Hi all, I got 17 windows that are 3 by a little over 3 feet doublepaned windows off of freecycle here in Kingman. Which by the way I startet 6 years ago and now have 1,000 members and it is really paid off for me this last year. I also got a pair of shutters today. Hubby is working on a plan.
Can anyone share pictures of this type of greenhouse? Thanks a bunch.
This message was edited Sep 6, 2009 6:37 PM
Here is a picture I found on the internet and we are thinking of a similar one.
Here is a mini greenhouse or terraium I also found on the net.
Great find! I can't tell where you live, but if it is in a cold winter area, I'd make the north side a solid, not windows (my 2 cents)
I live in the high desert of Kingman. Winter temps around 40-60 , but some weeks of snow and freeze. Summer can get to 105. Why do you make this suggestion? I need to learn all I can before we put it up. It will be blocked on the West side by the storage shed we have, that is evening sun. Give me some more input.
Linda
Maybe I should post a pic of where it is going. Here is a pic of the area, it will go where the barrells are with front to face our house, we were thinking of building it on the platform, but thought drainage would be good with a gravel floor and we would like to put another shed up like the one we have on the platform.
My thought is that blocking the north side is to keep out the north cold winter winds. That way all your sun that comes in from the south will serve to heat the greenhouse, while the cold will be shut out. If you have enough windows, I'd make it double paned, meaning a dead air layer between the windows. There is an ingenious way to eliminate heating inside the greenhouse with the double paned design while maintaining warm temps within, but that is patent pending for me and so I cannot give more details at this time.
LariAnn is correct, with the north wall solid you cut down on heating. I stack water barrels on the north wall to collect the solar heat coming in, it releases that heat in the evenings.
Cathy4's method is excellent, although not the method I had in mind, it will work well. My method, however, would keep inside temps above 70 degrees F with no interior heating . . .no matter how cold the exterior temps.
can't wait to learn about it, when can you share LariAnn?
Really, i need to find someone to host a prototype, because in this area I cannot perform a proper test of my process. What I need is really cold winters, something I never get here. The colder, the better, at least once I have the structure built and operating. It is not a hypothesis, because it is based upon solid physics principles. Basically, heat travels along a gradient, like a cart rolling downhill. But if there is no hill, the cart doesn't roll. That is the trick of it. Make sure there is no gradient. If there is no gradient, there is no heat loss. No heat loss, the greenhouse stays warm. You don't have to heat the entire inside of the greenhouse to eliminate the gradient. Any more, and I've given it up!!!
Old windows are great, Check my post from Oct. 23, 2008
I extended my 6x8' GH another 16'....and it's still not big enough.
My son-in-law kept his windows when he had his replaced.
I have a dirt floor with crushed rock. We ran elect, gas for heat, and water, and I can also sleep out there when my wife get mad at me ^_^
I would love to have a place to nap in my greenhouse for winter sun.
Ok, how do I check an old post? Also thanks for all your input. I don't want to do this wrong. It will be protected by North winds from my house. I discussed with hubby and he knew what you were talking about. But here is something I had not thought of. We get hail occasionally, not that big but maybe up to 3/4 inch. Will that break a double paned window. Yes all of these windows are double paned, so that will hold the heat in well won't it? So I am wondering do I need to make the roof out of corrogated fiberglass instead. What do you all think?
I would think 3/4 inch hail could break any window with a direct hit.
It is great that your house will protect from winds, that should make a big difference in keeping it warm.
Cathy,
I am now starting to worry it might get too warm. If my day temps are 40 or 50 I wonder how warm it could get? Right now it is 100 t0 105 and my palms are fine. I am going to use it to overwinter and then as a potting shed in summer. I am very concerned about enough ventilation now. I would say there will only be a few months my tropicals will be in there. I may start some seedlings too.
I have many GH's (my smallest is 22x96) and let me tell you in the summer the paned windows will be a pain..the sun coming in the glass is amplified many times over...ever set in front of a window in the summer? or driving down the road and the sun cooking your arm with the window rolled up?ok then think about your tropical plants...better yet think about all the nice crunchy leaves....lol Don't believe me.. try this.. get a window between two chairs and lay under the window in the sun...lol
Check into shade cloth, you can buy it in all different widths and % of shade....30%-40% and so on.
It won't block out the sun totally, just enough to keep plants happy.
And air...oh yes air...circulation is a better term...if its going to be small use a stand up oscillating kind with a window open or two open.. they are not made for a GH but whats 20 bucks or so once a year or two, compared to a few 100 for a GH fan.... I'm cheap..lol
LariAnn, your idea is nice in theory...I also tried to get my seed house (16x20) at an optimal temp in the winter so I did some research and came up with double GH plastic (with a space in-between)...here in Alabama you would think the day heat would keep it warm enough at night...not only no but heck no....so I went to a blower...to move the air around..that wasn't better ..lol So for me..and only me...I have tried just about every way to save money in the winter...
