"a bunch of boxes"... Yup and a big bunch they are :)

The first part of the construction will be tedious. Gathering the pieces that go together, preparing the parts, etc.
But it all starts to fall into place before you know it.

Some additional stuff to make assembly easier:
1. Get some spray bottles and fill with water + mild dish washing soap. Some of the contact joints are pretty tight and spraying them with soap makes it easier. You can rinse them with clean water afterwards.

2. Make sure you design the placement of the vents and windows for maximum ventilation. The Rion WILL get hot once it is completed and receives sunlight.
Once the unit is assembled, it will be a pain to remove and relocate the vents and windows.

3. The pieces with identical labels (E12, E8, etc) all have identical dimensions regardless of what box they came from. I was able to work more efficiently by combining all identical pieces into their own boxes/bins so that I can just walk up to the box and pick up the pieces instead of rummaging through each box for the correct piece.

4. IF after completing your greenhouse you find an extra "E" piece or two, do not panic. That does not automatically mean that you missed a step. Rion for some reason throws in an extra piece into the kit for reasons unknown to me.

5. Wear protective gloves when installing the T-shaped plastic bolts that lock the pieces together. At first you may think that you dont need gloves, but after a few bolts you will feel your hands wear out.

6. I found that the "bolt tool" that you are supposed to use to plug in the locking bolts is too small. I made my own by getting a 1 inch diameter dowel rod, and cut it to a length of 12 inches. I then removed the metal prong from the original bolt tool and installed it on the bigger piece of wood. This allowed me to hold the bolt tool with both hands for better leverage (and less hand wear), and also minimizes the chances of misplacing the tiny tool.

Below is a link to my old thread on my GH assembly.
The thread is a bit old and I have made a bunch of improvements since then. (Exhaust fan, misting system, HAF, additional shade cloth, etc).

Here is a relatively recent picture:
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Here is a link that might be useful: My Rion GH

Wow, that's exactly what I needed to see... Do you mind if I email you with questions? Jeff

I also have a Rion. Unless yours has a better roof design watch for all those "open air" gaps that need filling. I wish you would ask your questions here so everyone with a Rion can benefit by the answers.

Hi Jeff,

It is definitely ok to email me with your questions. But as greenhouser stated, it would be more beneficial for everybody if the questions are posted here so that we can all chime in and learn.

OK - here are a few initially (and greenhouser you may be able to chime in here as well):

1. Foundation. Can you describe the included base? The saleswoman says it is hollow, and you fill it with sand or rocks. My plan is this: I will level an area, place 4X4's in a rectangle 1 foot larger on the sides than the Rion, and then fill in with gravel. Then, I plan to set the Rion base on top of the gravel. Do you think this would work? Another idea I had was to make a base of 2X10's and place the Rion on top of that. Any comment welcome.

2. You said to be careful in placing the side louvers - how should I decide where to place them for maximal cross ventilation? Also, did you add a vent (it looks like you did from the picture)? What's a HAF?

3. Is the solar light at all useful?

4. Is your shade cloth aluminet (sp?)?

5. do the auto openers work well? did you have to cut a hole in the shade cloth? is there ample room to hang plants?

That's all for now...thanks! Jeff

Here are my answers based on my own experience and exposure to the product (Rion Prestige).
*WARNING* This is long :)

1. Foundation. Can you describe the included base?

The base is made of a black plastic/resin material that has one side completely open. Imagine this text bracket: [ except the top and bottom pieces extend a bit longer. When fully assembled, the open side faces the inside of the GH. The idea is that if you plan to bury (or fill in) the base with gravel or soil, the shape of the base will allow it to grasp the soil/gravel and give it stability.

If you plan to use wood beams for the base, then you really dont need to use the optional base kit that comes with the Rion. In most cases, your own custom wood beam base would be sturdier (and more level) than Rion's base kit.
Just anchor the GH straight to your wood beams.

2. You said to be careful in placing the side louvers - how should I decide where to place them for maximal cross ventilation? Also, did you add a vent (it looks like you did from the picture)? What's a HAF?

The Rion Prestige kit I bought included 3 windows and 3 roof vents.
There are several greenhouse design books that deal with the window/vent placements in more detail - the $20-$30 spent investing in those books will be well worth it :).
The placement of your windows and vents will largely depend on your sun exposure, prevailing winds, etc.

