UPDATE: (2 Years Later) Orchid House #1

[AaronC]

Thanks everyone. It is very nice having someone in your life that is supportive of your hobby. Especially when he helps pay the bills for it!! As for blooming orchids I only have about 130 orchids in the greenhouse currently. Due to the change of environment many of them are sulking. It will take a few more months before they perk up again. Although I do have a few things blooming.
Cirrhopetalum 'Elizebeth Ann Buckleberry' AM/AOS
Dendrobium Phal - Dutchman white
Lepanthes triconitz (Micro mini- ID on tag when I got it but still unsure as I have never found a picture or reference to match the ID)
Masdevallia cardiantha
Masdevallia paivaena
A couple NOID falls
And a couple NOID oncidium intergenerics

[Polarizeme]

Originally Posted by AaronC

As for the cost of heating on the other hand.... I spend $34 a day in propane alone to keep this thing heated.

Two words for you
Bubble
Wrap

It truly works. I bought 2 rolls of it for a 10X12 greenhouse. Just make sure you get the continuous vs the perforated rolls. First, I put clear plastic sheeting on the walls and across the ceiling where the walls and roof line meet. If you lower your ceiling then you aren't losing heat at the peak. Then I put bubble wrap up on the walls and across the top.

Handy tech tip: I pulled the shadecloth off the top at the end of October because the sun isn't so bright. Adding plastic and bubble wrap will cut the sunlight. If you have a shade house, no problem. If you grow higher light, then you may want to add light fixtures. But seriously, if your going to save money on propane, you can swing some lights.

I use a 1500 watt electric heater and can maintain 55 degrees when the temps are below 30. When the temps are mild, I open the doors and pull fresh air in with a fan.
I have some pictures somewhere. I'll have to dig them up and post

[naoki]

Wow, zone-3 heated greenhouse! That's pretty hardcore. Are you planning to heat it through the winter? Are you using double or triple wall polycarb?

[AaronC]

Polarizeme- Thanks for the Tips! Although I am unable to lower the height of my peek using your method. I have a 10ft Queen Palm, and 4 Dracaena indivisa plants that are 11ft, 8ft, 6ft, and 4ft. They take up a large portion of the space up top. I may try wrapping bubblewrap on the outside of the greenhouse though. Your coldest temperatures you were describing are what I am experiencing right now at this time of year. We hit -23 fahrenheit no problem in the dead of winter. So the more protection the better.

Naoki - To answer your questions; Yes I do plan on heating it all winter, and It actually doesn't have any polycarbonate. It is single pane glass on the walls, and a tempered glass roof. I actually don't like the look of polycarbonate. I wanted my greenhouse to be the showpiece in the yard and designed it to be just that. I do plan on going bigger though. In the next few years we will be moving and I plan on building a much larger "Conservatory".

[FairyInTheFlowers]

Originally Posted by AaronC

In the next few years we will be moving and I plan on building a much larger "Conservatory".

You must have the orchid flu pretty strong if you plan on having a large greenhouse in Canada! You are one brave fellow!

[Bulbofett]

Originally Posted by AaronC

It is 9' wide by 13' long by 13' tall. I have an automatic misting system and automatic fogging system so my watering is minimal. As for the cost of heating on the other hand.... I spend $34 a day in propane alone to keep this thing heated. My night time temperature is set to 15 degrees Celsius. The day time temperature is set to 21-23 degrees Celsius depending on the day of the week. I live on an acerage now but when I was first building it I looked up all the height restrictions and found that it is considered a temporary structure under my cities building acts. So I built the greenhouse to the exact dimensions of legality without a permit. Thanks for the comments to everyone else. I love it so far and encourage everyone to build one!

$34 per day?!?! That's slightly under what I pay per month for my mortgage.

I know you said polycarbonate was unappealing but isnt it cheaper material and a better insulator? I thought i read that somewhere but i don't remember.

Is this your first winter with the structure? What back up devices do you have if a nasty storm shuts down your main heater? Sorry for all the questions im just super curious.

Its a really beautiful greenhouse. I hope to have one as lovely someday.

[calvin_orchidL]

I remember your posts on reddit...and Holy crap - $34, but good on you for doing it anyway. My fantasies of a greenhouse were trampled into the cold, hard, frozen prairie dirt when I moved to zone 3. My partner lovingly tolerates my hobby, but would probably shut me down so fast before I even finish saying 'greenhouse'. Very jealous.

[naoki]

I hope it will work well! I agree with you Calvin; the cost of heating is a bit scary since it's still at the beginning of the winter.

Around here (zone-2), we have a hot spring resort which is into renewable energy. They operate a high-tech greenhouse, but they have access to geothermal heat I think.
http://www.uaf.edu/files/snre/MP_09_10.pdf
It can sustain 85F when outside temp is -45F (130F differential), which is amazing.

Additionally, in north, we have a challenge of not much light in the winter. Chena hot springs' greenhouses use lots of LED (they are off-grid, so they have to save electricity generated from geothermal plant).

It would be cool to have a passively solar/geothermal greenhouse (with large water tank buried below ground to store the heat). Mostly passively solar residential house is possible (with enough money), but insulating greenhouse is more of a challenge. I think that even triple or quad wall polycarb has single-digit R-values.

---------- Post added at 09:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:17 PM ----------

Keris, actually the famous quote in your signature is by Theodosius Dobzhansky, not by Darwin. Dobzhansky is one of the most significant contributors to the modern synthesis of evolutionary theory in 1930-40's. Not trying to be nit-picky or snobby, I just thought that you might want to know this.

[silken]

We have a greenhouse that we heat thru the winter in zone 2b/3. It is attached to our home and garage on 2 walls which helps and we use triple glazed polycarbonate for the roof. The windows are triple glazed on the other two walls. It is set into the earth about 3 feet and the short concrete walls were well insulated before being back filled. We heat it with an energy efficient natural gas furnace that also heats part of our home.

I can't say what it actually costs us in the winter to heat but I guess we have one wall of our home that is not exposed to the cold winter because of the greenhouse being there so that helps offset the cost.