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 just finished mine and suggest you take hints suggested on this site (and others if you Google HF Greenhouse.) Mandatory if you want it to go well: 1. level and square up the foundation many times as you go along. The long sides tend to buckle and twist as you assemble it so also check straightness (with a taunt string.) Buy or borrow an 8' ladder-you need it for the high work. 2. Order those extra clips early-they ship quickly and you absolutely need them. We ordered extra clips from Harbor Freight, 130 for $10.95, item no. 29457. TheyÂre not available online, and so far are not carried in our local store, so you have to call 1-800-444-3353.(shipping cost $7 and took one week for mine) 3. Plan on reinforcing the frame with EMT conduit-its cheap and adds a lot of stability. There are many suggested ways but belly-band the sides and the roof trusses. 4. Plan on reinforcing the header over the door-it sags and binds the door. I used 1" square alum tubing-got a 11' length for $18 at a local steel mill. 5. Do screw the plexiglas to the frames- I used galvanized screws with rubber reinforced washers. Most suggest stainless steel but I couldn't find them locally and couldn't find technical data (other then amature opinions) demanding stainless. 6. Do tape the edges of plexiglass with perforated tape from greenhouse vendors. I got mine installed before I realized that need, and will be removing and redoing panels all summer. Its quick and easy to do before installing-kick me. It keeps out bugs and slows the green mold along the edges. Do keep us informed as you proceed-I found the advise from others absolutely necessary to get mine up. By the way I did it 100% by myself and I am a healthy 70 year old-

Hello all, I am not new to the garden web but I am new to this forum. I'm a fig farmer and that is all I grow. I am excited to hear about this coupon and can't wait till tomorrow to get the mag. I built a 6 x 8 greenhouse last summer. I wasn't as lucky as you guys getting a greenhouse for this price; however I am considering buying this greenhouse too. Anyway, I got mine from Sam's on sale for 599. After buying mine, I let it sit outside for about a month before I built it. Why? Well, I'm sorta a perfectionist. I wanted to make sure it was built right. The hardest part building a greenhouse is building the base. After researching the web nightly, I decided to sit mine down on pressure treated 4 x 4s. I had to put 10mil plastic between the greenhouse and the 4 x 4s. Why? Because the chemical in the lumber would eat up the aluminum in the greenhouse. I also laid down 2 layers of weed guard. I secured the base in the ground using rebar and large "U" nails. In the pic below, you can see the gray 5mil tarp that I doubled as a barrier. The date in the pic should say 2009, not 2008. I'll post a pic tomorrow of the finished product with trees inside. I had a wind problem but solved that with liquid nails and rubber cement. thanks Dennis Here is a link to it before I added all the pavers: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/fig/msg0821111813764.html

Great pictures! Fortunately, the tree in our way died about a year before we put up our greenhouse (still had to cut it down, though!) We had a furry OSHA inspector too (all extra paws and hands were greatly appreciated.) I love my 10x12 HFGH, enjoying it for my third year. It's totally stuffed with plants, year round. "- We will add more clips to prevent the panels from flying off in the wind - a major concern." Sounds like you've read the archived threads here about the recurring problem of lost HFGH panels. In addition to extra clips (we did that too) it's pretty easy to add self-tapping screws to the panels, as even more protection against panel loss. The 10x12 is pretty tall and makes an even worse target for wind damage, but there are some scary threads archived here about wind-damaged 6x8 HFGHs as well. Here are some photos showing how we screwed the panels into the aluminum frame (thanks to previous GardenWeb forum members who suggested this improvement.) Part Six, Adding the Panels "- Depending on the temperatures, may add a blind on the western end to prevent sunburn and excessive late afternoon heat." I definately need shadecloth on the roof, west end, and south side (my succulents and cacti cook in there without it.) I also believe that adding shadecloth has helped to increase the lifespan of my HFGH panels in our sunny climate. (I used Aluminet shadecloth.) Some GardenWeb HFGH owners have reported problems with the HFGH panels deteriorating after exposure to sun, but others don't seem to have this problem. My panels have yellowed, but I see no other signs of deterioration (fingers crossed.) "In winter, may add water jugs as heat sinks in cooler weather." In theory it seems like this would help, but the general consensus seems to be that you'd need very large containers of water to retain enough heat to truly benefit you into the wee hours of a cold morning. Most small greenhouses can't afford to give up the high percentage of space required to make this work, but there's lots of good reading on this topic in this forum (posted by folks who are much smarter than I am.) "- Wish list: shelves, solar fan, temperature activated window control" Just a warning, the HFGH solar fan is not powerful enough to adequately cool your greenhouse (sounds good, but doesn't quite work.) If you do a search in this forum for HFGH solar fan, there's a thread with a knowledgeable poster sharing his calculations that a 6x8 HFGH would need three of the HFGH solar fans to exchange enough air to drop the temps (if my memory is right.) There are also some posts from folks saying the HFGH vent openers don't last long at all, and it's best to research and purchase other brands that have a better track record. Good job, congratulations, and happy greenhousing! Sheri