As an added note, I really think the HFGH is great for the price, and our improvements made it a great setup. But those silly rain gutters on the side are the cause of this problem. Were they not present, snow would slide off a lot easier.

We have a heater in there now, in hopes that it will keep the surfaces warm enough to prevent such buildup.

Greg,
very sorry to hear about your roof, I tell you if I had NOT JUST put up the 15's I have, I would have sent them to you, but thankfully, I have actually made some progress on my idle GH construction project and now I have a complete shell (minus doors and vents) and am expecting to continue work on it again tomorrow...with any luck we might actually get panels up, it's like a dream...lol....I wonder since this has happened if you've considered what type of reinforcement could be used for the roof? I dont suppose that in my area I'd have to worry about snow, but I do wonder about strong wind...

I wonder if there is ANY other material that could be used to replace these studs? Have you considered that? I'm by no means an expert at this, quite the contrary...but after putting them up myself (TODAY) It would seem to me that any rigid material that could be drilled through (for the #30 pieces, the panels and the vents to secure to...would possibly work? Just a thought...might be worth considering?

I sure hope you have better luck than I did.
When I bought mine their was a few J clips that hold the wall studs to the base missing.
I called and they told me they would have to order from the manufacture and that is in china and it would be 6 weeks.
I ordered them but I made some and finished the GH.
UPS delivered my parts 14 months later.

Hi Greg,
I am sorry to hear about your gh. Would using 1x1's work ? Cut slots in the sides of the 1x1's for the panels to sit into. We are still waiting for door parts after almost one year. I finally went to the store after talking with them numerous times on the phone about our dilema. They took the parts out of a unopened box. Maybe if you call the store they could help you. I wish I had the parts for you.... Barb

Hi Greg
It may be possible to use standard roofing bars (with capping) designed for fixing twinwall polycarb.
By the sounds of it they could be stronger than the ones that came with the gh.

Best of luck

In terms of reinforcing, I had already purchased 1 5/8" steel strut which is used in commercial electrical construction with plans for forming a framework inside the greenhouse, but was unable to get that done before the winter. The way I was going to install them wouldn't have solved this problem.

Original plan:
Build a framework up the sides and across the top of the doorway. Then run a short piece up to the ridge, a 12' length to the rear, and a support piece down to the floor.

OK, so that would have created a strong ridge, but the failure I have experienced is that in the middle of one slope is where a few of the roof studs have caved in, and that is where the support must be added.

Revised plan:
The framework around the doorway will be built so that it ascends all the way to the roofline. A similar framework will be built against the rear wall. At each upper corner I will then run a support laterally from front to rear, probably setting vertical supports mid-way between front and rear so that the lateral supports don't bow.

In ths approach, the lateral supports will actually be running under the roofline, and just under the lower edge of the roof windows. This should provide sufficient support to withstand heavy snow.

As for using 1x1 lumber, I'm sceptical, but thanks for the idea.

I'm hoping one of the folks who have had wind-destroyed greenhouses may still have the remaining parts sitting around and will see this post. And I guess I'll go ahead and order the parts from HF, specifying that they don't dare charge my credit card until the product ships. If I end up sitting on duplicate parts, I'll just have to live with that.

Duplicate parts, may just be a lifesaver for a fellow GH disaster that has not yet happened...so later on down the road you might be reading something similiar to yours (it would be of course from someone who DID NOT follow your roof reinforcement ideas....just dont leave the site for the next year or so ;)

I would also appeal to the group on here who have purchased their HFGH but who have not yet put it together...maybe they will feel generous and want to help you out???

I guess another option is to run horizontal crop bars (aluminum angle?) to tie the side walls together and from those run diagonals upwards to the sloping roof bars.
Run another strut vertically from the centre of the crop bar to the roof apex. That should make the roof a lot stronger.

Personally, i`d be wondering if its actually worth all the effort simply to make the gh fit for the intended purpose especially if heavy snow is common.
If the design is weak in one area, its quite likely to be weak in others too.

Greg, really sorry to hear about the damage. I think you have a good plan for the reinforcement.

I think it's a great idea for you to post about parts here (and maybe we should give this thread a bump occasionally to help others see it, in case they have parts.) It's also good for people in snow country to know just where the failure occurred...you may save others from the same problem.

I think these HFGHs are going to increase in popularity, and as they age, there will be an increasing demand for replacement parts. Although I am sensitive to those who don't want this GW Greenhouse forum to become too heavily weighted to HFGH owners, it would help a lot of people if the forum could help folks locate, donate, or sell extra parts.

I'm not sure how HF can be encouraged to improve their awful record on shipping replacement parts, but it's a bad business move for them to perform so badly in this area. They will have an increasingly large market for replacement parts as time goes by, and they're missing a big opportunity (plus it doesn't help the reputation of the greenhouses.)

It's probably pointless, but I've sent an email to HF complaining about this issue. Maybe if they get enough emails from HF customers they will find ways to improve this in the future (hopeless optimist here, but then again it will took a few minutes of my time.) If anyone else decides to do this, here's the link.
Send email to Harbor Freight

Greg, just wondering if you had any idea of how many inches of snow/ice were on the structure to make it fail? Maybe it's academic, since snow can be light and fluffy, or dense and wet...but the snow question has come up before with mixed opinions about how much it will take.
Sheri

I don't use my HFGH until the first of FEB. but this problem was really easy for me I put a kerosene heater in the GH I use electric when we have flowers but the oil heater is 18000 BTU.
Dec15 we had about 1/2 inch of ice followed by 8 inches of snow.
When it stopped snowing I went out and noticed the roof was bowing slightly. I lit the heater and about twenty minutes later I heard a noise and went to look out the window and everything had came off the roof.

i ran electrical conduit(1/2 emt) across the walls at every stud. then i ran it from the roof down to it , one in the middle and one on each side of it to support the roof. it is probably the strongest part of the gh.sorta makes a rafter.

