Here are my answers based on my own experience and exposure to the product (Rion Prestige). *WARNING* This is long :) 1. Foundation. Can you describe the included base? The base is made of a black plastic/resin material that has one side completely open. Imagine this text bracket: [ except the top and bottom pieces extend a bit longer. When fully assembled, the open side faces the inside of the GH. The idea is that if you plan to bury (or fill in) the base with gravel or soil, the shape of the base will allow it to grasp the soil/gravel and give it stability. If you plan to use wood beams for the base, then you really dont need to use the optional base kit that comes with the Rion. In most cases, your own custom wood beam base would be sturdier (and more level) than Rion's base kit. Just anchor the GH straight to your wood beams. 2. You said to be careful in placing the side louvers - how should I decide where to place them for maximal cross ventilation? Also, did you add a vent (it looks like you did from the picture)? What's a HAF? The Rion Prestige kit I bought included 3 windows and 3 roof vents. There are several greenhouse design books that deal with the window/vent placements in more detail - the $20-$30 spent investing in those books will be well worth it :). The placement of your windows and vents will largely depend on your sun exposure, prevailing winds, etc. For the "basic" ventilation layout, you will want all your intake ports (windows) placed on the "cooler" side of the structure. And then place all the exhaust ports (roof vents, exhaust fan, etc) on the opposite side of the intake ports. Again, consider the prevailing winds when designing the location of the windows. You want the wind to aid the ventilation, not hamper it - So facing an exhaust fan against the prevailing winds would reduce its efficiency. In some cases, you may want all the intake windows to face the prevailing winds to take advantage of the air movement provided for free. Here's a suggestion: Stick a few pieces of wood or plastic rods into the ground surrounding the planned greenhouse site. Space them about 5 feet apart and attach lightweight strips of plastic or paper on the top. These strips should be about the height of your GH windows (between 3 to 5 feet high). For several days, observe how the strips move. This should give you an idea of how the wind works in that area for that time of year. Wind flow could vary from season to season though, so determine which season you will need the best possible airflow (usually summer) and face the windows accordingly. HAF stands for Horizontal Air Flow (or Horizontal Airflow Fans). These fans are used inside the GH to keep the air moving. Stagnant air is a big No-No inside a GH. 3. Is the solar light at all useful? Yes. It is serving me well inside my garage :) Seriously, these lights are nice but I think they were designed just for the 6x6 greenhouse or smaller. They cannot possibly provide enough illumination to work properly at night. If you need "real" working lights for the GH then you should plan on setting up an electrical outlet where you can plug in any electric light bulb of your choice. You will most likely need an electric outlet installed for the fans anyway. *CAUTION ABOUT ELECTRICAL OUTLETS* Make sure that you locate your electrical service outlets in a section of the GH that will not get any water from your sprinklers/misters/garden hose, etc. If at all possible, dedicate a section of your GH as the "Dry Area". This is usually near the front door for convenience. This sacrifices planting space, but ensures that you do not have water and electricity getting in contact with each other. My "dry area" also contains the potting bench and supplies storage shelves so it works out well for me. I have a little nook in the GH that stays dry all the time. "I dare you to unplug that fan with wet feet" :) 4. Is your shade cloth aluminet (sp?)? No, but I have one ordered and awaiting delivery :) Right now I am using generic shade fabric from Lowes. 5. do the auto openers work well? Ahh, the auto-opener pistons... hmmm. What can I say, it has been hit or miss from what I have read on the forums. I have not had any problems (yet) but a couple of members here actually had to call Rion to get replacements because they got defective units. ** did you have to cut a hole in the shade cloth? I did cut squares around the roof vents (and windows). This allows the roof vents to operate without any interference from the shade cloth. ** is there ample room to hang plants? The Rion's roofline is a bit too low to effectively hang anything from the central brace. Unless you are planning on hanging small, light baskets, you would be limited to hanging them closer to the sides so that you have room in the middle to walk across the GH interior. Also, I personally do not like to hang anything from the GH brace itself. I'm just not so sure if the GH can hold all the weight (despite manufacturer's claims). I would err on the side of caution. I hope that you found this information helpful :) ~John

