Really need a closer up picture of what you are talking about. Looks like a cute little set up you have. Will you get enough light in the summer?

Very pretty greenhouse! I'm not clear on your concerns yet either...does the surrounding ground slope down towards the greenhouse so you're afraid you'll get water in through the door?

The ground does slope down pretty severly toward the greenhouse. Will have to dig out a little of the slope to open the door completely. We have 3" of concrete under the door.

It is very shaded here. We don't plan to use the house much in the summer. Will primarily overwinter & start seedlings & cuttings for spring planting.

I am a little concerned about the water coming in. We've not yet put the gravel in the interior because we needed a firm floor for the ladders. The way we're set up now we can add no more than the 3" of gravel and/or pavers for the floor. Will that be enough?

Kim, I'm new to greenhouses, but my gravel and paver flooring is only about 2" thick, so I don't know why 3" wouldn't be enough. We'll see what other folks say.

I'd be tempted to remove quite a bit of dirt from the area in front of the door, and then pave it with pavers or bricks, sloped so you divert the water around to the side of the greenhouse somehow. Maybe you could even build a small retaining wall about 3' away from the door, directly in front of it, to turn the water to one side or the other? Others may have better ideas.

I used 12" concrete pavers in my walkways...I do find the ladders need the stability of the pavers as I climb up to open and close the vent windows.
Sheri

Sheri, we went ahead & finished installing the panels this afternoon. I will most likely do as you suggested & pave the front with brick or stone to match the foundation. I'm thinking the the interior may be way tall. It's about 12 feet at the peak. Will be a bit shorter once we put the gravel & pavers inside. Will definately need a ladder to reach the purlins to hang my ferns on!! If I'd known what I know now, I'd probably have made the foundation wall a bit shorter. I really like the way it looks, but it's really tall.

We made a few 16" pavers with our excess concrete that I can use on the inside. My vent windows are supposed to be auto windows. Hope they'll work well.

Kim

Maybe that extra height will help with cooling in the summer though. Auto vent openers are a great idea for that height! I know there are lots of folks here who use them and love them.

My peak is only about 10', but I've thought about blocking off the peak in the winter with plastic or a solar pool cover (so I'm only heating the lower part.) That might be possible with your GH and the high peak. (First I'm going to see how painful the electric bills are in the next few months.) Trial and error here! :-)

It will be a beautiful greenhouse.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'd thought about trying to block to peak also if my bills are too high. I really won't have to keep the temps too high - upper 30's to mid 40s - to keep my ferns pretty happy. Maybe that will help.

I've got a long way to go & much to learn, but am having a great time. I'm so glad I found this forum. There's so much great info. here. :)

A little off topic but I like the way your gh looks. I am looking to buy one and want to know what brand yours is and if it is easy to put up? Thanks in advance!

Thanks - We bought a kit from BC Greenhouse in Canada. They have a link on this website I think. It is a very well made gh & not very hard to put together but it does take some time. The great thing about BC is they have wonderful customer service. The greenhouse came with 2 instruction books, a video & an 800 number that we called several times when we got stuck. Our hardest part was trying to keep everything square because our model is so tall. It is a 10x16 Cape Cod with a raised poured foundation. The major downside of the company is they are not cheap - but the quality is great & we are very pleased. Hope that helps. Good luck with your choice & let me know if I can help.