I live in Colorado in the plains and it gets plenty hot in my greenhouse. A lot of summer days are in 100's and I wish I would have known about the different types shade cloths that are available. I purchased some to shade the greenhouse and it made quite a difference.

Holy high prices, Batman! By comparison, my 18x48 high tunnel of top rail cost about $2k.

Farmtek says the base is not included, either. You'll have to buy theirs or build one from treated lumber.

You'll need some sort of floor. If you're already blessed with something that nice, I would pour a concrete slab floor for it to sit on. Paver stones are another option, but if done correctly they are more expensive than concrete.

There is a white shade paint called 'Kool Ray' that can be washed off after the summer passes. It might be useful to you for summer growing.

Try to run the heat as little as possible, unless you have money to burn. The r-value of any greenhouse is very low; they don't hold in heat well at all. Having heat is very handy for spring nights that unexpectedly dip below freezing. But if you run it much more than that, you end up with a very expensive hobby.

Here is a link that might be useful: Here's the link to that greenhouse

Thanks flavio,
do you run the green house year round?

Thanks ColeRobbie...
They are buying the base that farmteck sells. We are trying at the moment to get them to do a proper floor .
Never did intend to try and run it heated year round...primary use is to start tomato seedlings that hubby donates to a charity plant sale in May and see how long we can extend our own tomato harvest.

I bought a 14x16 polycarbonate GH from them a couple years ago. It's performed well. We too use it to start seedlings and grow a few in ground things in the winter. Only used the heater a few times and took it out . Seemed dumb to waste fuel to warm the whole thing. Now if an early frost threatens we just do a second cover over the plants and maybe run a ceramic heater below them.
The ventilation provided doesn't keep it from becoming a furnace in the summer rendering it useless except maybe for basil. Shade cloth would help. If yours is polycarbonate they send what is essentially masking tape to seal the bases with. In short order Bermuda grass and unsightly bugs work their way into the poly channels. I recommend sealing it with something else.

Through a Veterans Administration program my husband will be receiving a Greenhouse some time next year.

Sounds very interesting. What type of program is this?

Michelle I have a cactus collection which I keep year round in my greenhouse. I also keep some houseplants and in the spring I plant seed for starts to place in my vegetable garden.

"Through a Veterans Administration program my husband will be receiving a Greenhouse some time next year.

Sounds very interesting. What type of program is this?"

My husband is a 100% service connected disabled veteran who is due to his disabilities is unable to work or go to school.. The program is called the Independent Living Program or ILP for short. ILPs goal is to keep the veteran mentally stimulated,engaged in family and community life and provide therapeutic activities for such a disabled veteran as my husband.

His Greenhouse being approved was due to his long time prior commitment to helping me run a plant sale that benefits Children Hospital in Boston by growing all the tomato seedlings he could do in the house to the sale. Not every one gets a green house.

NO 2 ILP plans are supposed to be the same it is all based on the Veterans needs. It has taken almost 4 years to get the approval and God only knows how long till it is actually built..but I wanted to help him get the most out of it by picking your guys brain..Thanks for all the input..Please keep it coming!

Here is a link that might be useful: VA ILP

Fighsrfun...what zone are you in? I am in 6b southeastern MA

That's fantastic! I agree that a greenhouse is a wonderfully immersive hobby and I know I can feel my well-being improve every time I walk in there. There isn't much I wish I knew beforehand, because half the fun of the greenhouse is the spirit of experimentation. I keep detailed notes and every year I learn more. I'm sure you will experience a similar sense of discovery. There are some excellent books like the Greenhouse Gardener's Companion by Shane Smith and Four Season Harvest by Elliot Coleman. I'd highly recommend getting those right away so you can incorporate their ideas into your planning.

Have fun with the exciting planning stage!

Karin

ontheteam - That sounds like an interesting program. I hope your husband gets much enjoyment from his greenhouse. I am sorry I can't offer any suggestions as we don't currently have a greenhouse. We are hoping to get one this fall though, which is why I am stalking this thread.

The program is great,the administration of the program leaves much to be desired. It took 3 1/2 years to get the greenhouse approved and we still don't know when it will be built.

If you get a lot of wind in your area you will spend a lot of time chasing down those panels if they are not properly installed. We had an experience with a similar greenhouse. The panels were held in with little spring clips. The clips failed miserably in any wind above 15mph.

Those look like double wall panels. FarmTek generally uses quality materials however, start stuffing some money away for when the panels start to yellow and crack. If they get to bad they will need to be replaced and, guess what? They are not cheap.

During installation, tape the ends of the panels closed. It will keep dust and water from getting into the panels, keeping them clear and increasing the lifespan of the panel.

The panels are held to the frame by J or U channels. Metal strips one screws on the frame with the proper spacing to hold the polycarbonate and allow it to expand and contract in those channels (since the metal and plastic have different coefficients of expansion). I have had a polycarb covered g'house over sixteen years now and the twin-walled sheeting has not turned yellow or cracked (fiber glass will do that and also cloud). I see ventilation in a small, rigid house like that becoming an issue. It is designed as a pretty, hobby, backyard g'house and small, commercial ones like that are not that expensive. However, the equpment you would install in it for heating, water distribution and ventilation would be equal to or exceed the cost of the ghouse itself. The still bottom there (it's merely a frame) is not sufficient as a floor, but merely to hold the polycarb, which channels bolted to a wooden frame would accomplish and probably better. (acts as a kick board) Floor can be simply graded dirt with pea-gravel base and landscape fabric over that.

