karenrei, I don't have a hoophouse, each wall and the roof are totally seperate segments as to R value, covering etc. stressbaby nailed it on the head on this thread http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/strucs/msg0909104730738.html and I am surprised that thread did not get more input. Identify areas where improvement can be made and fix them. Then look at the whole structure again and work out where the "new hole" is. On the thread about the polystyrene sheets, http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/strucs/msg081128491250.html I tried to point out that adding an R3 insulation to one wall was great, bumping it up to R6 may be a waste of money because there may be another place you could put some R3. Yes, In retrospect my south roof (and sorry to use trade names but people can look it up and understand it better) should have been Tufflite IV outer, pool cover and then Tufflite infrared on the inside. A nice sandwich and cheaper and easier to install then polycarbonate triple wall. Yes I know polycarbonate triple wall will last longer but, it is also very expensive. I had a standard double poly inflated south roof so I gained some insulation advantage but all of that insulation was lost by a breach of the outer layer. (see my rant on this thread) http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/strucs/msg0409365924489.html OK, so I know I am going to lose light on the south roof because of this sandwich but I am going to get a boost in insulation, and because of the bubble wrap sandwich I am also going to get some protection from damage. The sections would be 2ft by 8ft and if I had a breach of the outer skin then my south roof loses 1/12 of its R value not 100%. Next, as in reducing light transmission, as you say most of the light in spring is through the south wall, so a reduction in light transmission in early spring of say 15% from the south roof is still a loss but a small loss as not much of the total is coming in that way. ""any areas that don't get much sunlight being as heavily insulated as you can with opaque (preferably reflective, in my opinion) insulation."" North wall is solid and painted white inside (reflective). Half the north roof is solid. Changes to my configuration next spring? 1, Shade cloth hung vertically inside about a foot from the south side to reduce the tendency of young plants to grow towards the south side but as the shade cloth is on the inside it will block light to the plants but still contribute to raising the air temperature in the greenhouse. 2, Wait until the corn and bean crop is harvested and there is snow on the ground and then set fire to my old barn to the south where the shingles that hit my greenhouse in high winds come from. (insurance company please note, that was a light hearted attempt at humour.) Umm... on second thoughts, I will insure my greenhouse! :)

