And it begins!

Do-it-yourself projects such as greenhouse or shadehouse builds and related topics.
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dustin0352
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Post by dustin0352 »

Thanks guys!

hoven5th yes it can be done in one day. Took almost 9 hours, and thats that I already had the foundation done the daybefore. The hang-ups were instruction related. The instructions stated that all the parts for the sides were all identicle and can be used for either side. YEAH RIGHT! The last parts to go in were the trim plates were the roof meets the sides which hold the panels in. Needless to say none of the holes matched up and it was a toss up of taking the entire roof back off piece by piece and then the sides, or get the good ol self tapping screws out. Which one you guys think I went with lol.

All in all though I am very happy with the quality of this gh. I would recomend it to anyone who is looking for a smaller gh (I just dont recomend the instructions lol). Its very sturdy and when screwed into the wood foundation doesnt move at all! Now its time to learn how to grow cacti in a GH.
Tony
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Post by Tony »

I realize huricane force wind would just shread it no matter what ya did. But for your avarage strong storms, are you confident it will take strong wind as is?
I wonder ifn you need to throw straps/cables over the thing to help keep it anchored and if that would even help at all?
Forget the dog...Beware of the plants!!!

Tony
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Harriet
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Post by Harriet »

I likes it, I do. And you are going to have so much fun filling it up! Hope to see more pictures soon.

I'm also very interested in how it will stand up to high winds. So keep us posted!
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CoronaCactus
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Post by CoronaCactus »

Awesome!
I feel your pain dealing with a gazillion parts 8)
Very cool it comes with the benches built in.
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dustin0352
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Post by dustin0352 »

Tony you are correct hurricanes will shred it. the way it feels pushing on it i believe the frame will hold up to 60-70mph winds.I can push on any part of the frame it it doesnt even budge. The pannels how ever will probably pop out maybe not. This thing is a whole lot more solid than I thought it would be. I have massive lag bolts holding it to the wood, then I have 4 ground ancors that are 4 feet in the ground and just got 4 2foot ancors to add to it. Me thinks it will stay standing.

Thanks Harriet, and I will post some pics when its filled. Gotta finish the ground work inside first. Supposed to get a storm this evening so we shall see how she does.
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CoronaCactus
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Post by CoronaCactus »

Is that wood base treated?
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dustin0352
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Post by dustin0352 »

Darryl yes the wood is pressure treated. I also coated the bottom of it in roofing tar like Harriet mentioned.

Then benches are cool I guess. Probably only going to use one side and use my own shelving on the other.
iann
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Post by iann »

My slightly larger greenhouse is held in only by four metal posts at the corners bolted to the frame, although they are each embedded in a lump of concrete. The frame is mortared down to the brick foundation but I don't think that would take any strain, just the posts are plenty.

I think your frame design with the integral staging will add a lot of strength but I do worry about the lack of diagonal bracing except for the door. Are there braces on the roof? The central spans on my greenhouse are cross-braced to the sides and across the apex. I can hang on that without the frame bending, although I don't weigh 200lbs :)

I think the thing that will go first is the polycarbonate. 4mm is very flexible, especially in those long strips. The vent is likely to fly open in high winds, so tie it down if you have a storm. As soon as anything pops open, more glazing will blow out very quickly. You might want to consider (like yesterday!) putting transparent caulk along the edges of all the glazing panels, it will resist them bending and popping out. In England its important to also seal the frame joints, especially the corners, to stop water coming in.
--ian
peterb
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Post by peterb »

awesome! That looks like a fairly smooth process. I'm surprised, as whenever I've tried anything requiring assembly it's either ended up broken or assembled by someone else. :-)

peterb
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dustin0352
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Post by dustin0352 »

lol peter thanks, wasnt easy but got it done lol.

Ian I actualy just finished sealing it with silicon lol. Used 9 tubes. As for diagonal support there are wire cables inside that run from corner to corner. Nothing like that in the roof though. I have also reinforced/made a back up latch for the roof vent in case of high winds.
daiv
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Post by daiv »

Well you sure make it look easy!

Now for pics with the plants inside!

Here are some a couple questions:

What are your thoughts for ventilation during hot months? Just leave the door open?

Will you be able to fit all your plants in there?
All Cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are Cacti
daiv
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Post by daiv »

Speaking of anchoring to the ground. For mine, I used 4 steel fence posts driven about 2 feet in at each corner on the inside. Then they are attached to the 4 x 4 corner posts with huge wire ties of all things!

We've had some good gusts of wind, but the location is key. It is in a bit of a valley and so it is protected by trees that are close enough to block the wind, but far enough so as not to shade it. I've been in the greenhouse with 35MPH + winds outside, but there is hardly any shaking of the plastic sides.

Obviously, we don't have hurricanes or even tropical storms here so this isn't the best comparisson. Of course, we do get Tornados, but I am quite sure that no greenhouse on earth would survive one of those!
All Cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are Cacti
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dustin0352
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Post by dustin0352 »

Daiv for the hot months I have ideas. Ideas are all they are though lol. Deffinatley going to get a cir fan, and probably leave the door open. With my custom shelving plans I will have plenty of room. Maybe not in 3 years when all the little ones grow up though lol.

Well it started to rain so I did a mad dash to get some cacti in. Still have more to put in but heres a couple of shots so far.
Image
Image


The rain got too heavy to continue. Good thing is no leaks at all, even with the roof vent cracked about a inch.
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Post by Tony »

:thumbright:

I have had a fan running constantly in mine for years. Started it with the orchids to prevent stagnant air and have continued now with the cactus seelings.
Dont think its totally nessessary, but its not hurting anything.
Forget the dog...Beware of the plants!!!

Tony
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dustin0352
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Post by dustin0352 »

ok got the rock flooring in. 10 bags from the HD.
Image
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