Aluminium or wood GH?

[Monika]

Having just given our vintage wooden greenhouse (Alton Amateur, 6x8, hardwood, glass to ground) a good autumn clean, I realise that it will have to be replaced sooner or later. An exact replacement (which I should love) would cost almost £2000 and just isn't on. So would an aluminium house of similar proportion (much cheaper) be just as useful and practical? Somehow, aluminium houses always look flimsier and as our site is rather windy, would it stand up to all weathers? Or should we get a cheaper, softwood version, considering we are getting on a bit and might never get full use out of a 'long-life' greenhouse? Any good tips on the pros and cons?

[Johnboy]

Hi Monika,
I too live in a rather windy position and I have an Aluminium Greenhouse bought from GH Direct Ltd. It is secured to a concrete foundation and is rock solid.
I suspect that these wooden ones are now becoming status symbols and a couple of years ago when I enquired the cost was more than my first 5 bedroomed house! (admitted there is about a 40 year gap)
I have a super greenhouse that is aluminium and once erected they are quite sturdy.
Go to B & Q on a Wednesday and take your 'crinklies card' with you and you get an even cheaper greenhouse.
However, happy hunting.
JB.

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Monika, i have a large aluminium greenhouse, and i was very fortunate that i was given it.
They really are very good these days, even if they just seem to lack that homely warmth of a wooden one.

I would advise you to stay well away from the cheaper softwood greenhouses, as they are maintenance traps.

One more bit of advive, the better your base the better your greenhouse will peform.

It might pay to look through your local paper and adds in the shop windows for a secondhand one, there ar some good bargains about, especially as you don't need one right away.

[Colin_M]

What a timely question this was!

I inherited a wooden greenhouse when we moved in 6 years ago. I've tried to make sure I put wood treatment on it, but probably havn't been as diligent as I should have.

Last year, I saw some parts suffering from rot and bodged a temporary solution. This summer, the skylight started crumbling and can't now be left open without risk of the glass sliding out (this conjures up an image of the decapitation scene from the first Omen film, if any of you remember that).

Thus we now have the choice of trying to patch up an increasingly rotten greenhouse, replace it, or (if my wife has anything to do with it) convert the space into other gardening use. From what OH and JB suggest, an aluminium one sensible solution. However I find myself using it less and less each year so maybe the last option would also make sense.

[Geoff]

My first greenhouse on this site was a 6x8 wooden Alton Amateur (secondhand, liberated from my parents garden when I sold up after they died, there were 2 so I thought it wouldn't affect the property value as a responsible executor!). I liked it a lot, particularly the ventilators though admittedly they couldn't be automated. Winter of 1994/5 it blew down - sort of a tornado that took a chunk of the house roof as well. It was covered by my house insurance so I got a quote and even then I thought it was very expensive (Pru paid £877 and there was a £50 excess so it must have been £927). I decided I didn't want the hassle of future damage so I put some money to it and bought an 8x10 Hartley Wisley for £1,132 in February 1995 - we went to the factory and they claimed they had never seen storm damage on one of these. I shouldn't say this really but it is still going strong and has never been damaged so I would recommend, however looking at current prices these are now very expensive.
In 2002 we decided to give up hens and use some of the space for a polytunnel. Thinking back to the wind damage, and we are pretty exposed, we changed our minds and decided to buy a big cheap glasshouse instead. Eventually we bought an Elite Classique 12x16 again for £1,132 with 4 autovents and 3 louvre vents. It has to be said it is fairly flimsy and is a bit frightening in a blow and I have lost some glass. We went for horticultural glass and I keep a few sheets in stock. Most of the losses have been from one area and I have now stuck them in with silicone sealant and haven't lost any since. We heavily insulate and heat the smaller house but the big one is cold.
In short, I would go for aluminium, if you are frightened about damage go for small and strong (though there is probably better value than Hartley) or if you are adventurous go for a big Elite.

[Monika]

Many thanks for all your replies, they make me feel considerably happier in considering an aluminium greenhouse. We will, of course, still have the very sturdy concrete base frame of the Alton Amateur which could be slid about to adjust it to a slightly different size, so we would probably use that for a new house (we can't fit in a larger one). The base of the current house itself (that is, the floor inside) are limestone chippings so they are movable in any case.

I'll let you know the end result!

[lez]

Monika
I invesred in an aluminium green house from greenhouses direct. I got the rhino and can recommend it for the extras you get as standard ie auto vents etc. I am in a windy area and it is great even during a blow I feel safe inside. It is a bit more expensive than a usual grenhouse but made from more robust material and comes with safety glass to the floor as standard. Double opening doors aswell, very handy. I really recomend RHINO and a nieghbour bought one on my recommendation and are just as pleased with thiers as I am with mine. They are well worth a look at. Good hunting.

[Galileo]

Hi Monika

I too have a rhino greenhouse 8ft x 16ft. I am very pleased with it. I wanted a strong greenhouse that could take storm force winds. I have it bolted down onto a concrete perimeter base.

Rhino sent me some advertising material just this morning and they have just released a new stronger Rhino model. The model I have has several extra strong glasing bars at intervals around the greenhouse and in the roof. The new model is made completely out of the extra strong bars. I think its called the Ultimate Rhino or something similar. Its does of course cost more than a standard Rhino. It is not on their web site yet but if you are interested give them a call.

Regards

Galileo

[Monika]

I found the Rhino on the web, Galileo, looks good bit is still rather pricey. We have had another good look at our existing Alton greenhouse and, realising that with any replacement we would also have to replace the staging, shelving and, most importantly, disconnect and rebuild all the electrical connections (two lights, two power points), we think we'll have another go at mending it, probably with the help of a joiner friend. Most o the wood still seems sound, it's just two rotten cross pieces which hold up the glass panes that are the problem.

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Monika, that should be quite a simple job for a joiner, and certainly a lot cheaper and a lot less disruption.

It might be a good idea to give your greenhouse a couple of coats of clear Cuprinol wood preserver if at all possble.

[Monika]

Thanks, OH, yes, we have been doing that regularly and that's presumably why it's kept comparatively sound except for the aforementioned badly rotted bits!

[Shallot Man]

Monika. Why not remove the two cross-pieces and replace with one longer sheet of toughened glass.

[PLUMPUDDING]

I've inherited Dad's 8' x 10' Alton greenhouse which is well over 30 years old. It's been unbolted and taken from the bottom garden to the top and reassembled. My son replaced a couple of rotten pieces and we've put a few stronger clips to hold the glass in and it is still in very good condition.

On the whole wooden ones are stronger than aluminium unless you get the commercial quality ones.

Wooden ones are easier to fit insulation material to as well.

[Monika]

Shallot Man, the 'cross pieces' are the horizontal long pieces at either side (where the troughing would be if had any), so that is were the fittings are to keep the six roof panes on, hence rather important! But we are going to get it fixed, so our joiner friend says.

And I agree, Plumpudding, Alton greenhouses are really good and sturdy, so I really hope we'll be able to keep ours going until we ourselves snuff it!