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gardencpa

The almost green house

gardencpa
16 years ago

The green house is very nearly done. Except that it isn't green yet. Once the water is connected, it will be 100% ready. If I didn't have a house right next to it, I might actually consider moving in.

We used scrap lumber for the floor and the side to our old above-ground pool for the walls but I am afraid to add up how much the rest of it cost. Tim did a great job. Here are some pics.

Almost all the plants you see, I got today at nova's swap.

Comments (26)

  • laura1
    16 years ago

    Very nice! I want one! I run hot and cold on a greenhouse! But it is probably best not to have one I'd really go nuts with plants. Anyway yours is very nice and I'm sure you will spend many happy hours "playing Green House". :-)

  • gardencpa
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Tim just wants me and my stuff out of the garage. Plus, I know it will be easier on my feet to stand on a wooden floor than on concrete. I have a feeling I may go a bit crazy though. I got quite a few seeds today too!

  • puglvr1
    16 years ago

    What a GREAT greenhouse! Recycling your old pool walls was very ingenious. Have fun growing many wonderful plants...

  • katkin_gw
    16 years ago

    That green house really looks wonderful. I could really use one myself. Good luck with it and have many happy planting hours. :o)

  • cindeea
    16 years ago

    Your greenhouse ROCKS!!!!!!!! That is so great! I am envious.

  • FlowerLady6
    16 years ago

    FANTASTIC! I love it. I can see you spending many hours out there enjoying yourself.

    FlowerLady

  • junkyardgirl
    16 years ago

    Too cool! LOL at the danger warning from the pool! I waffle on the greenhouse too, but I'd love a "shelter" for plants during cold snaps. Hauling them all inside is getting monotonous. Hauling them all inside for hurricanes is enough!

  • vaodiva
    16 years ago

    Wow, when you explained it to me this afternoon I had no idea your greenhouse was THAT cool. I wish you many happy hours of planting!
    Vanessa

  • gardencpa
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Thanks for all the compliments. I will pass them on to the builder. I take zero credit for how it turned out. He would ask if I wanted something or another and I would say yes or no and off he went. No plans or drawings for that guy. He does this stuff right out of his head. It is amazing to me!

    What we plan to try when the cold weather comes is covering the screen with plastic. We can just staple it to the wood. Maybe hang some Christmas lights in there. I'm tired of dragging stuff around too.

  • coffeemom
    16 years ago

    If you had a mini frig in there to keep the beer cold, I'd never leave! Great job. You should have lots of fun. At least the family will know where to find you. Enjoy!

  • tannatonk23_fl_z9a
    16 years ago

    Yep it needs a mini fridge! And a hammock! Seriously that is an amazing greenhouse. Your hubby is a real keeper!!!

    ~Betsy

  • wanna_run_faster
    16 years ago

    Hee hee, Kristi at first look I thought the latch was a bottle opener and I thought 'boy, she thought of everything' lol.

    It's beautiful. I especially love the idea of the Christmas lights.

  • garyfla_gw
    16 years ago

    Hi
    .
    Generally I found that the usual concept of a a GH works against you in this climate. A shadehouse offers more adaptability at much less cost. When summer hits you'll find out about heat buildup. lol
    I found that Lexan has many drawbacks over time . One suggestion i would have made is to make the roof panels removeable particularly for summer. Then of course you get the rain ,personally I see that as a plus rather than a minus lol.
    After my last do over I went back to having the roof wide open even during winter. Use vines for shade ,vinyl lattice to hold up the vines.
    Oh well enough of the negatives lol Did a fine job building it .Will always serve as a shed if not a year around GH. Boggles the mind what it costs to build anything anymore doesn't it?? gary

  • wildworldwoman
    16 years ago

    Wow, gardencpa, you had explained very well at at Susan's swap yesterday, but SEEING makes all the difference. It looks wonderfully functional. And using at least a portion of recycled materials is grounds for applause! applause! May you spend many a happy hour being fruitful and multiplying. Oops! I mean, your PLANTS beng fruitful and multiplying! LOL!

    Namaste!
    Langley

  • gardencpa
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Gary - I had read what you had written before about the heat buildup so I am interested to see how this one does. We are further north than you and the structure actually gets no direct sunlight but filtered light all day. I will be interested to see if I still do get chased out due to heat in mid summer. Tim says if that roof does not work, we can always replace it. That was really about the least expensive part that we had to buy.

  • manature
    16 years ago

    Melissa, I think it is FANTASTIC! In my shady backyard, I think it would work beautifully...so if you find the entire thing missing one morning...*I* DIDN'T DO IT! Nuh-uh!!

    Seriously, I think it would be perfect. It's screened, right? That should prevent any awful heat build up, making it a lot like a screened porch, which works great for our plants here. And yet, you can close it off from severe cold so easily, I'm guessing. And all that work space, and place to start seeds that the squirrels can't dig up! I'm showing this to Mark, for sure, though I'm not sure where I could put it right now...but STILL. I might be able to finagle some extra ground...and this would be worth it!

    Marcia (LOVE IT)

  • PRO
    Jan Sword-Rossman Realty 239-470-6061
    16 years ago

    I was showing my DH and telling him, some one's nice husband built this green house for his wife. Hint! hint!!!
    Jan

  • nova_gw
    16 years ago

    BEAUTIFUL Melissa! I think that since it is in filtered light the heat build up may not be that bad. Mine is in full sun and the heat build up is incredible [over 100 today!]. We are replacing the roof with shade cloth for the summer. Also I don't mind it raining in during the summer either since I am a lazy waterer. Tell your hubby he did a great job! Even if you have to "adapt" it, it is still something to be proud of!