Homeowner here, but I like to think of myself as being somewhat knowledgeable in matters HVAC, so I will address some of your points. 2story 14.5 yr old brick home in ATL 1st flr 1800ft - 2.5t Carrier AC 90K BTU furnace 2nd flr 1800 ft - 2.5t Carrier AC 80K BTU furnace >I'd like to know how large (square feet) your house is. I suspect they run frequent short cycles. Gas ~ .99 / therm Electric - 9.87 cents/kWh Plan to be in house for 20 years. After ton or reading on this VERY helpful forum, settled on Trane to reduce my options. >Based on some of your following comments, you shouldn't limit yourself to one brand, but rather try to find the best contractor. Difficulty finding contractors willing to do load calc. One reputable owner said customer interview, walkthrough, square footage, count of supplies and returns and consideration of 2 story spaces, windows and 20 yrs exp gets him to the same point as load calc. This true?? >While the above factors are important, he may be lucky and guess the right size, or just opt to replace what you already have, but only by doing a heat calc, (along with his 'expertise', can he be sure. Square footage = rule of thumb. Your cooling loads are likely much more than your heating loads. During the hottest days of the summer, do your a/c's run nearly constantly, and is your house comfortable, humidity-wise? Or, are they running frequent, shorter cycles? Also, you need to know what your latent heat gain (humidity) is. Can't do that by walking around. For 1st flr (system located in unfinished half of basement) 3 ton XLi15 HP on top of XV80 80K BTU At 100% efficiency, the HP would deliver 36,000 BTUs. Why would an 80K (80%)unit delivering 64,000 BTUs be proposed. Highly rated installer quoted the above w/ 4ton blower, adding return to finished portion of basement to promote airflow down there, as we rarely use that space or the 3rd HVAC system. >Are you saying that you have a third a/c serving the basement? These new returns, are there corresponding supplies for the area (are they part of the system that doesn't run?)? 1)Is 4t blower on 3t system good idea? Current is 2.5t As long as the blower, be it multi speed or variable speed, can be set up to deliver the proper airflow, it's not a problem. Maybe he had one in stock. 2)I Like XV80 for dual fuel flexibility and dont see need for 90%+ since HP should handle most ATL heating days. Thoughts? >See above. 3)Is XLi16 worth $500 extra? Dealer says 2 stage makes hard to compare apples to apples w/ XLi15. Says 2 stage offers much greater energy savings and humidity control. >Depending on what your heat loss is, and the size chosen, the HP may not need to run in stage 2. Two stage equipment is for comfort, not energy savings. You still require the same BTUs to heat your house. Likewise, depending on your actual cooling needs, if your HP will run mostly in first stage for air conditioning, it will help in controlling humidity. It is important that a properly matched evaporator coil be chosen. I had considered Trane equipment at one point, but the contractor could not supply detailed info (specs) on sensible and latent capacity of their coils. Upstairs (system in attic) 3 ton XLi15 HP w/ electric strip backup and variable speed blower >Same comments apply from above regarding actual heating needs. 1) ATL winters, 2 story foyer and family room, heat rises makes me think I can do w/o gas upstairs. >With strip heat, you don't need gas. Will I save much in price on variable blower w/o furnace, or should I get the XV80, even though I do not think I will use much gas up there? >In order to make these decisions as to what type of equipment (gas or electric)makes sense for you, you need to know what your heat losses and heat gains (sensible and latent) are. 2)XL16i HP worth extra $500? >Off the top of my head, I would say no. (my guess) 3)Is 4t blower w/ 1 extra return on 3t system good idea? Current is 2.5t >Generally speaking, more return is good. Has your duct system been evaluated and your total system static pressures been measured? I am assuming I should insist on Honeywell VisionPRO IAQ for both? They are an excellent TS and can enhance dehumidification when used with a variable speed blower and combined with other air quality equipment. Also have been told that XV90i no loger offered by Trane. Is it and if so, should I consider it downstairs? That is true. Again, you need to know the (heat calc) numbers to accurately determine which fuel makes the most economic sense as your alternate. Any advice would be appreciated!! Information about wall and roof insulation, make of windows, shading of house, etc., would be helpful. V

Thanks for the input. Later today I'll post a floorplan with the fridge moved by the pantry. It may be helpful to clarify a few things first. Door to the left of the sink leads to the family room. The kitchen is sunken 8" lower and is on a slab. The fridge is 36" wide The door to the right of the sink leads to a hallway/powder room/garage/laundry room. The door at the far end by the pantry leads to the dining room. We plan on knocking out most of the the wall between the kitchen and the family room. We'll leave a wall for the pantry to set against. The "island" is really a kitchen table. It'll sit 30" high and will have a granite top. 4' wide x 6'long. eandhl, we considered that also. By moving the fridge to the other side of the room it'll add another four steps. caligirl, good points about being the stove and fridge creating cramped space. The pantry and fridge being close to each other shouldn't pose too much of a problem. There's currently a built-in pantry with a 24" door that swings out but for some reason we've never had a problem with it blocking people going to or from the dining room, where the doorway is. bmorepanic (great name!) Excellent points all around. We've considered the pot of water thing and the fact that when we prep next to where the stove is now (right next to the sink) it's very convenient. Moving the stove closer to the sink is a great idea. With the 36" wide fridge we can't put the 36" cabinet in that row along with the range. alku05, because the island is really a table, we can't put a prep sink there. However, we thought of a prep sink along the "south" wall. The sink is currently placed in that corner and it wouldn't take much to add a prep sink. It would help with clean-up but would reduce our prep space.

As always, such great feedback. I was strongly considering making that orphan end a full height broom closet, which currently is planned to be a part of my pantry. I still haven't ruled that out, but that doesn't solve the tunnel part! I will gather cabinet-maker ideas and hubbys input and make some decision there. I also really like the idea of open bookshelves, and the idea of making the whole piece more hutch-like (maybe even having legs put on) and turning it into a message center. How nice of a place would that be for a phone!? OMG...my phone!....I didn't even think about my phone! I wouldn't want to clutter my kitchen with the phone! Right now the jack is in the corner between where the sink and range will go. Who wants people running into my workspace to answer the phone! Or the phone mixing in with the area I am trying to chop veggies in. GREAT ideas guys. It just gets more and more exciting. And yes, my cabinet guy is custom so he can do anything. He even hand picks every piece of wood, and the best part is that's he's been in biz 30 yrs - tons of experience, and is giving me a GREAT deal cause he wants an easy, close proximity kitchen to float to float him through the summer. My kitchen was exactly the type of project he was hoping for :-).