You guys are great! Thanks for all the advice.

The biggest thing for me was location and ground prep. I don't like the idea of pouring a slab for a couple of reasons. One, water doesn't drain, you may need a permit as it will be considered a permanent structure and it's very expensive. I opted for a gravel base with a tarp that breaths over the top.

And I totally agree with what Karin_MT said about keeping notes. I have a thermometer that registers the highest and lowest temp each day.

Do you have to consider snow? Depending on how much you get you'll need to make sure your structure can hold up under the weight.

Enjoy your new hobby!! Btw what does he plan on growing? Veggies or flowers?

Here is a link that might be useful: My Greenhouse

I think polycarb greenhouses are by themselves considered permanent structures and taxed as such as real estate. Mine is whereas my poly (filmed) structures aren't.

My husband is working on my 8x10 hoop GH now. I am waiting to receive the uv 6mil plastic to use as the cover. Will use to overwinter coleus & other plants. Still doing research about heating it using barrels of water & electric heater. I also will use bubble wrap for insulation but it is hard to find wide (at least 4') at decent prices + shipping even on the internet. I know after it is completed there will be something I wish I would have done during it's construction.

We built our small commercial greenhouse 2 years ago...

I wish I knew about self-sufficient greenhouse - accumulating greenhouse heat through the day and use it through the night. Initial investment a bit costly, but it would pay off in couple a years. I would definitely do it second time around.

I wish I knew better to install solid concrete floor. Fine rock or gravel is paradise for greenhouse pest like aphids, thrips to overwinter.

I wish I installed overhead watering hoses (not sprinkler, actual hoses). Them "snakes" on the ground are frustrating... Stuck on something, kinked, tangled, knocked plants on the floor, not mentioning tripping in loops.

I wish I had my benches narrower and shorter that would give me more flexibility to play around and create nice displays.

I wish we installed overhead propane heater in different spot then above a bench. When heater runs it blows hot air to my bench creating "dead zone". Hot air burns all seedlings in its way. I have 10' X 3' unusable bench space due to that.

I hope it was helpful! Enjoy!

We built our small commercial greenhouse 2 years ago...

I wish I knew about self-sufficient greenhouse - accumulating greenhouse heat through the day and use it through the night. Initial investment a bit costly, but it would pay off in couple a years. I would definitely do it second time around.

I wish I knew better to install solid concrete floor. Fine rock or gravel is paradise for greenhouse pest like aphids, thrips to overwinter.

I wish I installed overhead watering hoses (not sprinkler, actual hoses). Them "snakes" on the ground are frustrating... Stuck on something, kinked, tangled, knocked plants on the floor, not mentioning tripping in loops.

I wish I had my benches narrower and shorter that would give me more flexibility to play around and create nice displays.

I wish we installed overhead propane heater in different spot then above a bench. When heater runs it blows hot air to my bench creating "dead zone". Hot air burns all seedlings in its way. I have 10' X 3' unusable bench space due to that.

I hope it was helpful! Enjoy!

Michelle, by all means get "The Greenhouse Gardener's Companion, by Shane Smith. You can get it on Amazon.com. 500 pages of everything you need to know. Kind of the "bible" for greenhouse growing. Also, one quick tip. You live in cold country. To improve the insulation value of your greenhouse, get some large bubble wrap and fix it to the inside of your panels in the winter. Cheap solution and will extend your use of your greenhouse. We live in Colorado mountains and I use it all the time. Good luck! I'm sure you'll love some fresh tomatoes in January!

i will need a tall greenhouse next yr..for tropicals that will
be to big for the house next fall..sigh.. but good..:) i guess..
i like u all have been searching for as much info as i can get..so when i do put greenhouse up..i hopefully will avoid
problems i could have prevented..
size.. 16'X10' i will be digging down 2 ft..using gravel then
pavers as base.. and height to peak 14 ft..
i will be putting in a bigger more permanent greenhouse in 4 yrs..so i dont want to put to much $$$ into this one..but of course want workable for plants to go in it..
?? has anyone used this woven polysheet plastic.. i can get it 11mm and was going to use bubble insulation inside as well..its cheaper than polycarb.. about same price as good fiberglass polysheets..???
much thanks..and for ideas/experiences already posted !!!

There hasn't been much talk about thermal mass in this forum! You can use rain barrels under your benches painted black filled with rainwater collected from guttering on your GH or from your home! The full water barrels will absorb a lot of heat and slowly release it as does a thick slab of concrete or pavers or a 6" deep gravel floor! I recycled some ag-chem barrels and sealed them full of water and placed them under my benches in every spare place that wasn't storing potting soil or supplies. It makes a big difference in the temp swings from day to night! I use Lp unvented heaters on t stats as the by- products are water co2 and CO the water and co2 are not a bad thing in a GH but you will need to monitor or install co detectors to be safe! I hope to install a wood fired boiler next year for my home heating source and will run a loop to my GH and maybe I can operate as a hot house!

OK Gang You may know by now. the Greenhouse is complete and ready to go come Late Feb. Only took 5 years lol.... thanks for all the help!

RyanJax.. I can't reply to your email. You did not choose to let me.

It is called the Independent Living Program. It is under Chapter 31, You must be unable to work or go to school to use this particular program. IT strictly states it can not be used for a business. They have other programs that may help you start a business

Here is a link that might be useful: VA ILP