greenhouse basics 101 - Orchid Board

smweaver · #1 10-12-2007, 04:31 PM

I'm having a house built this winter, and I plan on purchasing a greenhouse kit sometime early next spring. I'd like to see if anyone on this site has ever had the experience of ordering a kit from somewhere, getting it trucked in via freight to your home, and installing everything yourself. I'm not new to growing orchids, but I'm definitely a newby when it comes to greenhouses. I have a bunch of questions, so if anyone is willing to answer even one or two of them, I would most appreciate your help. 1) Is there such a thing as an all-inclusive kit, or do most of them just contain the basics for constructing the physical structure itself? 2) Do most of you who own a greenhouse have a water source plumbed inside of it, or do you simply run the hose from the spigot on the back of your house into the greenhouse? 3) Is it a good idea to have a cement slab poured in advance to accomodate the structure, or is it advisable to simply have the greenhouse sit on a bed of gravel, brick patio, wooden deck, etc.? 4) How do you run electricity from the house to the greenhouse to power the misting system, heater, vents and fans? 5) How easy/hard, on a scale of 1 to 10, is it to build a greenhouse from a kit? The size of greenhouse I'd like to get is somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 to 115 square feet. Thank you in advance to anyone who cares to respond.

Steve

Bradfo69 · #2 10-13-2007, 02:22 PM

Wow. Lot's of questions. I'll tell you my experience. I purchased a used and erected 8 x 15 Sunglo that is sold as a kit. My son and I had to take it apart and then rebuild it. It has aluminum framing that is riveted together. I had hoped to move it in sections but it really needed to come completely apart. It was probably easier to construct from having deconstructing it than it would have been doing it from instructions. They had a contractor put it together origionally in two days. Plan on two long ones.

They had theirs on a slab. The water (hot and cold) was plumbed and the electric run underground. It came with the exhaust fan and power vent. Since I am a lot less affluent, mine is on a wood foundation made from landscping ties buried a few inches in the ground. I have paving stones over 4" of mulch for the walkway and 4" of lava rock over weed barrier cloth everywhere else. I ran a hose from the spigot under the foundation and to a y splitter for the mist system and a separate watering hose inside. I will probably water in winter with a pump sprayer that I fill in the house. My electric is a 120 line from the house on it's own circuit but just outdoor rated wire laying across the ground. (Not in any type of traffic area.) I will make more necessary modifications as time and budget allow but it's working so far. I also expect this setup to be temporary as I'm back living with a aging parent so I've done some things I otherwise wouldn't do if I owned the house.

Your greenhouse isn't going to be very big at 100 - 150 square feet but spend a few extra bucks to do it right and you'll be more satisfied. I'm a handy person and don't mind going back and installing new things after the fact. I'm probably going to put in a natural gas heater and move the plumbing and electric underground with the gas line when I dig the trench.

Good luck! It's stressful the first year!

Djarum Black · #3 10-13-2007, 07:42 PM

Hi Steve,

I purchased a 10 X 12-kit greenhouse as an addition to my current green room. I think there were lots of pro’s and con’s. At the very least, it was a learning experience!
First thing you should do is research! This can make such a difference in what you purchase. The kit I bought had HORRIBLE instructions! If I had done more research, I would have found the message board dedicated to fixing the instructional mistakes created by users for that specific model. (I felt so DUMB).
Also, do research on the freight company being used to deliver. I had a nightmare with mine because many companies will not take the greenhouse off the truck. Many models weigh in the excess of 200+ pounds. You will need people or tools to get it off the truck yourself. (it happened to me lol)
Secondly, make a purchase you can live with for a while. Construction if you are doing it alone, or with little help can be exhausting. Even worse, to complete the project only to discover you have already overgrown your space.
It might mean waiting a little long to get a larger model, but it will be worth the wait.
Something else that is very important. Check with your city on the height restrictions and codes for your area. Nothing is worse, then getting all the work done, only to have a neighbor nark you out for something “they” view as an eyesore. It can happen! Then you suddenly have city officials fining you monthly, until you rip it down.
My greenhouse is 11 feet high at the top, but I live in a semi rural area, and I asked my neighbors permission to build.

There are all-inclusive kits on the market that are reasonable and sturdy. Aside from the bad directions, I really love mine. However, I live in Southern California and a lot greatly depends on your weather conditions.
If you live in a windy stormy area, I would suggest having a foundation poured before you begin. That way the structure can be bolted or secured to the site. If you are going to line in plumbing, and electricity, do it during the foundation stage. That way the pipes will be run directly up from the foundation area.

