To Buy or To Build,,..that is the question...

16 years ago

I'm torn between trying to use the materials I have collected (double and triple paned sliding glass doors) And then building a frame, foundation etc with them...

OR....

Spending some $$ and buying the Harbor Frieght GH kit either 6x8 or 10x12...and then getting someone to help me build it.

Which is actually another area of debate for me...how big of a GH do I need, will I have regrets with the smaller one if I end up getting it, and wish I'd spent a few hundred more and got the bigger one?

Either way I go...will I be able to do this on my own, with some ability to work with tools, etc. or will iI bet better off in hiring a professional/handyman to help me? (I can probably get some help from my family members, and or/ DH) with either option, if I beg enough.

What I want to do in the GH, at least initially is winter my patio plants and tropical trees (last year my garage was FULL of plants, and big pots are such a burden to move in and out)....then I'd like a central place to grow seeds (on a very small scale) Then I'd like to be able to grow a few veggies (lettuce etc) and other things maybe in the winter (probably not this winter) but eventually....And finally I'd like to get a head start on spring plantings....IF I get motivated enough....I'd like to have the option at very least.

If anyone can offer any thoughts, suggestions, ideas etc. to help me make this decision on what might be best a pre-fab GH or a homemade one...and then what size will work best?

RE: the home made GH...I'd be using sliding glass doors (that would be fixed in place, not moving), overall dimensions for this would be in the range of 8x10, probably some type of light weight roofing material, like a corregated plastic type, maybe even a polycarbonate if I can get it for a reasonable price...for the flooring, I'll likely use bricks or gravel...I'd like to have a good amount of head space so I might consider building the foundation up some.... I would also have to incorporate some windows and/or vents for proper ventilation....

I hope this is enough details to get some response...I guess I'm looking for some practical pros and cons to both options....as well as some ideas of how much size is recommended for the amateur....either way I go, I'll do whatever it takes to make the structure sound and sturdy....

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

Dottie B.
16 years ago
All I can tell you is that you will need more room than you think, so go as big as you can afford and as big as the space you have will allow. You'll be glad you did.

If you are very handy and think you can build it on your own, and you are not in a hurry to build it, then I'd say go for it. If you want it finished to be able to use this winter, it might be easier to buy the biggest greenhouse you can afford and get it done. Good luck, whatever you decide.
mudhouse_gw
16 years ago
I'm just completing a 10 by 12 Harbor Freight greenhouse, so I don't have experience yet (compared to others here.) But since you're overwintering plants, another point to consider might be the heating costs of different materials (glass walls and a corrugated fiberglass roof, vs. a kit greenhouse with polycarbonate walls.)

I've used the heating calculator on the website below to determine the size heater(s) I'll need. It lists the differing heat loss values for a range of materials. For example, single pane 1/8" glass (I don't know if your doors are single or double pane?) is listed as having a heat loss value of 1.13, while 4mm twinwall polycarbonate (the Harbor Freight poly panels) is listed with a heat loss value of .70, and so forth.
Heater Calculator

Not sure if this helps much, but it's another element to throw into the mix, if heating costs will make a difference. You can play around with different materials on this calculator to see how it affects the size heater(s) you'd need...which would affect your heating bill.

Regarding building a HFGH yourself, a number of people here have been able to do so. My husband and I worked together, but looking back, I'd definately have needed some help on the wooden foundation, and some assembly points like the top ceiling plates and roof crown, when four hands were a huge help. I'm no electrician, so I couldn't run any wiring for heaters, either.

