Hi Have been running a shadehouse for over 20 years in palm Beach county and still haven't found the perfect setup lol Unless you have a large collection a shadehouse is actually not necessary. You can grow them in baskets ,hang them in trees and bring them indoors during cold spells. I use nothing but vinyl lattice on mine and grow vines on the roof which can be pruned back during winter. In your area I wouldn't use a solid roof at all. Use frost cloth in removeable panels for winter Shadecloth for summer. Heat buildup is the runaway worst problem. You'll want as much circulation as possible. Check out some in your area for ideas. One more suggestion if you want a shadehouse large enough to walk in be sure to make the ceiling at least 10 feet . This allows for hanging baskets with around two feet of growing space above with 6 feet to walk under. You'll still get smacked with hanging roots especially Vandas but you can place them to the sides. More modest growers above the paths. I,m still looking for the "ideal " design lol gary

Fans and thermostat-controlled vents.

Hi That might work but sure seems like a great waste lol Of course it will be even more of a waste when the sh is 25 feet wide. II'll have to rig some kind of electric connection through the SH as the fartherest point would require 125 feet of wire going through the florida room . for the clippers. The hedge was originally one Cape honeysuckle which now spans the length of the backyard . Requires constant prunng in summer. No ferns lol I remove at least a buschel a week from under the hedge. They get the indirect spray from the sh as well as the fert. I intend to bring the lily pool into the sh as well as the guava and carambola for epiphyte supports but allow them to grow through the roof. i can't have the structure over 10 feet but they can't stop the trees from growing lol I'd sure like to expand it all the way to the property line eliminate the hedge which would give me an area 8x30 with no additional cost. Not to mention eliminating the upkeep on the outside. Well I'm definitely going to wait for cooler weather before doing anything. Thanks for the ideas. gary

Laura, (snicker), thanks so much. I would absolutely love the you-tube link you mentioned...send it to msmmetz@aol, or... post it on this thread. (I'm sure others would enjoy it too.) And yes, please do post a picture of the butterfly hatchery. I've had these random thoughts of adding bat and bee houses lately! A butterfly hatchery sounds much more appealing, and undoubtedly much safer. You noticed my "thing" for hoyas, a new addiction started last summer, right around the time I joined the forum. I went a wee bit crazy, but I'm clamping down now, I swear. Lisa, I do indeed need to share a picture of the gargoyle, and photos of Coconut Art from the resident artiste'. (Assuming you noted "Oh No! Mr. Bill" coconut art at the top of the shade house.) That's just the tip of the iceberg. The shadehouse isn't hurricane worthy (yet). (Ever?) Ah, we'll get around to it, we always have time, right? Cheerios, M