buying my first greenhouse - any advice?
Moderators: KG Steve, Chantal, Tigger, peter
I'm about to buy my first greenhouse and am a bit bewildered by the choice - does anyone have any tips on models or makes to go for/avoid? I'm looking for an 8x6 (just can't squeeze in anything bigger), ideally green - am keen on Hall's Highgrove Supreme,the Elite Craftsman, and Europa Manor; pref green, with base. Would especially welcome advice on glazing - is the standard horticultural glass OK or is it necessary to upgrade to toughened safety glass? (greenhouse will be away from children, trees etc) Not initially keen on polycarbonate - but should I be? Most of all, would welcome something fairly easy to assemble, so any hints on models that have been monsters to put up and are best avoided would be welcome!
Hi Bungo
Avoid Norfolk Greenhouses - they are a nightmare
.
I bought mine from the Greenhouse People- they are great for sending construction leaflets and have loads of patience when you phone them up for advice - we did on numerous occasions and they were very helpful and very knowledgeable.
Hope this is of some help?
Seedling
Avoid Norfolk Greenhouses - they are a nightmare
.
I bought mine from the Greenhouse People- they are great for sending construction leaflets and have loads of patience when you phone them up for advice - we did on numerous occasions and they were very helpful and very knowledgeable.
Hope this is of some help?
Seedling
Hi Bungo
I ummed and ahhed about toughened glass, but went for standard horticultural glass. Mine is an 8 x 6 Robinsons with a curved edge to the roof, so those sections are actually plastic, rather than glass. It's been up 5 years with no problems to either glass or plastic. I went for the dark green powder coating and it does make a massive difference to how good it looks, so I reckon that it is well worth the extra money. I bought the base frame as well - that's easy to install and you just Postfix the legs in - rock solid so far on mine.
As regards assembly - make sure you lay out everything first, ID it and sort into groups for each section. My parents spent 3 days building just 1 end wall of theirs, before we got a panic call from them to help - they were in iminent danger of a divorce
They were trying to work with one huge pile of bits. Once we sorted it into groups we got the thing up in a day. Same story when we did ours. The only problem we had was that they supplied us with an incorrect sized glass panel for the back wall, but that was sorted for a couple of quid by a local glass supplier.
You do get what you pay for, so the really cheap greenhouses can be a bit of a 'mare. Mine was a special pressie to myself, but has been worth every penny.
Sue
I ummed and ahhed about toughened glass, but went for standard horticultural glass. Mine is an 8 x 6 Robinsons with a curved edge to the roof, so those sections are actually plastic, rather than glass. It's been up 5 years with no problems to either glass or plastic. I went for the dark green powder coating and it does make a massive difference to how good it looks, so I reckon that it is well worth the extra money. I bought the base frame as well - that's easy to install and you just Postfix the legs in - rock solid so far on mine.
As regards assembly - make sure you lay out everything first, ID it and sort into groups for each section. My parents spent 3 days building just 1 end wall of theirs, before we got a panic call from them to help - they were in iminent danger of a divorce
They were trying to work with one huge pile of bits. Once we sorted it into groups we got the thing up in a day. Same story when we did ours. The only problem we had was that they supplied us with an incorrect sized glass panel for the back wall, but that was sorted for a couple of quid by a local glass supplier.
You do get what you pay for, so the really cheap greenhouses can be a bit of a 'mare. Mine was a special pressie to myself, but has been worth every penny.
Sue
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oldherbaceous
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Hello Bungo, i've got a Robinsons Greenhouse, and they really are a strong greenhouse, they are quite a bit dearer than the makes you mentioned though, but well worth it in the long run.
Sue's advice is as good as always, just one more point, try your hardest to get your base as level and square as possible.
As for the glass, i just have the standard horti' glass, and had no problems.
Just to make you a bit jealous, i was given a 24x10foot Robinsons greenhouse for free, i did have to cut 6 foot off it though, to get it where i wanted it.
Sue's advice is as good as always, just one more point, try your hardest to get your base as level and square as possible.