BUT hey any idea's are more then welcome...
good luck...and happy growing...
This message was edited Sep 7, 2009 9:14 AM
curvesarein, to find older post, go to the main form you want to search, in this case GH, page down to bottom and you will see the past pages, click next and you get past post, click about 3 times and you should be into Oct post, or put rentman into the search bar and clicking next will find all my post.
1. As for hail, the roof is constructed of 3'x8' poly, corrugated panels from lumber supply, Lowe's.
2. The heat in the summer is a problem, and can be worked around to a big degree. I try and recycle everything, I had 2 old paddle fans, they are mounted to draw the air up and out the top, see the row of vent windows in last pic. A 20" box fan inside on the floor just to move air and another at a roof vent of the old GH to blow air out. I have 4 inlet vents on each side, at the bottom, to let air in. NOW my GH still get over 90 some days, I installed a tarp across most of the roof to block the sun, it helps.
3. Insulation, (for both Summer and Winter) My glass windows are not double insulated, so I have installed 2 layers of Bubble wrap. This is also installed on the inside sections of the roof.
Hope you can understand some of this, it was without a plan so we had to match different sizes of windows, some sections look a little weird.
It is raining this Labor Day so I can't take detailed pic but will tay to later.
Go to search, upper left, type in rentman, click and under 'Limit to threads in which forum:' find GreenHouse and all the GH post I responded to will be displayed.
my shade cloth on one of the GH's
My Shade Cloth, $4.95 tarp covering about 60% of area, the one on top can be pulled up to the top, with ropes attached, for more light. I will remove the on on the side later this fall.
Window vents to let hot air out.
Rabbits under the black tarp at bottom....Wind from the NE
This message was edited Sep 7, 2009 11:24 AM
Recycled paddle fans, yard sale $10 for the two. The top vent windows letting hot air out.
The Bobble wrap on the ceiling panels. The white 'sticks' are handles to close the 'top vent' windows, working on a motor system to open them when the fans come on. The fans are on a thermostat.
This message was edited Sep 7, 2009 11:33 AM
Vents out side , bottom, to let outside air in. They open in.
I hope to attach these to the top windows so they open together.
This message was edited Sep 7, 2009 11:38 AM
One of the 20" fan to exhaust hot air from old part of GH.
BTW the old GH, 6'x8', here when I bought this house 4 years ago, has a cellar under the cement floor.
It has 4" vent pipes into it. I set a small fan to draw the air out of the Cool Cellar into the main GH for more cooling.
You use what you got. May not work as well as Store Bought but it cheaper.
P.S. when I first looked into the Cellar I found 18 bottles of home made black berry wine......It's all gone. ^_^
This message was edited Sep 7, 2009 11:46 AM
One last pic... MY live stock...Rabbits.
Their POO is the best thing for my plants. I also make 'Rabbit Poo tea' and water the plants.
We enjoyed a Rabbit stew with rice last night, Oh my and with the pickled Watermelon rind.
I could go on and on but I feel like I'm hijacking this post.
Just wanted to say you can do it with a little though and recycled 'Stuff'
Curvesarein, our climate is similar to Kingman but not so hot in summer, colder in the winter. Around Christmas we usually get temps down to 0 or 5 degrees for a few nights.
My son and his wife and I finished my 6x8 greenhouse last winter and I love it. We are now working on turning my old horse stable into a 10x24 greenhouse. Originally I wanted twinwall polycarbonate, but the cost & shipping cost were prohibitive. So I put an ad in our local newspaper asking for used windows, and last week a local contractor GAVE us about 20 double-pane sliding windows! So we are going to use Lowe's clear, corrugated, polycarbonate 2'x12' panels on the roof (about $30 each), lined with bubble wrap, and put the windows up at starting at the top. We will use the 4x8 plywood & OSB sheets we took off the stable as a 4' stemwall, assuming that we will get plenty of sun through the roof and the top 4 to 6 feet of windows. Since all the windows open we think we can keep it fairly cool in the summer -- I also have a 12-Volt ceiling fan I can put out there. For winter, we have 7 each 55 gallon barrels that I bought from a neighbor for $10 each, plus 2 each 100-gallon horse troughs, plus the 300-gallon horse trough that now is a "catfish farm." That should provide enough heat storage, I hope. The formula is 2 gallons of water per square foot of glazing. I haven't figured it out for the big greenhouse yet!
