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The only real drawback to green building is that it’s more expensive up front, with per-square-foot prices sitting 33% higher than what you’d pay to build a traditional home. The higher cost is due to more expensive building materials and more labor to ensure every aspect of the home is as efficient as possible. However, green buildings often save money in the long run, so this is just a temporary downside.

Don’t forget to factor in the climate where you live during the planning stage. If your area is prone to bitter cold and heavy snow, you might want to invest in stronger greenhouse materials like a concrete slab, steel frame, and glass walls or plan to take your greenhouse down for the winter.

The quickest way you can protect plants and trees from frost is to cover them with garden blankets or frost cloths. Also, bringing potted plants or trees indoors is much simpler than trying to cover and protect them outdoors. Remember to anchor blankets with something such as sandbags, fabric pins, or rocks if the forecast calls for strong winds to keep them from blowing away and exposing your trees and plants.

A solarium is built almost entirely out of glass, whereas a sunroom is built using other materials for the walls and ceiling, with some windows added to the walls and possibly a skylight in the ceiling. However, the sunroom uses significantly less glass compared to the solarium. The solarium may not hold heat as well as a sunroom when built in colder climates. A sunroom can use different materials for insulation, and heating and cooling systems can more easily supplement the energy gained from sunlight.