Finishing touches on new Greenhouse

[brewmyster]

This has been a really long, drawn out project. I have been working on a 10 x 12 greenhouse attached on the backside (West side) of our house. I am by no means a carpenter. So this has been a learning, and slow, project. There has been many changes in design as I have proceeded along with it.

My question is: What shade cloth do I need to get for it? And where to get? I am going to have phals against the inside wall--a 2 foot roof overhang over this bench. On the outside wall I will have my catts. There is a clear polycarbonate roof and 4 foot side walls on the greenhouse.

Once I get all finished up with it I will post pixs of the Greenhouse so you experts can critique it.

Thanks
Mark

[RonCo]

Mark

The ghouse sounds interesting. I know what you mean about design changes. It's all those little extras I call "feature creep" that present the biggest challenge to getting it done. Then there is the "OhshootIforgot" problem and the "WhatamIgoingtodohere" syndrome. But it all works out in the end.

Good luck.

Ron

As for shade cloth, I'm looking for ideas too.

[Jkelee]

Hi Mark, I would suggest Aluminet. Reflects bad heat in the summer, and keeps good heat in the winter!
I bought mine from here;
Shade Cloth, Kennel Cover Shade Kit, Stock Shadecloth, Colored Shade Cloth, Shade Cloth Calculator

All the way at the bottom is the Aluminet.
Depends on your % you need. 50, 60, 70...

Good luck!! Can't wait to see pics!

[BikerDoc5968]

Mark, being that the sun in the south can be quite strong, and even though you are growing catts, they can burn if not protected....trust me I know first hand 'cause I've got the plants to prove it...as do many others on this board!!!!!! But with the combo of phals and catts, which is similar to my situation, there is a small problem because what works for one shades the other too much and providing cover for the other will burn up the phals....I get the idea that the phals will be back on an inner more protected location.... I use both a 70% and a 60% shade cloth depending on the time of year. During the Michigan winter I don't use any cloth. The type of cloth also makes some difference; woven cloth comes in "odd" % (43, 55, 73, etc) while knitted cloth comes in "even" % (40. 50, 60, etc). There is a more important difference, too, in that knitted won't unravel if you get a small hole in the fabric. I have purchased cloth from this source and was very pleased with the service and the price. Shade Cloth

[DebsC]

Congrats Mark!!! Oh how I remember that first sigh of relief when at last my GH was done!! It's a labor of love, no doubt about it. Why else would we put ourselves through so much torture?

Trouble is, when mine was finally complete...the real work began. What kind of shelving, where to place it? How to place the plants? How/when to water? Do I want to hang my plants?

The questions are endless! It's been 3 years (or 4 ) since my GH was "complete" and still I have questions.

I've had 3 different floors in my GH and still, I'm not happy with what I've got.

Shade cloth? I use aluminet inside. My GH has a very tall open ceiling that looks great. But in summer it would be hard to keep the humidity up and in winter, it would be hard to heat.

DH has made wooden frames that I staple plastic or glass cloth to for winter. Keeps the heat in and the humidity up. I place these frames right at the top of the ceiling where the roof frame actually begins. Alternately, they could be made to fit against the roof rafters.

I don't need shade cloth in winter. The plastic, bought on rolls, is opaque and difuses the light coming in.

In the spring I switch to the aluminet which is stapled to the frames after removing the plastic. I pop the frames back in place and we're done!

The individual frames also allow for putting up shade cloth in 1/3 increments. My greenhouse faces north and I leave the plastic up year around in that 1/3 of the greenhouse.

In spring I switch the plastic to shade cloth in the rear 1/3 of the greenhouse earlier than I do the middle 1/3. Gives a little more light control.

I use a 50% cloth that I got from Shade Cloth, Muck Boots, Greenhouse Plastic, Nursery Supply, Generator

[BikerDoc5968]

Deb, three different floors and still not happy... So what are the floors you've had? Just curious And what would you have done differently after you completed your GH?????? I know for me I'd like it wider, with a taller roofline and a different glazing material.

[DebsC]

Originally Posted by BikerDoc5968

Deb, three different floors and still not happy... So what are the floors you've had? Just curious And what would you have done differently after you completed your GH?????? I know for me I'd like it wider, with a taller roofline and a different glazing material.

Howard, at first (due to dang ole finances ) my floor was bare dirt. Of course, with all the moisture, that didn't last long.

Then DH put down a heavy rubber belting used in road construction. That was okay, except it didn't help at all with humidity and I had to spray regularly for algae.

I now have pea gravel which should help with humidity but really doesn't much. I have pavers in the isles but I need another row of them since I keep stepping off the edge and filling my shoes with gravels.

[BikerDoc5968]

Pavers were my first choice for the flooring to help with some (minimal) heat retention, but because of the narrow walkway and the layout of the benches, there wouldn't have been any significant heat recovery and then the cost. So I did treated decking with a sand base under the deck and no vapor barrier....and I still have a problem with getting the humidity up there. So I wet down the floor and so far haven't had any algae growth. While the floor isn't beautiful (took this pic today), it is practical, spanning the entire width of the GH providing solid surface for plants. And 5/4" treated lumber isn't to costly.

[Becky15349]

As I was reading this posting, I was thinking...do plants know how lucky they are that we BUILD houses for them? DANG!! Very nice GH, btw.

[Ranchnanny]

Bikerdoc this is a question for you. What kind of heater is that in your beautiful greenhouse and what kind of greenhouse is it? Sorry that's 2 questions....

Sheridan