You could scribble on graph paper to see how much walk space you have in the different size greenhouses, after you allow space for benches or pots. Really laying things out on paper is sometimes a shocking way to discover how much (or how little) space really exists in a given number of feet!
Related Discussions
Seeds of Picea Martinezii: where to buy? And other questions..
Q
Comments (17)
Well..you are right about the summer maximum but to call this a monsoon....BEtween 2000-3000 m etres, where P. martinezii grows they get 680mm on average. So the circulation may well be that of a monsoon but the result is unlike what the word monsoon in general seems to imply. I also found out that the average temperature is a staggering 14 C (annual average). That is really high for a spruce. The climate is classified as oceanic. Okey, more like Southern France oceanic or NW Portugal Spain Oceanic. But than with less rain. Summer precipitation is probably 200-300 mm but the growing season is much longer. Probably all year round or at least march-november. This means that growing season precipitation is lower than that of most parts of NW Europe (much lower). It may succeed in the eastern US, but not where temperatures can drop to -20 or lower I think. I guess this spruce is may be a zone 9 one. But unsure.
...See More
Another used Miele to buy-or-not to buy question
Q
Comments (11)
I've had Miele machines for a long time now. Bought the first set in SD in the late 80's/early 90's. Since then have bought multiple sets for every home we've ever lived in - including a pair for our place in Amsterdam while we were there for two years. All together I've owned about five or six pairs of various Miele's and won't use anything else. They're amazing! My "favorite" pair of them was a 1986 washer and a matching vented dryer that I bought in about 2002 or 2003. Gave it to my kid and she's still using them today. Never had a major service call on them. I have the stainless steel 1215 now with a vented matching dryer. Great machine. But it's been dumbed down a little for the American Market - IMHO. I like the older machines that default to the longer cycles - but got used to that being 'standard' in Europe. BTW: If you family runs around the house in white socks like we do and they get ground in black on the bottoms- and you've never gotten them white before in a Maytag or other conventional US type machine - a couple of times through the Miele on the hottest temp and with Persil detergent (NEVER ANY CLOROX or Chlorine Bleach in a MIELE - NEVER) you will see them white again like they just came out of the package from the store! Amazing! The reason for no bleach is simple. Chlorine becomes an acid at over 158 degrees (approximate - I think that's the temp but give me 10% one way or the other due to aging memory ) and the superheated chlorine will destroy the rubber seals and hoses in the Miele's resulting in a huge service problem. My ex fought me for a pair we owned and I gave them to her. Later on, her house keeper put bleach in them and cost my dear ex wife about 1100 in service and parts to fix it. (I tried not to grin when I heard about it from the kids!) So the rule is: NEVER PUT BLEACH IN THE MIELE's (except for the new huge American style units - they run on 120 vac and cannot heat the water hot enough to cause the aforementioned chemical reaction. So you can bleach in them - although I think I'd avoid it... just in case. Besides, chlorine bleach is NOT a great thing for the ecological balance and should not be used in laundry anyway... in Europe it's virtually outlawed there. You cannot find Clorox on the shelves in most of western Europe for these reasons. Anyway you're gonna love your new Miele's and if you spend a few bucks serving them at some point, you're way money ahead considering that a new pair can set you back about $3500 to $4200 today! (The Euro going sky high against the dollar did not help the Euro pricing here, not at all!)
...See More
Questions about buying a teardown property
Q
Comments (20)
In case it's helpful, here's our experience: we sold our house first, so had cash in the bank. We then bought our project outright--no mortgage. Asbestos is taken VERY seriously in these parts and can add a lot of cost; the city won't issue a building permit here without the asbestos test first! We had a particular design/build firm in mind before we bought, so we organized for them to see the house the day we took possession. We had a designer see the house after our offer was accepted so that we could start working on a design. Our house wasn't a tear-down, just a full-gut reno, but if the house is known as a tear-down, I would definitely have an architect do a consult it you at the site before you buy, to give you some sense of the budget/complexity. Now that we need some financing, by far the easiest thing has been to get a line of credit based off the value of the land. If we wanted a construction loan, that became complicated. But luckily the amount e need is less than 50% of the tax assessed value of the land, so the bank is hay to give us the credit, which is then super-simple. Once the reno is complete, we have the option of rolling the LOC into a mortgage, and we can maintain the LOC. Advice: find out from the city at the asbestos requirements are and make a test a condition of sale if it looks like the disposal will add significant costs. Meet with your lenders to find out the best option to finance the venture. Figure out your budget. Then bring your design firm on board and have a strict discussion about what you can accomplish within your budget. Our firm was not great at this part; I wish we had pushed more so our budget increases weren't such a surprise later on. Hindsight! At that point, I would decide whether to take on the project. At least in a perfect world that's how things would have gone! I don't have any regrets, exactly, but we are paying a LOT more to do this reno than it would have cost us to buy some of the houses that we considered but decided were too expensive. If that's why you're considering the tear down, be cautious.
...See More
electrical questions about crawl space on inspection report home buy
Q
Comments (8)
It will be a different cost in your area, than it would be in most of ours. The only way you will know for sure is to hire an electrician to come and look it all over, and give you the price quote for repair. Be aware in a house of that age, you may have a lot of electrical that needs repairing. You may even have some old left over knob and tube. Make sure your electrician is licensed and has a good reputation, and is used to dealing with houses of that age. Congratulations on your new house.
...See More
oakhill (zone 9A, Calif.)
16 years ago
Rginga,
My advice is to build a GH one size larger than you think you need. It is easy enough to not use some of the space, but if you have one too small... You will always regret not spending a few dollars more , even a "few hundred", to get something that you will really use. Later, I predict you will think it was a good investment.
Your recycled windows, etc, can be used in a greenhouse. However, considering the costs of the supports, posts, connections, you may be better off getting a kit, at least to start. If you are very handy, then, the Harbor Freight GH's are a cheap source of double polycarbonate. If you can build another frame to include the double pane doors you have, and incorporate the polycarbonate from the HFGH, you will have quite a structure, at a bargain price. A 6X8 HFGH is in practice probably too small to do any serious gardening. It gets too hot in the summer,is a problem to heat in the winter and is too small for most gardeners.
mudhouse_gw
16 years ago
I'm sorry I overlooked your info about the doors being double and triple paned...that would make a difference in heating efficiency, and those are not listed in the link I mentioned above.

