Some people walk into this decision knowing exactly what they want, and it isn't metal. They picture a greenhouse with warm cedar framing, the kind of structure that looks like it grew out of the garden rather than getting bolted onto it. If that's you, the question isn't really wood or aluminum — it's will the wood last?
Here's the honest answer, and the reason we carry a cedar line at all.
Does a wood greenhouse rot?
A cheap one will. A well-built cedar one, protected properly, won't for a very long time. The whole game with a wooden greenhouse is keeping the timber off the ground and out of standing water — and that's exactly where quality construction earns its price.
The line we carry, the Alton Cheltenham, comes from a UK maker with over 100 years of building cedar greenhouses. They solve the rot problem in a few deliberate ways:
- The wood framing sits on an aluminum foundation profile that raises it about 1 inch off the ground, so the timber never wicks moisture up from the base.
- The frame is Grade 1, knot-free Western Red Cedar, dipped to resist water absorption while keeping its natural color.
- Solid aluminum gussets reinforce the joints where the framing intersects.
- Assembly uses traditional mortise-and-tenon and tongue-and-groove joinery — the way good woodwork has always been done.
Cedar is naturally rot- and insect-resistant to begin with. Pair that with a maker that keeps it off the ground and seals it against water, and you get a wooden greenhouse that ages gracefully instead of falling apart.
Cedar or aluminum — which should you buy?
Both are premium, decades-long structures. The choice is mostly about look and maintenance, not durability.
| Cedar (Alton Cheltenham) | Aluminum (Janssens) | |
|---|---|---|
| Look | Warm, natural, traditional wood | Classic Victorian or clean modern lines |
| Maintenance | Occasional re-treating to slow weathering | Essentially none — powder-coated aluminum |
| Feel | Handcrafted, garden-room warmth | Architectural, showpiece structure |
| Best for | Buyers who specifically want real wood | Buyers who want zero upkeep |
If you love the warmth of timber and don't mind occasionally treating the exterior, cedar is a genuinely beautiful choice. If you'd rather never think about maintenance again, our aluminum Janssens greenhouses are built to be left alone for decades. Neither is wrong — it's a matter of what you want to live with.
One small tip on the cedar: the Cheltenham offers cedar bar capping as standard, with optional aluminum bar capping that slows the aging of the exterior wood. If long-term, low-fuss ownership matters to you, that upgrade is worth asking about.
What the Cheltenham comes with
A cedar greenhouse should feel finished, not like a lumber kit. This one arrives largely sorted out:
- 3mm tempered safety glass throughout, with a 45° roof pitch so snow sheds instead of piling up
- Pre-assembled doors and windows — a real time-saver on install day
- A single-panel, low-threshold, inward-swinging door with handle and key
- Louvre windows with manual openers, and roof vents with automatic temperature-controlled openers that vent hot air without you lifting a finger
- Options like cast aluminum cresting along the ridge and 2-slat or 4-slat staging shelves for your plants
That roof pitch and automatic venting matter more than they sound. A steep pitch keeps snow moving; automatic roof openers keep the greenhouse from cooking your plants on a bright day when you're not home to crack a window.
It still needs a real foundation
The aluminum base profile lifts the wood off the ground, but it doesn't replace a proper footing. A cedar greenhouse is still a permanent structure that has to sit level and true on a load-bearing foundation that reaches your frost line — same as any quality greenhouse. Get that wrong and even the best joinery will fight you. Our foundation guide walks through what to pour and why, and if you're in snow country, the cold-climate guide covers what winter demands.
The bottom line
A good wood greenhouse is absolutely worth it — if it's built to stay dry. The Alton Cheltenham is, thanks to a century of cedar know-how, an aluminum base that keeps timber off the ground, knot-free Western Red Cedar, and reinforced joints. You get the warmth of real wood without signing up for a rebuild in ten years.
Cedar isn't the right call for everyone. If you're torn between wood warmth and no-maintenance aluminum, that's exactly the conversation we're best at.
Not sure whether cedar or aluminum fits your garden and your patience for upkeep? Call us or send your zip code and we'll talk through the look you want, your climate, and which line will still be making you happy twenty years from now. No pressure — this is the fun part.