For the "basic" ventilation layout, you will want all your intake ports (windows) placed on the "cooler" side of the structure. And then place all the exhaust ports (roof vents, exhaust fan, etc) on the opposite side of the intake ports.
Again, consider the prevailing winds when designing the location of the windows. You want the wind to aid the ventilation, not hamper it - So facing an exhaust fan against the prevailing winds would reduce its efficiency.
In some cases, you may want all the intake windows to face the prevailing winds to take advantage of the air movement provided for free.

Here's a suggestion: Stick a few pieces of wood or plastic rods into the ground surrounding the planned greenhouse site. Space them about 5 feet apart and attach lightweight strips of plastic or paper on the top. These strips should be about the height of your GH windows (between 3 to 5 feet high). For several days, observe how the strips move. This should give you an idea of how the wind works in that area for that time of year. Wind flow could vary from season to season though, so determine which season you will need the best possible airflow (usually summer) and face the windows accordingly.

HAF stands for Horizontal Air Flow (or Horizontal Airflow Fans). These fans are used inside the GH to keep the air moving. Stagnant air is a big No-No inside a GH.

3. Is the solar light at all useful?
Yes. It is serving me well inside my garage :)
Seriously, these lights are nice but I think they were designed just for the 6x6 greenhouse or smaller. They cannot possibly provide enough illumination to work properly at night.
If you need "real" working lights for the GH then you should plan on setting up an electrical outlet where you can plug in any electric light bulb of your choice. You will most likely need an electric outlet installed for the fans anyway.

*CAUTION ABOUT ELECTRICAL OUTLETS* Make sure that you locate your electrical service outlets in a section of the GH that will not get any water from your sprinklers/misters/garden hose, etc. If at all possible, dedicate a section of your GH as the "Dry Area". This is usually near the front door for convenience. This sacrifices planting space, but ensures that you do not have water and electricity getting in contact with each other.
My "dry area" also contains the potting bench and supplies storage shelves so it works out well for me. I have a little nook in the GH that stays dry all the time.

"I dare you to unplug that fan with wet feet" :)

4. Is your shade cloth aluminet (sp?)?
No, but I have one ordered and awaiting delivery :)
Right now I am using generic shade fabric from Lowes.

5. do the auto openers work well?

Ahh, the auto-opener pistons... hmmm. What can I say, it has been hit or miss from what I have read on the forums. I have not had any problems (yet) but a couple of members here actually had to call Rion to get replacements because they got defective units.

** did you have to cut a hole in the shade cloth?
I did cut squares around the roof vents (and windows). This allows the roof vents to operate without any interference from the shade cloth.

** is there ample room to hang plants?
The Rion's roofline is a bit too low to effectively hang anything from the central brace. Unless you are planning on hanging small, light baskets, you would be limited to hanging them closer to the sides so that you have room in the middle to walk across the GH interior.

Also, I personally do not like to hang anything from the GH brace itself. I'm just not so sure if the GH can hold all the weight (despite manufacturer's claims). I would err on the side of caution.

I hope that you found this information helpful :)

~John

Thanks so much for your speedy reply - so helpful! For the first winter, I'm going to run extension cords to the GH, and will probably hang them from the ceiling or wall. Also, I won't have running water out there - hope to use those gutters to fill buckets!

More questions later. Do you have anymore pictures - I'd love to see anything you've got!

Weetfeet has answered your question so I wont repeat what has already been said. Here's a few pics of the flimsy base. We made a form and with lots of rebar and cement, used it instead of 6X6s or other heavy wood.

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{{gwi:298518}}

Well the base is solid as you could get it. Super Job

Thanks for the pix greenhouser - what plants do you grow? How did you attach the bottom of the greenhouse to the cement base? What model Rion is that? Did you try to heat it over the winter?

I grow a mix of tropical plants but am starting to specialize more in orchids, cacti, succulents, geraniums and impatiens. I also start a lot of seed in the spring, both flowers, flower cuttings and veggie seeds. We're hoping to grow some veggies in our Rion over the winter.

The sides of the greenhouse frame snap to the plastic base and are held in with those nylon pins. It was quite a job working with and leveling those flimsy base pieces. Then with the concrete and rebar. I wish we would have saved our money and bought a good exhaust fan instead.

I don't remember what model it was but is 8.6 X 16.6' and about 7' high. No good for hanging baskets and we keep walking into the HAF fans hanging from the roof cables. Both will have tables under them as soon as we finish all the plant tables. It came with 4 roof vents and 4 openers that I'm waiting for them to replace. Two already failed and the other two aren't reliable. They're awfully flimsy for the size of the vents. Naturally they're on "back order."