I don't have a garage or shed (am in a hi-rise but was in a house for years before and do some vertical gardening on my balcony wall), but I do have vines for hummingbirds and recently butterflies have been visiting too (yes I get both up here...lol). Regarding your suggestions, you bring up good points and counter-points regarding trellising against a shed wall. Wood does rot after awhile (even with paint) and metal can rust and crumble after awhile (even with paint). It would be nice if one could find a similar large wall trellis in PVC (I know there are smaller ones that are tall but usually narrow too, but that might be something to think about to use). What I can offer would be like a small scale experience to help describe what the vines you are considering might do and the type of support you might need. Some of the vines that hummers like do include the honeysuckles, but if you choose a native (Loncera sempervirens), then those don't grow as aggressively or are as invasive as the japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica). There are many named varieties of the natives and my hummers couldn't wait until the flowers started opening yesterday and they were all over it. Mine ("Blanche Sandman") is in a pot and supported by a decorative vinyl-coated metal trellis. Interestingly, that honeysuckle seems a bit reticent to twine like other honeysuckles so it would basically mean manually threading it around the support and/or tying them initially until they are on their way. My other honeysuckle - a "Mandarin" (Lonicera x mandarin) does twine quite readily on its own and that is on a small wooden trellis support and yep, the hummers like that one too). But as a note, as a twiner, honeysuckles may have some difficulty going around something too large in diameter, although being woody vines, they do better than the annual vines on wider supports. Similarly, my American wisteria, which is not as aggressive as its asian cousins and as a woody vine, can twine better around a wider support, but the thinner the easier for it. My Blanche Sandman honeysuckle looks like this right now (sorry for the hazy picture but it's hazy here...ugh... this is its 2nd year with me, it was from a 1 gallon size plant that I got last year). These have a tendency for bare bottoms (I have seen larger specimens do similar) with a mass of vinelettes and flowers towards the top (unless you prune to make it bushier - the japanese honeysuckle tends to do the long vines): The SRBs, cypress vines and cardinal climbers have thinner vine shoots and need a finer support to attach to. I have seen some interesting suggestions for that on the large scale where one can string fishing line up for them. Since they are annuals (and the cardinal climber is in the colder areas although they might reseed), and unless you can find white or clear netting, using fishing line might be more aesthetically neutral in winter when the support area is exposed after they die back. The crossvine and trumpet vine are woody like honeysuckle and sortof twine but can become shrubby as well. So for any of the woody vines, a good solid support would be a must. The trumpet vine can get aggressive so unless you are willing to hack it back (I have seen people grow it like a standard), then you might want to reconsider. The crossvine might get that way too, although it's not as aggressive and there are some pretty cultivars out there. If you did decide on clematis (I have one on a cheapy tomato cage) it depends on the type as the group 3s like I have can be cut to the ground every year and will bloom on new growth (meaning for a trellis, it needs to be re-trained each year), whereas the group 1s and 2s maintain a woody structure and require minimal pruning. These attach via their leafs, which wrap around the support, so too thick or wide a support and they can't climb well on their own and they will attach to themselves and then fall over in a tangled mess. But for the ones maintaining a woody structure, if you thread and train the vine (even tie it up), you can shape it permanently. For attaching to a wall, it's probably best to have it on a stand-off (maybe a few inches out) so that you can get behind it and allow the plants to be woven around and through it easier. Plus it keeps the back of the plants off a hot wall and allows some air to move behind. Anyway, hope this helps a little - when I was composing this, I saw a butterfly that I wasn't sure of. Someone from above was looking out for me because I took a WAG and checked a PA butterfly site and immediately ID'd it on a first try as a silver-spotted skipper. I have alot of red flowers blooming up here right now and I guess it saw those and the leaves of my wisteria and maybe thought the wisteria was a locust tree or related (these apparently like pea family plants and the wisteria leaves resemble such): I did have a visit from an Eastern Black swallowtail last weekend: And I'm still trying to get a good picture of my hummers this year but here's a rare one from last year where 2 were sitting not far from each other and had they known the other was there, the mad chase would have errupted (plus you can see my volunteer MGs around the shepherd's hook where the feeder was hung - they did use the MGs as they were closing by the way):

Greenhaven, I think it depends on how you grow up. My dad was a jack of all trades because his dad was that way. Well long story short I was a big tomboy and tagged along with many of my dad's jobs (metal fabrication, machine fixing, electrical, plumbing, small building jobs like decks and garages. Also at home I was the one that helped him bleed the breaks on his old 1952 1 ton box truck. I also helped him rotate the tires, change fluids and general maintenance. I was also in awe when he had to get out his engine lift (doesn't every one have one?) to put a new engine in his old truck. DH is also very handy because he grew up on a small farm and learned woodworking from his grandpa. I even felt competent enough the other day to fix my leaky S trap all by myself. I fixed up the front porch on our old house (have to sand again and paint since winter came early last fall. :( It will be pretty when I finish, and I can transplant my little seedlings outside. I agree with everyone else though that learning to be handy seems to be a lost art, and I told DH we will have to teach little DD everything we know. It won't be hard though since he loves to help with everything. I am looking forward to your second thread and hope it goes as well as the first one.

Amber, we paid a carpenter to assemble and install ikea cabinets in our last house. We were living on the other coast at the time. It was still less expensive than comparable quality cabinets I priced out. We are planning to have our barker cabinets assembled and installed this time too. Dh works a million hours and we have kids so I don't have time to assemble. I honestly didn't price out other options specifically this time. I suggested barker as an option to my GC who called and got numbers from barker. He's done a lot of kitchens and used to be a custom cabinetmaker and I trust him. He was impressed by the pricing. I know he was prepared to suggest alternatives if he had concerns about quality or cost. (Obviously neither of us has seen the cabinets yet so can't judge quality reliably yet--decision is based on the specifications and online reviews.). I specifically asked about ikea (which he has and will install so he's not anti-ikea) and he said the savings would be negligible and he preferred Barker's specifications.