A couple of hints I didn't find elsewhere: I loosly pre-assembled the back wall with two corner studs, the 79 and 80 diagonals, the two 31 horizontals and two 48 clips. It was quite easy to lift that wall into position using the 79Âs as arms and it balanced as I secured the corners. The "extra" bolts loaded into the studs are a pain to keep out of the way when securing the bottom of each stud. They are in the way and the even wedge behind the diagonal braces. A piece of tape preventing them from sliding down helps. (I am a smoker and stuffed a cigarette butt into the slot.) A large nail slipped under the bolt helps to locate the base bolt of each stud up off the foundation so it can match the clip hole. Fingers donÂt fit between stud and the clip. Also-poster MUDHOUSE posted that extra clips are available from HF for $10.95 (plus it cost me $7 shipping part number 29457 order only by phone 1-800-444-3353. These are necessary to adequatly secure the lexan panels against winds.

I have to chime in with everyone here and agree that you would probably be sorry if you tried to shorten the height of your GH. There are just too many other ways to increase the insulation of the GH and altering the original structure would be complicated and messy. You would be missing out on a lot of shelf space, opportunities to hang plants and the cooling effect of having that space for the heat to rise. And we've all agreed that cooling the GH is just as difficult as heating it, even here in the more northern locations. I'm in Ontario also, halfway between London and Sarnia. Yesterday, outside temps were in the mid 20's but with the sun out it was 105* in the GH until I went out and opened a door a few times. That is *with* an automatic window vent that is located in the ridge line of the roof. Imagine what the temps would be if I didn't have that extra 5 ft of overhead space for the heat to rise to! My GH isn't a HF but is homebuilt and quite tall. I'm thankful for the extra space that allows me to have upper shelves (or very tall ones on the lower bench), hanging baskets and good air movement. The walls and north roof are insulated and in winter I use a clear solar pool cover over the whole building, with a hole cut to accomodate the roof vent. I ordered it in the States and drove over to pick it up from an American friends address.

You might get more responses from non-owners seeking parts for building smaller greenhouses and cold frames if you identified some major panel parts and studs by size, price and what state you live in. I also considered buying another greenhouse for parts when the price dropped below the cost of just replacement panels from other greenhouse firms.

I would happily buy another Harbor Freight, but I was lucky to find this forum before we bought ours, so I pretty much knew what to expect in terms of time and labor. People probably shouldn't buy a Harbor Freight greenhouse and assume the purchase price represents the bulk of their expenses to get to a fully functional greenhouse. (However, I suspect thatÂs true of any greenhouse...the kit is just the start, and the interior niceties can really add up, depending on how crazy you decide to get.) If it helps anyone, IÂve finally got my receipts together. HereÂs a breakdown of our additional expenses for modifying and erecting the greenhouse: 4x6 and 4x4 pressure treated wood, rebar, bolts for foundation $155 Cedar boards and Styrofoam insulation for base interior $32 EMT braces, screws for panels, various extra bolts and wood screws $59 Sill insulation, caulk, aluminum tape for panels, weatherstripping $69 Extra panel clips from Harbor Freight $22 So, the grand total for extra materials for us was about $337. Add this to my purchase price for the kit ($545 including tax) and IÂm up to $883 for the completed empty structure. IÂm sure others end up with slightly different numbers, depending on how they did the foundation and modifications. Of course, we didnÂt stop there, noooooo! After we added gravel and paver flooring, foam insulation for the north wall, nice slatted wooden benches, wire shelving, electrical outlets, running water, a stainless sink, a hose faucet, a mosaic potting bench, a 16" 3-speed exhaust fan, two 1500w heaters, three thermostats, Aluminet shadecloth and removable Aluminet screen panels, remote thermometers, and two fans for HAF, IÂm somewhere around $1840. (Admittedly, some of the choices we made were a bit on the fancy side, as you can see in my blog. But boy, have we had fun.) ;-) I canÂt say if itÂs the best value on the market or not (secretly, I still suspect it is.) I know itÂs been a great value for me. The great thing about these forums is people can read these posts and see varying opinions, and then decide which path is best for them, so I thought IÂd toss some numbers up here in case theyÂre helpful.