In the 6x8 greenhouse, I used lots of gallon sized milk bottles to hold water and nothing froze during the winter -- I also hooked up a 12-volt car heater to some extra solar panels & batteries but it died about March, so I think the water bottles did the trick. I do plan on using the solar panels & batteries at the new greenhouse, hope I can find a 12V heater that works. Or maybe get a small controller & inverter and us a 120Vac heater. I can't use electricity from the house, too far away. I'm off-grid anyway.
The 6x8 greenhouse faces south so the north wall & half the roof are solid & insulated. The 10x24 greenhouse is positioned wrong, so we can't have solid walls. I do plan to insulate the 4' stemwall, though.
While you are building why not leave a space below and above the windows that can be opened to control the heat. It will get hot and a natural way to cool is a blessing. I put the windows in the south side at a angle. 15*-20* . Used 2/6"lumber and cut groves in the wood for the glass [ for my windows I used 1/4" clear acrylic] that can be slipped open. that gets the winter sun better. We are at 40* N. I added a ceiling fan this year best buy at $ 2.00 yardsale and let it run day and night
I am at zone 5 so winter heating is a must, but fresh tomatos and such are a must for me.
Remember any green house is better then none at all.
goshute, do you grow any certain kind of tomato you grow in the greenhouse in the winter? this will be my first full winter, can't wait.
Wow, thanks for all the info, Rentman your greenhouse is awesome. I used to have a bunnie but not any more. She was too sweet to eat. And Grammie, my parents had a place in Heber but sold it after the big fire a few years ago. My aunt had an A frame too. Love that area.
Now for venting, hubby was going to make the roof whatever we make it of, (which sounds like the corrogated fiberglass now because of occasional hale) anyway he is going to make the roof hinge and come up for ventilation.
Linda
By the way there will be no plants in my greenhouse in the summer, they can be outside, but after thinking how hot it will be, maybe it would make a good tanning booth, I could charge entrance, or a good place to make compost in summer. LOL
as long as you have no sun in the winter you'll have no worries...but if you do....remember the GH + sun = scorching any time of the year with no covering.. lol
We have lots of sun in the winter, so should the roof be solid or can I just put so some tarp over it. The roof is now going to be corregated fiberglass or may have to be double walled plastic this winter until we can afford everything. Even though the windows were free the lumber adds up. We are now moving the location to be just off my patio near my pond and behind my trellis of Wisteria, which in winter will be disiduous and I can see the greenhouse from the patio. Going to make it look cute of course. And we also are going to make the north wall up to our block wall solid that leaves more windows for 3 sides to make it bigger. Going to use one window as half of a dutch door. This is somewhat what I like. We might be able to make a 9 by 9 square unit. I have some large plants and pots to put in there.
This message was edited Sep 8, 2009 4:57 PM
Here is a picture of where it is going now, so I will have a view of my pond and the mountains when inside.
Here is another pic of the area. As you can see this is the wild part of our yard we have not finished landscaping. Being taken over by morning glories and vinca vine and some Hollyhocks, I'm thinking rather than fighting it, just let it grow in and make some area gravel for drainage or a river bed.
I just took a couple more pics that are current so you can get an idea. One is the view on the patio, it will go behind this trellis, but in winter you will be able to see it.
This is behind the trellis, more current picture.
The bricks mark where the floor will go, hope you can see them.
Do you have any nurseries around your area? like mom and pop places? or even large ones...go to mom and pop nursery and ask if they have any shade cloth that is ripped or torn that they are not using? tell them the size you need..but add about a foot to the size.. this is for grommets..fold an inch over then again and put a grommet..this will help with attaching the shade cloth...your large nursery/wholesaler find the wholesale supplies in the nursery, go to them and ask the same thing or find the wholesale nursery manager if and when you go a little bigger, do the same thing with GH plastic...they only use it for so long.... ALL of my GH's have free used GH plastic on them.. oh did I say FREE...lol....I went to get fertilizer one day and came home with a huge rubber pond liner....FREE.. I just ask! it had two holes the size of a drinking straw.. I fix them and have a new large pond..woohoo
I also found shade cloth at Lowe's..in the role....get this.. wait.........for .50 cents....yes for 1/2 a buck...I got the entire buggy full...lol ...
oh your yard looks great..come to Alabama and you can do mine....lol
Thanks, I have lots more pics on this site somewhere and also I have Rate My Space with my home and yard and crafts.
http://www.athomewith.com/community/curvesarein/portfolio.esi? userid=10339906.
I hope this link will work.
OMG...your amazing!.. I don't have that kind of time....I tell everyone if its not green and need fertilizer.. I don't have time...lol
with what you have done, your GH/potting shed will be wonderful!!!
