HOW TO HIRE · GARDEN & OUTDOOR

How to hire a greenhouse installer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register covers greenhouse installers. Check the planning limits in England, the base and the glazing, and get it in writing.

  • Search and compare — no account needed
  • Nearest to you first
  • One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a greenhouse installer in five steps

  1. Choose the spot and measure the boundaryDistance to the boundary and the height you want decide whether it is permitted development in England.
  2. Agree the baseA level base of slabs, a dwarf wall or a timber sole plate — the greenhouse is only as square as the base.
  3. Check the glazingToughened glass or polycarbonate; horticultural glass breaks into sharp pieces.
  4. Ask about anchoringA greenhouse that is not fixed down can lift in a storm.
  5. Get it in writingModel, base, glazing, delivery and removal of packaging, with VAT shown.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

In all four nations greenhouse installers can trade without a licence, and no official register lists them. The rules that matter are about where the greenhouse stands and how tall it is, so the installer's experience with bases and glazing is what you check.

Ask for photos of installs they have done on a similar base.

Planning limits (England)

Class E of the General Permitted Development (England) Order 2015 allows a garden building such as a greenhouse without planning permission if it is behind the front of the house, single storey, no more than 2.5 metres high within 2 metres of a boundary (4 metres for a dual-pitched roof elsewhere, 3 metres otherwise), and not within the grounds of a listed building.

Measure the boundary distance and ridge height of the model, and ask the council if it is close to a limit. legislation.gov.uk →

Building Regulations exemption

Schedule 2 of the Building Regulations 2010 lists a greenhouse among exempt buildings, unless it is used mainly for retailing, packing or exhibiting. A domestic greenhouse needs no building control approval in England and Wales.

No action needed for a domestic greenhouse; for a large glazed garden room, ask whether it still counts. legislation.gov.uk →

Public liability insurance

Insurance is not a legal requirement for a greenhouse installer. Public liability insurance matters anyway: a dropped pane or a slipping ladder can damage a fence, a shed or a neighbour's car.

Ask to see the current insurance certificate, with its limit.

VAT

Installing a greenhouse is standard-rated, so VAT is 20%. A greenhouse installer with turnover over £90,000 must register, charge the 20% and show it as a separate line on the written quote.

Ask for the greenhouse installer's VAT number and confirm the 20% is listed below the model and base prices. gov.uk →

“Will this greenhouse be within the permitted-development height near my boundary?”

A good answer: Its ridge and eaves heights, the distance to the boundary, and a straight answer — or advice to ask the council.

“What base will you build, and who levels it?”

A good answer: A named base — slabs, a dwarf wall, a timber or steel base — laid level and square before the frame goes up.

“Is the greenhouse glazing toughened or horticultural?”

A good answer: Toughened glass or polycarbonate is safer, especially with children; horticultural glass is cheaper but breaks into sharp shards.

“How is the greenhouse anchored?”

A good answer: Fixed to the base with ground anchors or bolts, not sitting loose.

“Are vents, staging and guttering included with the greenhouse?”

A good answer: A list of what comes with the kit and what is extra.

“Do you take the greenhouse packaging away?”

A good answer: Yes, and they say how. Removing waste as a business needs a waste carrier registration.

“How long does the greenhouse installation take?”

A good answer: A day or two for most kits after the base has set.

Getting the quote right

  • The greenhouse model, size and frame material
  • The base: type, size and who builds it
  • Glazing type and number of panes
  • Anchoring, guttering, vents and staging included or extra
  • Removal of packaging and any old greenhouse
  • Who actually attends to build the frame and glaze it, and whether they are employed or subcontracted
  • The VAT number, with 20% VAT shown apart from the greenhouse, base and glazing

Walk away if

  • No base, or the frame set straight on soil
  • They have not asked about the boundary or the height
  • Horticultural glass beside a play area with no mention of the risk
  • Full payment before delivery of the kit
LOW
£250
TYPICAL
£950
HIGH
£3,500

What a greenhouse installer costs: £250–£3,500 per install

Greenhouse installation is priced per install; the size of the kit, the base and the glazing set most of the cost, and many quotes treat the base as a separate line. Greenhouse Installation price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Greenhouse installers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Site and baseThe position is measured against the boundary, the ground cleared and a level base laid.
  2. FrameThe frame is assembled on the base and checked square with diagonal measurements.
  3. AnchorThe frame is fixed to the base before any glass goes in.
  4. GlazePanes fitted with clips or beading, starting from the roof and working down.
  5. Fit-out and tidyDoors, vents, guttering and staging fitted; packaging taken away.

Toughened glass
Safety glass that shatters into small blunt pieces.
Horticultural glass
Thinner, cheaper glass that breaks into sharp shards.
Dwarf wall
A low brick or block wall the greenhouse frame sits on.
Ridge height
The height of the highest point of the roof.
Permitted development
Building allowed without a planning application, within set limits.
Ground anchor
A fixing that ties the frame to the ground or base against wind.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the kit paperwork and invoiceThe manufacturer's guarantee usually needs proof of purchase and of a level base.
Check the doors and ventsDoors slide or swing without catching, vents open and close, no gaps where glass meets frame.
Look at the base after rainWater should run off, not pond inside; the frame should still be level.
Rate the workBooked through Locufy, the job can be reviewed; if the greenhouse installer needs to come back, the make-it-right step gives them the chance first.

STEP 1Start with the greenhouse installerSet out in writing what went wrong with the greenhouse. Section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 is the duty of reasonable care and skill; section 55 lets you ask for the service to be repeated.
STEP 2Make it right through LocufyGive fewer than four stars and you are asked whether the greenhouse installer should get the chance to fix it first; we follow it through before the review goes up.
STEP 3No regulator: Trading StandardsCitizens Advice (0808 223 1133, England and Wales), Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) and Consumerline in Northern Ireland (0300 123 6262) advise and can refer a trader to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Small claimsKeep the quote, the photos and every message with the greenhouse installer: claims up to £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland and £5,000 in Northern Ireland are heard on the small-claims routes.

Hiring a greenhouse installer: questions people ask

In England, usually not, if it meets the Class E limits: behind the house, single storey, 2.5 metres high within 2 metres of a boundary, not at a listed building. Elsewhere, ask the council.

No. In England and Wales a greenhouse is an exempt building under Schedule 2 of the Building Regulations 2010, unless used mainly for selling or packing.

Expect £250 to £3,500 an installation, most often near £950. Our greenhouse installation price guide covers what changes it, and the search above lists greenhouse installers where you live.

Glass lets in more light and lasts; polycarbonate is lighter and safer. Toughened glass is the middle ground.

Nobody needs a licence to work as a greenhouse installer in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and there is no register to search.

Only on a proper base. Turf under a frame sinks unevenly and twists it.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in garden & outdoor

How to hire: Shed InstallationHow to hire: Summer House InstallationHow to hire: Raised BedsHow to hire: Garden DesignHow to hire: Log Cabin InstallationHow to hire: LandscapingHow to hire: Planting & BordersHow to hire: Patio LayingAll 701 hiring guides →

Greenhouse installers near you

Greenhouse installers in LondonGreenhouse installers in ManchesterGreenhouse installers in BirminghamGreenhouse installers in GlasgowGreenhouse installers in BelfastAll greenhouse installers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, Schedule 2 Part 1 — outbuildings and hard surfaces
  2. Building Regulations 2010, Schedule 2 — exempt buildings and work
  3. gov.uk — planning permission (England and Wales)
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  5. Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track (England and Wales)
  6. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money (simple procedure)
  7. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  8. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  9. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register