We purchased the greenhouse from Menards last year. Actually I called my parents in Illinois and asked them to buy it for us and we picked it up over the holidays. It was on sale for $300 which is a good price for a hobby greenhouse. (I do wish Menards was out west as it is such a better store than the other big box chains - better selection and much lower prices)
The Multi Line greenhouse description - Strong, bolt-together aluminum frame: Corrosion resistant aluminum frame features strong bolt-together connections that go together quickly and easily. Twin-wall polycarbonate panels: Clear, 4mm UV stabilized twin-wall polycarbonate panels provide excellent heat retention and diffused, even light that your plants will love. Includes galvanized base kit: Heavy-duty galvanized base kit will provide an easy way to anchor your greenhouse to your wood or concrete foundation. Adjustable Ventilation: An adjustable, roof vent and sliding door provide excellent ventilation. Width: 6'-4". Length: 8'-4". Frame spacing: 2'. Height at apex: 6'-8". Glazing: 4mm clear, twin-wall polycarbonate panels. Frame: aluminum with galvanized steel base.
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The big consideration when purchasing this greenhouse is that the height is only 6 '5" tall and that is right in the middle of the greenhouse. We decided to put our greenhouse on a wood frame, thus raising it 12 inches. Of course that creates another problem as now it is a huge step up and over to get into the greenhouse.
I am 5'9" tall and I have to watch my head when entering the greenhouse as the door is not very tall or very wide. All the pictures online of this greenhouse do not show a person next to the door. The pictures are just of the greenhouse and some small flowers inside.
The greenhouse has a metal base that is like 6" tall that you have to step over. With our 12" added to that is an extra big step. We will build steps to get into and out of the greenhouse and are so very happy that we raised the greenhouse up otherwise I would hit my head on the lower parts of the roof.
Out of the box the side walls including the metal base are 51" tall and the peak height is 77". We spent part of 2 days assembling the greenhouse.
Since we live on a hill we had to get a load of fill to make some level ground.
For the added 12" base I used 2x4s attached to landscape timbers. We used landscape timers for the floor so we could move the greenhouse if we decide on another location.
Here is the base for the greenhouse.
Held together with 2 pieces of threaded rod.
I covered the 12" base with heavy plastic. I can always cover it with wood later one but figure that the plastic will allow the light and head to pass through. It is 4 layers thick and then I used a roll of clear packing tape on the outside wall and went round and round to cover over the plastic. Hopefully this will help the plastic last longer.
The hubby was in charge of assembling the greenhouse. The instructions are 29 pages long and mostly pictures that you have to interpret. He is more patient than I am.
Rowdy our new kitten was on hand to help out.
and not to be left out, Wiley joined in.
The greenhouse does not weigh a lot, so we decided to assemble the frame under the carport.
Lots of time trying to decipher the directions.
On a trip to the shed I saw this small snake next to the steps. Hope he does not get into my greenhouse.
Almost finished with the frame. The Hubby did that all on a Saturday. We put some boards on the frame in case of wind and finished assembly the next day.
Sunday morning we picked up the frame and moved it to the final location. It was not very heavy and was very easy to move. We did tighten the screws to move it and then had to loosen them again to install the panels.
I used our trusty Craftsman professional cordless drill to screw the base of the greenhouse to our frame. It was mostly level but not as level as we would have liked. Between the new fill, rain and the old wood we did our best.
The hubby working on the vented roof panel. We ordered the automatic vent opener for $60.00 as we felt this would be very handy as opposed having to manually open and close the vent.
After reading some reviews and blogs we decided to add a little silicone before installing the panels. We live in a very high wind area and I worry that the whole greenhouse will blow away. We had a few problems with the roof panels on one side. They did not fit into the groove at the bottom of the roof frame. One problem with using silicone as the panels do not slide as easily as one would like. I just used extra silicone to fill in any spaces where the panels did not fit as well as they should.
One strange problem was the opening vent panel. You slide it on from the back end of the greenhouse. It slid on easily, but after installing the rest of the roof panels the vent would not close all the way. We also could not move it and ended up using a hammerwould close better.
The door is a bit wanky. It does not open and close very easily and some kind of handle would be nice. We used silicone spry to lubricate the track and it works ok for now. If you are inside and want to close the door, it is very hard to open - as there is nothing to grip. Also the door does not seal very well. We have a pretty big gap on one side. We will find a way to seal it better for the winter.
Lastly we used 1/4" aircraft cable to attach the greenhouse frame to the ground. Again my fear is the very high winds, 75mph at times.
We just ordered some bubble wrap to install on the inside of the greenhouse in an attempt to keep it from freezing inside. We also filled several 5 gallon pails with water as they will help keep the greenhouse warm on winter nights.
We made our own self watering planter boxes from Wal-Mart 18 gallon containers. They sit on top of the water filled 5 gallon pails.
Hi, how is the greenhouse holding up? Was it able to withstand the high winds and winter? Thanks for sharing your experience!
ReplyDeleteSherry, thanks for the question. The greenhouse is holding up well. Our location for it is somewhat protected from the wind which helps. The door is a bit hard to open but overall greenhouse is in good shape. After using for several years I wish I had gotten a slightly bigger model with flush door that is wider. It is hard to get my summer pots into the greenhouse in the fall. The door is narrow and you have to step over the frame to get in. I use 5 gallon pails and two 55 gallon drums full of water that the pots sit on to help keep them from freezing in the winter. Still the greenhouse is a nice entry level greenhouse as it does not cost that much. Hope this helps.
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