Greenhouse kits from China: pre-order checks
Before ordering, resolve local permissions and have a competent designer review wind exposure, glazing, foundations and anchoring for your site. Agree ventilation, installation responsibilities and written acceptance checks before authorising production. Coordinate the factory documents through Cambridge China Bridge.
Confirm the site and permission route
Give the local planning authority the address, layout, elevations and intended use. Explain whether this is domestic growing, commercial production or a space customers enter. For an England householder proposal, official guidance advises asking the authority when permitted development is uncertain. Use our permissions guide for the wider review; elsewhere in the UK, start with the relevant local authority.
Planning permission and building regulations approval are separate, and you may need both. Ask your building-control adviser to identify any exemption for the exact greenhouse and what it covers, including proposed services. As a buying precaution, obtain written advice and any necessary decisions before authorising production.
Turn wind exposure into a design brief
Send the designer the site position, orientation, photographs, surrounding terrain and nearby buildings or trees. Highlight coastal exposure, hilltops and open fields. Ask a competent structural designer to establish the wind and snow assumptions and review the complete kit. A supplier's advertised wind rating needs an explanation of the tested configuration, anchoring and site assumptions.
Request a continuous load path from glazing retainers through roof members, bracing and connections to the anchors and ground. Include the effects of open doors and vents, plus proposed shading, shelves or suspended equipment. Record operating restrictions and storm closure instructions. Require a renewed review if the factory changes the frame, glazing or fixings.
Match the foundations and anchors to the kit
Ask who designs the foundations and who supplies the anchors. Have the designer review ground conditions, drainage, levels and any existing slab. A base rail is a connection component; ask for the foundation design beneath it. Obtain coordinated drawings showing frame reactions, base connections, anchor positions, edge distances and installation tolerances.
Agree the anchor type, substrate, embedment, corrosion protection and installation method with the designer and installer. Specify which inspections or tests they recommend and who records them. Do not let the factory choose fixings solely from a photograph of the site. Put locally supplied concrete, excavation, drainage and fixing work into the installer’s scope.
Specify glazing by position and risk
Have the designer assess doors, low-level panels, overhead glazing and areas near paths or public access separately. Ask which glazing material and breakage behaviour suit each position. Compare toughened glass, laminated glass and polycarbonate for impact, falling fragments, panel retention and replacement. Record panel sizes, thicknesses, edge treatment, seals and retainers, with evidence matching the supplied configuration.
Use our construction materials guide for product paperwork. Safety glazing does not establish that a roof can support a person. HSE guidance says installed roofs should be treated as fragile until a competent person confirms otherwise. Agree safe installation, cleaning and panel replacement methods, and obtain labelled packing and identifiable replacement panels.
Make ventilation work with the planting plan
Describe the crops, growing season, occupancy, irrigation and expected moisture to the designer. Ask them to size and position air inlets, roof vents and any fans around the actual greenhouse layout. Include shading and insect screens in that review because they can affect airflow. Agree the temperature and humidity conditions you want to achieve and how performance will be checked.
Check that vents remain usable with benches, plants and screens installed. Ask how automatic openers operate, what happens during power or control failure, and how vents are secured in storms. Include condensation drainage, cleaning access and replacement actuators. Use our spare parts guide to agree continuing availability.
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Get installer acceptance before production
Ask the intended installer to review the final drawings, component schedule and English assembly instructions before ordering. Obtain written confirmation that they can assemble the agreed kit on the designed foundations, with exclusions and unresolved questions recorded. Assign responsibility for unloading, glass handling, lifting equipment, missing parts and design queries. Hold production authorisation until the designer and installer have resolved their comments.
Agree an acceptance checklist covering foundation records, anchors, bracing, glazing retention, door and vent operation, drainage and controls. Define the evidence required, who signs acceptance and how defects are closed, using our site acceptance guide. Cambridge China Bridge’s own staff in China can coordinate factory documents and pre-shipment checks; keep local design review and completed installation acceptance as separate checkpoints.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need planning permission for a greenhouse kit?
Ask the local planning authority to assess the site, use and exact design. Obtain written advice before ordering. Check building regulations separately and ask what any exemption covers.
Is the supplier's wind rating enough?
Ask for the calculation or test basis, exact kit configuration and anchoring assumptions. Have a competent designer check these against your site's exposure, including open doors and vents.
Should I choose glass or polycarbonate?
Have the designer compare impact, breakage, overhead risks, panel retention and replacement for each location. Specify the selected material and matching evidence rather than accepting a general safety claim.
What should my installer approve before I order?
The final drawings, foundations, anchors, component schedule, assembly instructions and work scope. Agree written acceptance checks and responsibility for design queries, missing parts and defects.