A lot of good information already posted. I have been hearing more and more about pit style greenhouses that utilize the constant temperature of the ground of 50 degrees coupled with a greenhouse or hoophouse structure over top. I would like to incorporate decomposing horse manure with red worms to provide good humus for our garden and feeding the chickens in the winter with the worms. All structures degrade over time and the cost of the structure replacement should be considered. Obviously, you never know how long something is going to last, but there are good indications how long greenhouse plastic can last if you do your homework. Treated lumber on the ground can last a long time and can be shielded with plastic to help prevent leaching of the pressure treating chemicals in the soil. Another alternative to treated lumber is composite material (basically standard size 2 x material but plastic based). Constructing a greenhouse gives you an opportunity to build what you want and is easy to do, while saving you money. As you probably already know, orientation of the structure in relationship to the sun is important. Depending on what you grow, shade clothes can be beneficial as well. Very few times have I heard where heating a greenhouse with electric, gas, etc is cost effective. Instead, covering plants with a secondary cover within the greenhouse and utilizing a bowl or bucket of warm water during the night can be a great help. It is a little more work, but well worth the savings. Hope this helps a little. Mike's Plans

Justalurker & TomPlum - I promised I'd follow-up with an update. Sure enough, that GX345 fell thru. Turns out it was being packaged up, with another 5 to 10 riding mowers/tractors, to be sold to a Canadian wholesaler. The weird part was that I was taking my 12-year old to a hockey game 100 miles from where I originally saw the GX345. Up the street from the rink was a JD dealer, and it happened to be owned by the same dealer (they have 3 locations)...For kicks, I drove around the back of the building and sitting on a pallet was the GX345! Sitting next to it, on 2 other pallets, where the deck and the blower....I got a chance to inspect more closely. As I said previously, things happen for a reason - I am VERY glad I didn't buy this tractor. But, the story gets better. Short version is that I kept my eyes out for a used x5-- series. I happened to see an x530 go up for sale, but it was about 2.5 hours from the house. After conversing with the seller (who was in FL), turns out the tractor was built late May 2011, sold in late July 2011 but it was not known how many hours were on it. I took a leap of faith and committed to buy it, sight unseen (well, just 1 picture). The best part? It was originally sold by the same dealership that had that GX345 (their 3rd location!). I drove in a snowstorm, a couple of days ago, to pick it up. The tractor has only 37 hours and still has 3 1/2 years of warranty on it! I won't publish what I bought it for - but, you can do the math. I paid 1/2 what was paid for it, last July....A nice deal and a very nice silver lining to the craziness I went thru. Patience - and cash - pay off! x530 is now being outfitted with a 47" blower, grill cover, 4 quiktatch weights and chains. Thanks again for all of your help!

Neo: Thanks and a couple of answers to your questions: 1. The attic is well insulated (R-49 about 3 years ago) but the house is south facing and stucco. Tons of windows (about 38 (med/lg on 1st floor and 6 med size windows on the 2nd floor. I don't think the stucco does as well as a brick home when it comes to insulating from the heat and cold. 2. The 5 ton today does not short cycle. It is pretty consistent and have been told with a variable system we would definitely see a cooler and less humid home. 3. Atlanta does get cold. It is not uncommon to see the coldest temps in the teens and average around mid-30's to low 40's. Organic Possum: Thanks and will check. GG

I got this one over 3 years ago: https://www.geappliances.com/appliance/GE-Profile-ENERGY-STAR-23-1-Cu-Ft-Counter-Depth-Fingerprint-Resistant-French-Door-Refrigerator-PWE23KYNFS No bells & whistles, but it's been problem free. Flexible shelving & super easy to keep clean. The door bins hold a gallon and two quart containers on either side, and the other door bins hold lots of condiments & small jars so that your shelves stay free for food. I use square plastic containers a lot & stack them, not just plastic wrap thrown over bowls, so that helps. The produce bins could be a tad bigger, but I've yet to have a head of lettuce that doesn't fit, & it helps to cut the root off of long celery. The shelves are easy to rearrange as your needs change for the holidays or parties. I like that the deli tray has variable temperatures: if I have thawed ground beef, but plan on using it in a day or two, I can set the deli tray to a colder temperature & keep the ground beef there until needed. The ice maker does its job, and the freezer bin is more capacious than it looks. The upper tray holds stacked Pepperidge Farm bread loaves, just to give you an idea of its height. (I usually have four loaves in the upper tray, 2 over 2.) We got this to replace a gargantuan GE 29 cu. ft. fridge with bells & whistles that served us well for 14 years (though the bells & whistles died one by one). I wasn't expecting to like my new "tiny" basic fridge. Fridge sizes have changed, & the smaller counterdepths are the only types that will fit through our doorways. But turns out I really, really like this refrigerator.