I spent a year agonizing over which GH to buy and ended up with Cross Country for a number of reasons, but in the end; it was the sheer quality of the STRUCTURE.

Fans and heaters go, but the structure is should outlive you.

Then, we had an adventure with a dock accident and my decision to buy a product for which I could go directly to the mfg. really proved wise.

The carrier damaged the polycarbonate vent panels and the day after I called Kyle at BC Greenhouses, the replacements were on my front porch.

However, we are also highly impressed with the total quality and weight of the frame. It really is heavy.

Another point, which may seem unimportant, but it was the final factor in my decision to go for the quality- a fortune in SS screws.

Use plated pot metal screws on aluminum and you will be sorry, yet that is what is supplied with just about all so-called "bargain" GHs.

As has so often be said: you get what you pay for, but with BC, I've already received far more.

I talked to Kyle on the phone for some time after reading of your adventures on Friday.

I think I'll go with Cross Country too ... but which style to choose? What color?

I live in a desert environment, so thinking the green might be good.

Which model did you actually get?

What sort of fans, heaters, misters did you get?

I am looking at:

foundation of pier blocks and ABS deck 2x4's

Benchmaster Benches (beecause they are recycled material)

A 30 gallon drum "parts washer" for my sink (the water can be recycled by attaching a hose to the bottom of the drum, and it can be easily tipped and cleaned periodically)

Equestrian mats for the potting area and middle aisle

A series of large water-filled black ABS pipes as heat-sinks on the S and W sides outside and inside. the ones on the west side can act as legs for a bench-top

Aquafog misting system

Taylor Wireless thermostat/hygrometer

A Two-stage thermostat (auto opens vents, then turns on fans)

HAF Fans

Aluminet shadecloth with "Shade Rite" hinged grommet fasteners

Insul-Shield for the foundation/footing insulation, and maybe straw bales against the foundation

Haven't chosen a heater yet, but leaning toward a Modine

Not sure what else I will need, but studying parts on the internet is giving me an idea of what I want and what is available.

DID YOUR GREENHOUSE come with anything?

thanks!
d

My BC is a 12 x 16 ft. "Anniversary" model and I chose both a white frame and curved roof for asthetic reasons, as it will be a feature in my garden. However, we often get heavy wet snows here, so having a roof that will encourage snow to slide off on its own may prove practical too.

I ordered it with roof vents, then added 12" power vents and a fan that will be operated off a single line to a thermostat control.

I was given to understand that white was better for very hot climates, but also know that deserts can get quite cool at night, so can't comment on which color might be best for you.

But I would bet your local S&WCD and/or Univ. Ag. Extension people would, and if you aren't already in contact with them, you should, because few people can or will give you as much genuine expert counsel specific to your area weather and soil conditions for free.

(Well, okay: not free, but you might as well get the most bang from your tax bucks.)

I will also be installing a 52" ceiling fan, and with a 12" door drop, the roof purlins will be high enough to serve as braces for ceiling joists that will run across the width of the GH and serve as mounting frames for both the fan and lights that will be below the blades, to avoid the strobe effect.

I will be heating with natural gas and will order my heater from ACF in the next week or so, but it will be a Sterling, upon the insistance of our H/AC pro., who it delcared superior to Modine, and it's tublar heat exchanger the best choice for a GH.

We are constructing upon 2 high, 4 X 6 treated timbers, set upright on concrete footers, and will cap them with lengths of radius edged cedar 1 x 6s.

We will miter the corners on the cedar, and router edge the ends by the door to match the outer edges. The cedar caps will extend out over the sides of the 4 x 6s, to form a sort of sill.

I needed to come up with a means to get around the copper-alum. conflict, and the cedar cap will accomplish that goal while adding a nice finishing touch to the appearance of the base.

I would have liked to go with Nathan's deep down foam scheme for insulation, but can't, so will use his under and out, with 2" Type 250 foam under the floor and 2" Type 150 against the inside of the base, down 3 ft., and out 2 ft. from the outside of the base.

We are on hydric soil here and drainage is always a consideration, so we will slope the outside foam down a bit.

Our water was already in place to a freeze proof garden faucet that will now be inside the GH, close to a 50 gal. sump pit with a pump, that will drain into a long, also below freeze line gray water drain.

I haven't yet decided on a misting-drip system, as we are still in the construction phase of the foundation, but am planning water lines running the length of the GH, with Ts off to the sides every 4 ft. and down, to faucets set just above the plant tables.

We thought about laying the water lines under the floor, but have decided not to, to keep them accessable.

Ditto electrical lines. I HATE extension cords and will not have any, but also need to allow for plugs for tank heaters and lights and timers, as my GH will be as much a fish room as a plant haven.

We will run 12-3 outdoor wire through pvc; the same for water and another for air, as my big air pumps run at least 3000 gallons each, so I'll likely have only one in service at a time.

I bought a 5 gal. point of use electric water heater for my sink, which will be mounted on an 8 ft. wide cedar base against the back wall, above the sump.

Our weather has been miserable for months, so it threw our schedule off, but we finally have the footers in and will cut the 4 x 6's tomorrow.

Then, I get them stained, sealed and ready to bolt down.

I'm still making decisions about some of the details, but know they will reveal themselves as we go, such as my need for shade cloths.

But I was also determined to make the major decisions before we laid the foundation, as retrofitting is a PITA and at our age, time is the real enemy.

One our heirs just called, to tell me to spend it, so I think I'll just order the vent and power intake screens and not drive my poor hubby nuts trying fabricate them.

I too appreciate the comfort and insulating properties of rubber stall/trailer mats and thought of using them, but they are just too heavy for me to handle alone anymore, so will stick to lighter weight mats, like the foam ones that fit together like jigsaw puzzles.

But I've also decided to use glazed quarry tile on the floor, laid on cement board atop the 2" Type 250 foam over about 6 inches of compacted limestone screenings, sloped a bit to a center floor drain, connected to the sump.

I figured I might as well have my GH floor look as pretty and be as easy to keep clean as the mud room in the house and believe it or not; glazed quarry tile is cheaper than those cement patio pavers that crumble on the edges every time you step on them.

You asked if my GH came with anything.

It came with exactly what I ordered, but the best thing it came with may have been Kyle.

I can't stress that enough, because if you read some of the posts about the problems so many people are having with mass produced erector sets from Harbor Freight, for me at least, being able to just ring up the mfg. has already made all the difference with what is after all, a rather complicated and somewhat pricey DIY project.

If money were truly no object; I could have been in Aruba while a contractor did it all, then come home to a completed plant and fish palace.

If you are asking for any advice, it would be for you to sit down and determine exactly how much you are prepared to spend on the total; then crunch your numbers to see what you must have to be able to use your GH, and what you simply want in addition, and decide which is which.

If you rationalize it, a garden GH is a purely want, not a need, so when you are done, it should be whatever gives you the most pleasure your wallet can support.

I recall the old joke about the fellow who goes to his garden center to buy everything he needs to grow tomatoes, from tools, bags of fancy soil, cages, fertilizer and tomato plants; spending a pile of $ in the process.

As he is leaving, he asks the clerk when his tomatoes will be ready to eat, and the clerk replies:

"Oh, right about when they will be Five Cents a pound at the farm stands."