Just type "hfgh" in the "search" box at the top of this page. Literally hundreds of posts on all aspects of the hfgh.

Here is an easy fix for heavy snowloads. Mine held up to 4 feet this January.

Sheri

Well HF has shipped me 3 8x10 greenhouses. The first two were badly damaged and the third had minor panel damage. They are now going to ship replacement panels. The way HF packages does not lend itself to cross country truck shipment.

I see in one of your posts that you used the HF nuts & bolts. Have they rusted? Would you use them in a wet & humid climate? I am thinking of buying stainless steel.

Did you ever figure out what the base is made of: galvanized, powder coated? Rust issues? I was going to paint mine until I read the Rust O Leum label which said not to use on galvanized. I plan to use your 4x6 foundation method.

Thanks.

Hi John, sorry to hear about the damaged greenhouses. HF used to ship the cardboard boxes inside a steel cage made of lightweight rectangular tubing. In recent years they stopped doing that (no doubt to cut costs.) I guess folks who can't pick up at a HF store to inspect the boxes for damage are at a disadvantage now. As a heads up, stay on HF about receiving the replacement parts, they have had a horrible reputation for shipping time on missing/damaged parts in the past, and I don't know if they have improved.

Although many GardenWeb forum members did choose to buy stainless bolts, we used the ones in the kit. We have no problems with rust at all on any of the bolts/nuts so far. Our climate is dry, but I think we'd probably try using them in other climates as well. They seem to have a pretty heaving coating of something...maybe galvalume. I think the dull gray plating color makes them look cheap, which concerns folks, but ours have held up fine, if that helps.

We don't know if the base is galvanized or not; it doesn't really look like it, but it does appear to have some sort of silver/gray plating or coating of some type. I don't believe it is powder coated. We checked and we have no evidence of rust at all, after three years (of course, in our dry climate, your mileage may vary.) However, I don't recall anyone mentioning rust problems with the base, so my guess would be it's not strictly needed, unless you'd like to do it for cosmetic reasons.

Sorry for the slow response. I have a family member with ongoing medical issues, so sometimes my reading here is spotty. Don't hesitate to drop me an email if I seem to be AWOL here!

Three greenhouses, good for you!
Sheri

polcat, what an elegant solution for strengthening the roof for snow load. Looks very clean, and it's good to know it worked well under a heavy load. Very nice that it doesn't interfere with the plant space below. Great!

Thanks for the info Sheri. I am going to have a metallurgist at the company look at the bolts. The base bolts appear to be stainless.

I have the FED X number for the replacement parts. HF has been very good about making the shipping damage right, but they would save themselves a lot of money by packaging the houses better. I guess that they are used to shipping tools.

As you know the instructions leave a LOT to be desired, so I might be asking for more help.

Thanks again!

mudhouse, thanks for the kind words. This GH would not have been possible without your instructions on gardenweb and my 10 year old grandson explaining them to me
:-)

For what its worth the entire GH runs on solar power only. That includes heating, cooling, watering and ventilation. All with help from gardenweb folks.

Best of luck cardarlin, you are in good hands here at gardenweb!

>Would I need to worry about the soundness of the roof is a >lot of snow has accumilated?

I think I would. Most cheap greenhouses use metal that isn't galvanized. Or thin metal.

I would say maybe 14 guage or better.

Have you considered a cold frame or high tunnel?

Try searching for Growers Supply. Most of their reps can offer you advice for your location.

I can say this much, I got a surprise last winter with my 10 x 12 under 12 inches of snow. I had the sides of the structure to bow outward and the center point of the roof caved in under the weight of the snow. Be sure to reinforce the roof which I did not do at first. We do not usually have snow that much and I did not worry about extra bracing....at that time. But since then, we are making major modifications to the roof structure. Good Luck.

I ran a couple of ties to hold my greenhouse roof together. It worked very well and oly cost a few bucks for 1/2" conduit. I have had heavy snowloads with no problems for a few years now.

john_geary 8B = I don't see the 8X10' on their website anymore. Do you have to call them and ask for that size?

after the base is setup how does anyone start to set the corners and all the posts. Do you put the posts on top of the frame? and how do you secure the posts?
Does anyone us angle brkts or do you have to drill your own holes?

Do you set the posts on top of the base frame?

Hi mighty_turf, no need to drill your own holes or add angle brackets. The posts sit on top of the frame, and are secured using the Part 47 "hold down connectors."

There might be slight differences in how the base plates are shaped, depending on which version of the 10x12 kit you have. I'm going through my manuals to check that out now. (I'll also answer your question via the email you sent.)

I have (4) 6 x 8 harbor freight greenhouses. We had tons of snow last winter (Indy) but never had a problem with the roofs handling it. We wrapped them all in solar pool covers and did have heaters running. Snow just melted off. I did go out and brush the snow off occasionally if it started stacking up.

I have (4) 6 x 8 harbor freight greenhouses. We had tons of snow last winter (Indy) but never had a problem with the roofs handling it. We wrapped them all in solar pool covers and did have heaters running. Snow just melted off. I did go out and brush the snow off occasionally if it started stacking up.