I have removed the pictures from photo-bucket. I got too many emails asking me way too many technical questions and inquiries from professionals who asked if they could use my designs. Also quite a few asked if they could buy some of the structures and have them sipped to America(Imagine the cost of having a 90 pounds arches shipped!!! Then I saw that some even used my pictures on their websites! Then someone complained that I was "Advertizing my products here on GW ... So I decided to take them down. I don´t mind ordinary rose-people getting inspiration about how they can create affordable metal structures, which was my intentions. But I did not like the accusations of soliciting products ... And Hey I live in Europe. Today I have a blacksmith do my designs, since I am busy making garden design plans for my clients. (ooops I did it again! ...soliciting my services and products. I bet I soon gets banned from GW.

The reason for the extra supports is to meet code. My greenhouse is large enough that it required a permit. Our area has a max snow load rating of 25 lbs/sqft. The original specs my engineer used showed that to get the required support for that snow load rating, three cross braces between each ratfer would be required in a ten foot run. That being said we can't find the original spec and the compnay has been sold and can't be contacted to send out another. I have looked on the web and the spec info that I have found is sketchy to misleading. And the companies ignore my request for spec info. Some say no bracing is required others say they do. I switched to 10 mil from 8 mil and am compromising by using 2 cross braces instead of three. Does any one have a link to strength specs for poly carbonate? Thanks, jb

Moongardengirl, Here is what we're happily living with. Our house is about 1300 sf. with no basement and some attic storage. DH & I have one 9-yo son. #1 Four Kids Bed Rooms We only have one kid room at 10.5 x 12. It's more than fine for one child as a combo sleep/play room, but I'd probably go up to about 12 x 12 for 2 kids. #2 Kids Full Bath Ours is 6.5 x 6.5. Again great for combination kid bath and general guest bath, but I'd go just a bit larger to accomodate a double sink with counter area if more kids were sharing. #3 Master Bed 12 x 16... very comfortable with queen size bed, even includes a small sitting space. #4 Master Full Bath 5 x 10 - perfect with huge walk-in shower, no tub. I love it. Only one sink. DH & I don't need to get ready at the same time for work. #5 Master Closet Ours is opposite the master bath in the hall to the MBR area and is not a walk-in, it's 12' long, standard 2' depth. More than adequate, and easy to see everything. #6 Office I work from home, so I use a 10 x 10 space (part of the living room). It's more than I need. DH uses a tiny 6 x 3 nook that is also the throughway to the MBR... that's too small. A general purpose home office that would be just right for me would be about 6 x 8, not in a main pathway, but not closed off completely, yet close to the kitchen and laundry. #7 Powder Room/Half Bath We don't have one and I don't find a need for one. #8 No Dining Room but the "Eat In" part of the Kitchen #9 Kitchen Our combined kitchen/eatin area/tv&music room is 16 x 24. I would have liked it just a bit wider to about 18 x 24 to accommodate a bigger table as we often have about 8 people for dinner and it's a bit tight. #10 Mudroom/Clutter Room/Back Hall/Landry Room/Pantry Ours is 6 x 6 (pantry is in the kitchen). For more kids, I'd definitely go larger. We're tight with that space. #11 Living Room Our living room/dining room combo is about 12 x 20. I use part for my office and the other part is the quiet sitting area. It's more than adequate. Between the LR/DR and the Kitchen/Family Room, we have two large, open areas that allow for many different uses and make the home feel much larger than it is. People always seem surprised the house is as small sq. footage as it is. Three times a year we have between 50-150 people over and the large spaces work great. #12 Play Room/Homework Room We have a small separate 8 x 8 hobby room off the garage. I think it's important to have one messy hobby space, but not really in the main living space... your unfinished bonus room sounds ideal. I like DS doing homework at the kitchen table. I can check his work while I'm getting dinner ready or cleaning up after dinner, so I wouldn't really like a separate homework room. When DS is older, he'll probably just replace his toy area with more desk space in his bedroom. My personal preference for home spaces is compact bedrooms and baths with larger multi-purpose public spaces. One thing I'd be concerned about in your plan is by having so many rooms, they're all going to end up being small. It's nice to have generous space somewhere in the house. Also, one thought is to build it in such a way that you could in the future add a master wing. So for now build 4 bedrooms (including master) and 2 baths but if you had more kids, add a nice master br and additional bath. I've noticed on this forum, many people are building houses that are much, much larger. You might want to also post this question on the small house forum. To put things in perspective, I like space and luxury, but am not willing to live for my house or my "stuff". I prefer smaller houses. When you're ready, this forum is a great place for posting your floorplan. Folks here are so creative and helpful.

A starting point would be to load up everything you bought and take it to returns at home depot (: Sorry, couldn't help it but that just reminds me of all the customers I've had with a bag full of blue boxes, switch plates, and random fittings saying "I've got all the material for you". Your job is somewhat difficult as far as the correct materials. The maximum length for the liquid tight flex is 6 feet which you are a bit over for your run. It would be very interesting to see much of any wire make it through ~70 feet of liquid tight. The burial depth is 12" if it is a GFCI protected circuit. 18" would be for conduit without GFCI protection, 24" would be for UF with no GFCI protection. Not sure about the little green box but it sounds like something that is made to be cord and plug connected? Really do not need it. Just use a metal 4x4 box with a mudring for a GFCI or a mudring with GFCI/ switch. You will need to buy some thwn wire (the individual black, white, and green) in whatever length, if you decide to run pipe. 3/4 or 1" pvc would be good. UF is really not supposed to be used in pipe except to protect it as it comes out of the ground. The individual wires will pull easy and be suitable for underground. Into the shed you will either have to pipe directly in with an LB fitting heading to your box. Or if it gets tricky, end the pipe and wires in a weather proof junction box outside and come into the shed with MC, indoor NM cable, or some liquid tight (6 ft !) At the house, just stub the pipe up to your outdoor outlet and put a weatherproof outdoor box over the existing outlet box (the kind with an open back). That is unless your outdoor outlet already has an exterior box (sticking out from the house). I believe most cities would be happy to sell a permit for as little as changing a light switch. In my area it seems that permits are pulled for remodels (except for non-permited remodels like 50% of them are) or for anything involving the power company (such as a service upgrade), or of course new construction (whole house, large addition). I suppose everyone is breaking rules but I really don't know of anyone that goes to pull a permit when someone is putting in a new circuit for their freezer or adding 10 recessed lights to their ceiling.