Good Deal?...

I thought this looked like a pretty good deal for a complete kit with polycarbonate panels.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=47712

Heck, that is as cheap as a set of lights!

I would like to know what someone else thinks too.

Davena

I'm wishing I wasn't broke right now.......

Guys, that is a darn good price! One like that at Gardeners Supply was at least twice the price. I got a 10' X 10' one on E bay last spring for $750.00 plus shipping, which was close to $300 because of the weight. One question is, how thick is the polycarbonate,is it flat sheet, or double wall?

skyeblu, you asked the very questions that came to my mind! The photos look a little like it may be a rippled, single sheet... Hard to imagine a decent double-wall polycarbonate for thet price.

I came upon the link by viewing threads at Garden Web. If I understand correctly... the shipping is free for orders of $50 or more. There's a lot of discussion about this greenhouse at GW http://search.gardenweb.com/search/nph-ind.cgi?term=Harbor+Freight&forum=strucs&forum_name=Greenhouses+%26+Garden+Structures Several people have bought it and if your thinking about ordering you might want to check out what they have to say.

I just checked it out on your Hyperlink. It is one quarter inch double polycarbonate. There are some comments on the instructions not being real great, and that it comes "in about 100 pieces" It has no rubber seals, so the panels need to be caulked in, other than that it seems to be just like the $1000.00 one that is the same size.
You do need to provide some kind of foundation, as you do for any GH kit.
So...it still sounds like a good deal to me.

Do you think Chuck would notice the charge on the credit card????

Do you think he'd believe me when I tell him it followed me home and can I keep it?

So is anyone going to do this? I read all the reviews and being the kind of person I am......what if you wrapped it in heavy plastic and or bubble wrap insulation inside? Do you guys think it would be worth heating??

My first greenhouse was the 1/4" dbl.wall carbonate. Of course this was 20 years ago. It took a lot time to put together and didn't last more than one season. The sun was just too much for it. I have two coldframes of the same material and have had them for several years. I only use them for a couple of months in the spring then they are stored away out of the sun for the rest of the year.

Also I think the size your are talking about will be much too small. The smaller the GH the harder to keep either warm or cool. Maybe the sun isn't as strong in your area and might work for you. Anyway those are my opinions. Donna

Thank you for your honesty Donna. I have looked and read and read and looked. I know it's too small. LOL Yet, I looked again. :) I guess I am gonna have to bite the bullet and just build a monster one. I'm looking at storing at least 400 plants for the winter. Hmmm, the garage is looking pretty good. I guess I could buy some serious lights for $400. Sigh.

I was practically salivating until I read Donna's comments, which I suspect are dead-on accurate. (Especially the size - I was warned by a lot of GH folks here to make mine as big as I could afford, as it would fill up fast. And they were absolutely correct!)

My $150 6 mil poly greenhouse (10x12) from two years ago is still going strong. I just ordered "C" clamps from ACF greenhouse this morning, and I've got two bid requests out for 1/2" bubble wrap to sanwich between the layers - I figure even with spending $50-$75 for these items, I'm still way ahead of the game. But a good-sized polycarb GH is definitely on my someday "to-do" list!

The polycarbonate on my greenhouse is waranteed for 15 years. I sure hope it lasts more than one, or I'm going to cry!

Hey all! I am a newbie, and am thrilled to have found this site!! I wish I had found you all before purchasing my greenhouse a couple of years ago. Looks like you could have helped me find a better deal. I have a 9x12 twin wall 10mil(I think) polycarb with 4 roof vents and dbl sliding doors. I paid almost 5 TIMES the price of the hyperlink listed.It was just FINALLY put up this Summer (waited til I could run water and electrical to it). It seems well insulated, as it was 120 degrees in there in July...(just using it for a garden shed in the summer down here on the Coast.) I have already started taking cuttings of my tropicals to overwinter in it and the only problem I can see, (besides it not being big enough...are they ever?) is that the eaves only come up to about 5 ft. The center gable goes to 7 ft, but I didn't understand those dimensions when I ordered it. All I can say is, Thank God he made me a short girl!