ANOTHER SOURCE might be the guy that is selling them on Ebay. He indicated that he is importing them direct from China. Just a thought, check out the Ebay auctions.

1eyedJack and the Dawg

Sheri
I think the snowloading question is academic as you say, even a very strong structure could fail if the snow falls mainly on one side of the roof and theres a howling gale pushing from the side :)
A super strong roof wouldn`t help in that situation as its likely the side wall that would crumple.
I guess a structure is only as strong as its weakest link :)

HI Greg,
After your experience could you take alook at our snow load braces and tell me what you think. Our we in the right area with the 1x1;s on the roof line. We also took cedar boards and attached our shelf to the wall of the gh for high winds. That wall does not budge at all. Even with wind. This year has been a huge amount of snow. I think 26 to 28 inches so far. I have not been working so I am able to go out and remove snow as it comes down. I am going back to work so I will not be able to babysit it anywore. We are not heating it yet. Next month we will heat. So I cant rely on the heater to melt the snow. Thanks for any advice you may have. Barb Zone 4 crazy WI weather too.

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hex2006 posted: "I guess a structure is only as strong as its weakest link :)"

Exactly! Maybe the unsupported centers of the roof studs are the weak point here, since people mention a visible bowing. This kind of conversation is terrific for helping folks pinpoint potential weak spots to fortify them before Bad Things happen (unless the Bad Things are just too bad to be survived, as you said.)

I so appreciate it when people take the time to post about problems they've had. If folks hadn't started reporting weaknesses in the HFGH long ago, many of us probably wouldn't have ours standing safe and sound.

Great photos Barb, I will be interested in what Greg has to say.
Sheri

mudhouse - there was probably 10 inches of snow on the roof. I recognize that I should have gone out earlier and knocked it off but I'm a bit overwhelmed with life and business at the moment, and I simply didn't think about the risk of the weight on the roof.

Actually, most of the snow we had received in the storm was very light and fluffy. The problem developed, I believe, after the storm broke and the snow began to accumulate moisture & weight as it started to melt.

busy1 - I employed the same reinforcement of 3 lengths of EMD across the interior. That's nice for stiffening the walls but didn't make a difference in terms of this issue.

ole_dawg - thanks for telling me about a guy on ebay. I'll have a look. If you happen to have the seller's name, I'd appreciate it.

rosepedal - the 1x? material you have running from front to rear is sort of what I have in mind, but my thinking is that it needs to be centered between the ridge and the wall. Additionally, I would really want a minimum of one sturdy post, such as a 2x4, running vertically between those and the ground. This way there is some strength that prevents those boards themselves from bowing under the weight.

As mudhouse mentions, the unsupported centers of the roof studs are the weak point. No question about it.

Thanks for an occasional kick on this thread. It would be great if someone who has their remaining parts around might see this. I can be contacted directly at greg at greybearddesign dot com.

Greg, this may not be the same person that ole_dawg mentioned, but this eBay seller appears to be selling HFGH 10x12s (same photo anyway) although he doesn't use the brand name.

eBay seller maxhootue

I'll try to give this thread a bump occasionally.

mudhouse - thank you. I wrote to him and will let you know if I receive a response.

I'm bumping this thread up for Greg, who still needs roof studs to repair his HFGH 10x12, if anyone has taken down a HFGH and has some to spare. He has included his email a few posts above this one, so you can contact him directly.

When this thread first appeared in January, I emailed Harbor Freight about the problem of very long delays for shipping parts. I did get a prompt reply, including this:
"On stocking the parts for this item, unfortunately we will never be able to stock all the parts for the unit but hopefully with feedback from customers we can maybe try and stock the major parts that seem to be a problem."

I considered doing a thread here to get feedback from HFGH owners about which replacement parts were the most important, but decided that HF probably already has that info in their files...if they just look at the most often frequently requested parts. But if anyone has feedback they'd like me to forward, I still have the email address of the HF employee that replied.
Sheri

IMO a list of "most important" replacement parts is impossible, or at least as with the OP an accident of any/every sort is possible whereby any/every part is needed to repair.

Should a disaster strike me, where I can't fabricate some destroyed component myself, I would simply look for a $599 sale and/or discount coupon and then get the whole kit-and-caboodle, it's so very cheap still. Spare parts, spare panels, lotsa hardware, what a deal...

Here is a link that might be useful: Our 10x12 HFGH

As I read this thread, I think of the great cathedrals of Europe, with soaring heights and open space without center columns.
They accomplished this with the flying buttress. I wonder if there would be away to do something similar, so the load on the roof is transferred directly to the vertical supports. That way the greenhouse would have an open interior, with the weight transferred to the outside of the greenhouse.
Seems if they could do it in the 1300-1500s, we could do it today with the HFGH?
Anyone, here an architect who knows who to construct a middle-age, Renaissance cathedral, and transfer that knowledge to help out the HFGH?