You may have noted this in another thread, but our local Harbor Freight store has both greenhouses on sale currently (I believe through September 24.)
greenhouser
16 years ago
I have not had any problem heating our HFGH last winter. We barely saw a difference in our electric bill. A small cheap heater from HD kept it 60 all through the coldest nights and that was with no extra insulation. :)
garyfla_gw
16 years ago
Hi
Probably the first consideration is zoning laws in your area?? be sure you follow these and incorporate it into the design. Since every area has different laws you'll need to check locally. The foundation will be the most expensive part and most important, long term. Do you have wind and hail storms?? What are your normal winter lows to give you some idea of operating expense.
No matter what you do your going to spend a lot of money
So carefully think through every step. Do you know anyone in your area that maintains a GH. Their experience could be priceless . good luck gary
ole_dawg
16 years ago
I am currently building the "GREENHOUSE FROM HELL", If you have the money then get the kit. I am going from stratch and it is a nightmare so far and costing me a whole lot more that I had thought and that is just for the frame. Granted, I am over building it, but come huff and puff I can assure you that mine will not fall down

1eyedJack and the Dawg
djonathang
16 years ago
If you have the skills to build, go for it. That being said, the assembly challenge of the HFGH 6x8 did leave me with a feeling of accomplishment (tongue in cheek only slightly). The nice thing about the HFGH was that I was operational on day 3. Depends on your personality type, and the experience you are seeking. Is construction part of it, or is it propogating plants, growing "out of season", etc.

Cheers,

DG

To Buy or To Build,,..that is the question...

Comments (8)

Dottie B.

mudhouse_gw

Related Discussions

oakhill (zone 9A, Calif.)

mudhouse_gw

greenhouser

garyfla_gw

ole_dawg

djonathang

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US