    Susan

  • ladybarber101
    16 years ago

    Absolutely the nicest I have seen. We are working on a area ourelves but its not early as pretty. I agree though you need a mini fridge or a bottled water cooler so you can water yourslef for the plants..lol

    Donna

  • garyfla_gw
    16 years ago

    gardenpa.
    Well, here's another two cents.lol The usual purpose of a GH is to collect light so if you put one in the shade you've half defeated the purpose .Easy to create shade impossible to create light . Of course it WILL help with the heat buildup. Depends on what the function is for the structure.
    I have tried many different kinds of roof materials over the years and find they all have drawbacks. The usual GH ,lexan ,glass,carbolyte. let light through but also trap heat. Terrific advantage if cold terrible if hot lol.
    Changeable outer covering works to some degree again depending on the weather natually.
    One of my most spectacular failures was during a cold spell. Covered the GH with plastic to protect from the cold
    even added a heater . Next morning air temp 33 GH 65!!!
    Went to work before dawn being smug that I had defeated the cold lol Came home at 4 .air temp 65 GH 143 degrees!!!
    Killed everything lol.. The best all around temporay cover I've found is "Frost cloth" it has drawbacks of a different kind.lol
    Had some damage from Wilma so needed repairs ,Went right back to the original method except with out shadescreen. lol
    Oh well enjoy yours they have a lot of advantages way beyond climate control gary

  • gardencpa
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    I'll take any two extra cents you have! I guess maybe when we call it a green house, it is a bit of a misnomer. It is a potting shed, work room, get my stuff out of the garage room, a place for starting seeds that the squirrels can't dig up room and a hopefully protect plants from the cold room. Also, it is an "I've had a lousy day at work get out of my way and leave me alone room". I had to laugh out loud at w.r.f's initial thought that the latch was a bottle opener! What a great idea.

  • barbcoleus
    16 years ago

    Congrats to your builder. I always admire people who can build. As far as changes, it's the type of building you'll always want to tweak for whatever changes come to mind in the future. It's really nice

  • manature
    16 years ago

    Melissa, I agree that it is probably more of a potting shed than a greenhouse, per se, but you can USE it as a greenhouse when the weather is right for that. In the meantime, you have the perfect place to work, start seedlings that won't get knocked over and dug into, and other chores of that nature. I think it's DEE-vine, and exactly what I need in my backyard. Potting shed. Yes!! Just like Melissa's PLEEEEEEEEEZE! I need a good place to work, and I think you've hit the nail on the head!

    Marcia

  • countrynest
    16 years ago

    Hi,Melissa!
    It is so good to write to you and have your face on my mind.
    I'm glad to have met you. Sylvia and I laughed so much watching you and Michael packing the automobile with the plants. I can not imagine packing the blueberries into that already crowded car. Your blueberry cobbler looked so yummy!
    Congratulations on your "garden play shop". It looks great.
    My contribution for ideas is a radio and listen to your favorite music. You might even get to dance with your plants. I dance in the garden. I don't care what the neighbors think,they know I'm eccentric.
    Felix

  • garyfla_gw
    16 years ago

    Hi
    Since you asked here's another two cents lol. Have been redoing my grow area for some time trying to cut back on the work but find the shadehouse (almost GH lol) is what I enjoy most. So thinking of expanding it to 25x25 and cut way back on the landscape plants. Mine originally was an attached screen room with an aluminum frame. Think for the basic structure addition I'll use aluminum though no cement floor and the exterior coverings as the method I'm using now. The use will be more of a "rainforest" than a grow area . Want to get rid of all the hanging pots and grow some of the "oddball " epiphytes that I've never tried.
    Looking around i find almost no info on hot climate GH.
    Most is centered on cold lol. Guess I'll have to go trial and error. I wouldn't mind spending the money but I want it to work year around and year after year with as little maintenence as possible particularly the structure.
    Did get some interesting ideas from a structural engineer
    but I didn't pay him so maybe not so good?? lol
    One big rub has been that I can't have a structure over ten feet due to city ordinance. I have nine on the present one and would like to have 15. Much more useful for a "canopy" and for taller growing trees. What i have been doing is allowing the plants to grow through the roof which is fine except for viewing and for frost lol.
    Anyway I'm still in the "thinking" stage i really want to do it but not sure how. Certainly don't want to "overdo"it lol
    I'm sure you'll find a hundred uses for yours.
    One word of caution .I was going to use mine as a "potting shed" but kept adding and adding until you couldn't even walk through it. My last "clearance' was 6 montha ago and already have to turn sideways to get to the rainbarrel at the far end.lol The original purpose was a place to keep 3 hanging basket orchids. They're still there along with about 50 offspring .lol Always seem to be room for one more gary

  • nugger
    16 years ago

    I just thrown up a sun room useing mainly sliding patio doors & opaque fiberglass reinforced sheets from lowes which difuse the light very nicley, heat never builds up with the doors open plus i have 6 ft french doors on one side too. Hope to get more use out of it in the winter months, gets down to 18 or less in winter, had it down to 34 for 3 days last week so will come in handy for the tender plants, Love your green house, well done!