As for the glass, i just have the standard horti' glass, and had no problems.
Just to make you a bit jealous, i was given a 24x10foot Robinsons greenhouse for free, i did have to cut 6 foot off it though, to get it where i wanted it.
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.
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There's no fool like an old fool.
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peter
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Try http://www.greenhousesdirect.co.uk the Rhino is expensive, but looks impressive.
Other cheaper alternatives as well.
Other cheaper alternatives as well.
Do not put off thanking people when they have helped you, as they may not be there to thank later.
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madasafish
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My Halls 8x6 is 23 years old. I can recommend them: still going strong (3 new panes and that's all)
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Jenny Green
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Have you considered a Keder greenhouse? They have a special kind of material for the walls and roof which is rather like large tough bubble wrap. It cuts down on light slightly but a lot of people end up shading their greenhouses in the summer anyway. The advantage is that it can't break like glass and acts as an insulator.
I bought mine about 5 years ago and I've been very happy with it. Less fiddly to put up than standard greenhouses too.
I bought mine about 5 years ago and I've been very happy with it. Less fiddly to put up than standard greenhouses too.
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annettecourgette
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I've just ordered my first greenhouse from www.greenhousesdirect.co.uk but I didn't order a base because honestly I couldn't afford it. What can I use instead? Would flags work? I hope I haven't made my first major gardening error! 
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peter
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First off you do not state the size, or cost of the house.
The size has a bearing on securing it, the bigger it is the more wind it will catch.
The cost has a bearing on how much you need to spend to secure it. How will you feel if it cartwheels off its allotted space? Not saying it will, but balance that against the cost of the base.
If you are on level ground two good options are:
1. Sleepers , cut to length and with the house secured to them with rightangle brackets. These are heavy enough to hold a house down, plus can be used to divide up beds, about £20 each delivered. See my blog some months ago for photos of my house going up on sleepers
2/. Treated timeber 4"X2" (absolute smallest dimension to use, bigger is better) plus similar rightangle brackets to hold house to timber. Depending on lip at bottom of house structure you may be able to use a strip straight over the join, that is if the width of the house base matches the 2" width of the timber. Then use angle iron drive into the ground at an angle and screwed to the timber. Trouble explaining this bit clearly but the angle is along the length of the house and they are secured to that long side so that the face is parallel to the timber.
I believe that using concrete slabs is an option, but I have doubts about a/. securing the house to them and b/. severe doubts about drilling holes in slabs.
Hope this helps.
PS look at page three of this thread elsewhere on this forum viewtopic.php?p=28690#28690
The size has a bearing on securing it, the bigger it is the more wind it will catch.
The cost has a bearing on how much you need to spend to secure it. How will you feel if it cartwheels off its allotted space? Not saying it will, but balance that against the cost of the base.
If you are on level ground two good options are:
1. Sleepers , cut to length and with the house secured to them with rightangle brackets. These are heavy enough to hold a house down, plus can be used to divide up beds, about £20 each delivered. See my blog some months ago for photos of my house going up on sleepers
2/. Treated timeber 4"X2" (absolute smallest dimension to use, bigger is better) plus similar rightangle brackets to hold house to timber. Depending on lip at bottom of house structure you may be able to use a strip straight over the join, that is if the width of the house base matches the 2" width of the timber. Then use angle iron drive into the ground at an angle and screwed to the timber. Trouble explaining this bit clearly but the angle is along the length of the house and they are secured to that long side so that the face is parallel to the timber.
I believe that using concrete slabs is an option, but I have doubts about a/. securing the house to them and b/. severe doubts about drilling holes in slabs.
Hope this helps.
PS look at page three of this thread elsewhere on this forum viewtopic.php?p=28690#28690
Do not put off thanking people when they have helped you, as they may not be there to thank later.
I support http://www.hearingdogs.org.uk/
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Hi AC,
The Greenhouse that I bought from Greenhouses Direct had a built-in base as part of the bottom glazing bars. It is an Eden Greenhouse. The Green house I ordered was a 12'x8' but cannot remember the actual name only the makers.
