The Ultimate Outdoor Orchid House

[Paul Mc]

Ok, so I'm taking the plunge and I'd like to enlist all of you wonderful, knowledgeable people with my project. I have contacted my construction friend about this project and we will be meeting in about a week or two to go over specifics of building a lathe type house for my 'chids.

So to kick off the conversation, here is what I am considering thus far. Any input would be greatly appreciated, and remember this is a bit on a budget, lol...

1.) There needs to be some sort of roof to keep rain water, hail and branches from the tree in the back yard falling into the orchid house during storms. However, I know a lot of people prefer allowing rain to fall on their orchids. What are your thoughts about this? If there is no roof, then my orchids that would be sensitive to crown rot like phal's would not be placed out there.

2.) What kind of wood and sealer should be used? It has been suggested using cedar as it is readily available in this area. I'm concerned about toxicity factors though.

3.) I'm thinking that the shelves would need to be slightly slanted to keep water from standing on them. Do you believe this is a good idea?

4.) I would like to find a way to keep all of the orchids from moving around during strong winds and storms. Also, I'd like to keep the racoons, squirrels and birds out of them. So, I'm considering some sort of screen door type structure. If they should move around, at least they would not fall off of the shelves. I think they might move around a bit as I'm attempting to build a structure that will accomodate more than I currently own, lol...

5.) Any suggestions on pest control, i.e. slugs and snails? I know aluminum foil keeps them at bay, but how would I incorporate something into the structure to help keep them away? Is that even possible?

6.) Mounted and baskets, how do you ensure the wind will not blow them around or off of your hangers? Originally, I was considering round bars of wood like you would see in a closet to hang your clothes on. However, I'm not so sure that would be the best option.

7.) A friend at our local OS says he uses an outdoor fan and has misters set to go off to help raise humidity and lower temperature. What are your thoughts on this? I've never used either for my orchids before, and I'm hoping the Orchid House would be open enough to allow wind to travel through it. But I'd rather be safe than sorry. Getting an electrical line run out there would be relatively easy, but a water line would have to be figured out. There will be a garden hose next to the building although the hook up for it is about 10 yards away. It's a 50 yard hose.

Any other thoughts and/or insights about construction would be greatly appreciated.

BTW, I'm hoping for an Arts & Crafts/Frank Lloyd Wright feel with a dash of Japanese construction thrown in for good measure. That should match the construction style of the house I live in quite nicely. But again, I'm attempting to do this on a budget so I can't get too fancy. The more fancy it gets, the more it will cost obviously.