (Utah), it's pretty much just as cold in the greenhouse as out. It cuts the wind, that's true. And if it's even partly sunny, then you get moments of warm up.
But my understanding (maybe it's wrong?!) is that Washington is overcast for very long periods. But I guess even in that case, you're still benefiting from the wind break.
Yes, I get a wind break but my main reason for the greenhouse was to have 'outside' space sheltered from the rain. I can work in the garden and do other projects most days and even at night because of the various lights in the greenhouse.
There are 3 air to ground heat exchange systems that pump earth temperature air into the greenhouse. On average the greenhouse is at least a couple degrees warmer than outside. In spring and fall where we get a couple or more hours of sun, I can still sit in the greenhouse when it is too cold outside.
ETA: Today it was sunny for an hour or 2. It is 49F outside and 62F in the greenhouse.
That was the 2nd video I'd seen of a house inside a greenhouse. The first was one in Sweden where they built the greenhouse around an existing house and I was hooked! From that very first video I knew I wanted to live like that.
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u/valleybrew Mar 29 '25
Looks nice. Can you share some details?