Are you sure that yours will not be the same?
I also used 6" concrete edgings laid flat with a minimum of concrete with the slabs levelled on it and the bottom section base bolted to the slabs.
I live in an area of high winds and even with the very high winds we have had of late it is still as firm as a rock.
JB.
The Greenhouse that I bought from Greenhouses Direct had a built-in base as part of the bottom glazing bars. It is an Eden Greenhouse. The Green house I ordered was a 12'x8' but cannot remember the actual name only the makers.
Are you sure that yours will not be the same?
I also used 6" concrete edgings laid flat with a minimum of concrete with the slabs levelled on it and the bottom section base bolted to the slabs.
I live in an area of high winds and even with the very high winds we have had of late it is still as firm as a rock.
JB.
I had a rather nasty mishap on the first of my Hartley Clearspans. A gale came and lifted it bodily off the foundations. It landed 1 foot away, fortunately with no panes broken. The reason for this was that I had followed the manufacturers instructions and drilled and plugged the foundations which were topped with bricks and fixed the screws in thus. For reassembly I did it the other way that is I set coach bolts upside down into the foundations, since when there has been no trouble.The latest one, of identical make and area, has been done much the same.
The moral, cast your foundations round the fixing bolts for maximum security.
The moral, cast your foundations round the fixing bolts for maximum security.
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madasafish
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We bought our first and only greenhouse from Tesco in 1984 - an AGL Pentland 8x6. It is bare aluminium and we bought it with galvanised steel base, guttering , an opening top window and a louvred side window.
Simple horticutural glass.
In that time we have had 3 broken panes - football - so toughened glass was not essential.
Before assembly I drew a plan of the location and laid out on paper where I would assemble it and then put bamboo on the ground and tried to walk round and enter it - the space is quite confined.
I then carefully levelled the ground using a spirit levle and excavated the holes for the base ties, assembled the base, ensured it was level (spirit level again ) and finally cemented in the base ties.
This is VERY IMPORTANT. A non level base will lead to sticking doors or worse.
I was pernickity and this took 4 hours. I then gave up and took the rest of the day to allow the cement to dry. I carefully studied the plans and READ the instructions.
(It may sound trite but how many people do?)
I then assembled exactly as per the instructions. EXACTLY. I had assistance from my 10 year old son in holding up the walls whilst bolting them together but had NO problems at all.
Self opening vents and staging plus a water barrel and it has never looked back (I made some staging from surplus wood).
I have checked my garden file and notes I wrote as I went along and see I carefully ensured I understood the instructions before I did anything.
I suppose being proficient at DIY car mechanics helped but really any orgnaised and methodical person working to a plan could do it - IF the instructions are any good.
it is still in use and the door still opens.. some 23 years later:-)
Simple horticutural glass.
In that time we have had 3 broken panes - football - so toughened glass was not essential.
Before assembly I drew a plan of the location and laid out on paper where I would assemble it and then put bamboo on the ground and tried to walk round and enter it - the space is quite confined.
I then carefully levelled the ground using a spirit levle and excavated the holes for the base ties, assembled the base, ensured it was level (spirit level again ) and finally cemented in the base ties.
This is VERY IMPORTANT. A non level base will lead to sticking doors or worse.
I was pernickity and this took 4 hours. I then gave up and took the rest of the day to allow the cement to dry. I carefully studied the plans and READ the instructions.
(It may sound trite but how many people do?)
I then assembled exactly as per the instructions. EXACTLY. I had assistance from my 10 year old son in holding up the walls whilst bolting them together but had NO problems at all.
Self opening vents and staging plus a water barrel and it has never looked back (I made some staging from surplus wood).
I have checked my garden file and notes I wrote as I went along and see I carefully ensured I understood the instructions before I did anything.
I suppose being proficient at DIY car mechanics helped but really any orgnaised and methodical person working to a plan could do it - IF the instructions are any good.
it is still in use and the door still opens.. some 23 years later:-)