The location I picked to build already had an existing water pipe and spout. So, the greenhouse went in front of the existing pipeline. We are currently working on purchasing a solar powered exhaust fan system with a backup battery. I did not want to run electricity out there. (My current circuit panel is already maxed out) and I love solar powered things. You might consider that an option if you get good amounts of sunlight. It sure will save money in the end.

I would not build on a wood-based structure or a deck though. With high levels of water spilling and humidity, it will lead to rotten boards.
Before my greenhouse went up, we dug a 6-inch deep dug out all around the base. The interior was then filled with several layers of weed suppressant fabric. Then we shoveled in 3 inches of loose gravel. I can spray water on the floor all day with no problems.

Overall, my greenhouse took 3 weeks to build. However, I had nightmare directions, plus work and school. Sometimes we were not able to get out there too work on it for more then an hour everyday.

It was a great learning expereince though, and in the end it's worth all the trouble I think.

Good luck on your project!

Bradfo69 · #4 10-14-2007, 12:45 AM

Hey DJ,

I agree with everything you said. I just didn't have time to write more before running out the door for work. I agree that bigger is better and waiting 'til you can afford it. I got mine for $500 so I can't complain but if I were to buy one from a manufacturer, it would have been larger.

The one question/comment I have is regarding solar fans. I looked into it because I too, like solar things and what I was told by the only people I found that made them were 1) they might not handle the high humidity of a greenhouse 2) no thermostatic controls 3) the cfm ratings were lower than what an electric fan produces so your air doesn't exchange enough. I don't know about So. Cal. but in my area this summer, the fans only kicked on periodically for short periods so I don't think they were a huge energy draw. I'd still like to go solar and would love to know how you make out in your research.

Thanks!
Brad

Bradfo69 · #5 10-14-2007, 12:49 AM

Oh... and for Steve, look into Sunglo. I'm really happy with it overall. Tight, strong when built and it seems the R-value of their wall design is really high.

Bolero · #6 10-14-2007, 03:17 AM

I found mine to be a bit of a challenge at first, I finished it a couple of months ago and couldn't be happier though. I had some trouble getting the pipes to fit together but by dipping one end in hot water to soften it and using a mallet to hammer the ends in it worked out. These are made in Australia but I'm very happy with the product. It needs some more work but I'm not over worried as it's in a protected position at the moment and doesn't need to be fastened down.

I have attached a picture..........they seem to be easy enough to put together (once I worked it out) and if I can do it then so can anyone else.

smweaver · #7 10-14-2007, 11:21 AM

Thank you, everyone, for your fantastic feedback. I live in the Midwest, so the structure's going to have to be strong enough to deal with periodically nutty weather conditions (examples: the occasional hail storm in the middle of summer, strong winds during early spring, Artic-like temperatures in the winter, and the always fun and exciting tornado season). I'm going to look into the Sunglo models. A site called Charley's Greenhouse and Supply has lots of different varieties of greenhouse kits listed. I think they're somewhere in the Pacific Northwest, so I might give them a call and ask about freight costs and necessary supplies prior to placing an order. Luckily I have several strong younger brothers who will be recruited to help me construct the greenhouse (and who will probably roll their eyes and mumble unsolicited commentary about what they like to refer to as my growing habit instead of a hobby :-). I had toyed with the idea of building a structure from scratch, but then reconsidered it (thought it fell into the same unwise category as choosing to represent yourself in a court of law rather than hiring a lawyer). The pictures of the Sunglos that I've found online have looked very nice and sturdy. Unless someone responds with scathing commentary about his or her experience with this brand, I'll probably go ahead and buy one. Thanks again for all of your help!

Steve

Bradfo69 · #8 10-17-2007, 07:48 PM

Steve, you can beat on them (Sunglo) with a baseball bat. Hail shouldn't be a problem. My only suggestion would be to get the widest model you can accomodate. Greenhouses for orchids are a little different than for hobby plant growing and you'll be happier with one that is more square in shape than rectangular. Mine, like I said is an 8 x 15 but they make them wider than 8 feet which is better to accomodate a center bench and two aisles.

~Brad

Oh, and I mean no disrespect to Charley's but, they have a great catalog and are a great source for things, the opinions of people I talk to is that they are overpriced.

smweaver · #9 10-17-2007, 08:45 PM

Thanks, Brad! I'll look around for other distributors of the Sunglo greenhouses to compare prices.

Steve

Bradfo69 · #10 10-18-2007, 03:46 AM

I don't know who a distributer might be but their website (if you hadn't seen it) is sunglogreenhouse.com. Maybe you can find out from them directly.