Oh, this is tempting! Very tempting indeedy! :-D

Can anyone comment from experience about the sliding door? My experience with sliding doors is that they are the first thing to go. Dirt /snow/ice gets into the track and the extra force used to slide them puts strain on the main structure as well as the door panel itself. The slightest warp makes it difficult to get a tight seal when closed, allowing drafts of cold air to enter and $ to go out. Anyone have experience to share? Padre

Padre, that's an excellent question - we built ours from PVC and covered it with a skin of flexible UV-rated film. I never thought about going with a sliding vs. swinging door, although after I saw the sliding doors I wondered if I shouldn't have. The points you raised make me glad I didn't.

My door does sometimes gets blown open in gusty winds (we didn't spend the time or $$ to get a good latching system on our homemade GH :o)

If you read the hyperlinks about what people think about it, one person said they did not like the bottom sliding door and changed it so it hung or slid from the top.

This greenhouse has intrigued me to no end! For the price I am thinking this would be the perfect place to start seeds and over-winter a few of the tropicals I plan to keep. I know it is small, but I have such limited space in our garden it would fit nicely. I don't think it looks half bad and I've never seen one for this price. It is very similar to the one at Gardener's Supply for $799

Gardener's Supply Greenhouse: http://www.gardeners.com/sell.asp?ProdGroupID=11211&DeptPGID=13596&lstCategory=&lstSort=0&PFImage=1&RecGroupNum=1

Harbor Frieght Greenhouse: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=47712

Okay, you be the brave one! LOL Let us know how you like it. ;)

Hey Michelle, Uh, I was hoping someone would come on and talk me out of it. LOL....I guess you read me right tho...I am seriously considering the order!

Okay, I'll tell ya what. You order it, have it sent here and I will try it out for you, two zones colder. LOL Well, it was worth a try! I'm still wondering how it would do, all nice and caulked up and covered in plastic. Hmmm.

I would order in a minute if I thought it would keep me happy for a while. I know it's too small for what I want and I'd just want something bigger next year. I don't think you'll find a better price unless your lucky enough to find a deal on a used greenhouse.

My first GH is a 10 X 6 one that is kind of like a tent (fabric like covering). It actually workes very well for seed starting. It cost more than the harbor freight one.

That is good size skyblue! I usually start mine indoors, then move them out to my little hoophouse. It is only 4x8 and holds about 16 flats if I remember correctly. I was just eyeballing the hoophouses at Mellingers. Not way out of my price range. I keep thinking of lumber costs though, and the tools in the garage and trying to justify buying a kit! LOL

Badseed, Mellingers is ONLY 30 minutes from my house!! If you come down this way you HAVE to stop and see me!!

Davena

How about you throw one on top of your van and come see me! LOL

For That kind of money I would run the other way fast. Twin wall polycarbonate cost $80 for 6 mill 4 x 12 sheets when I built my green house four years ago and it's still perfect.

The size is really small to be very effective and I fear it will not be very forgiving. Stored plants need air circulation to stay healthy and bug free.

Others have written bigger is better and they are right for several reasons. I started with a 16 x 32 and it took about a year to start feeling the pinch. year three found me experimenting with low tunnels for my spring transplants which was a poor sub for a decent cold frame. This year I added a 12 x 48 x 7 foot high hoop house. Now I have a new home made green house on the drawing board.

I have two friends who both said the same thing build it bigger than you think you need or you will be like us with two or three small ones before you get where you need to be.

Whatever you decide good luck with your hobby. Bear in mind we are all on big property we are not gardening on city lot size parcells. Ernie

I just found davegarden today. What a neat forum! I bought a Harbor Freight GH about 3 months ago. I was not very pleased with it when I first got it. After I got it set up I really like the little thing. Serves it's purpose well. Some of my experiences putting the thing up can be found at http://www.glosson.com/greenhouse

Bob

Bob, welcome - great-looking GH you put together there! (I love the brick floor you laid down!

Nice job, Bob! I have purchased one too, it is sitting in my garage. :) I am still trying to figure out ventilation and heat for it and hope to start building soon.

Welcome Bob! You did a wonderful job with yours! It looks great!

Sue! You were holding out on me!! Hmph! I never! LOL

LOL! Michelle, nah uhhh! Was not!

Just got it last week. Took a day or two to figure out where to put it and now I have to start the foundation. I'm secretly waiting for my husband to get back from his trip so he can help me........or, you wanna come over and help me? Get into that cushy Tahoe and cruz on over!

I'll tell ya what. I'll secretly sit here and wait on your hubby too! LOL If I am putting my pregnant self through that kind of work, I am KEEPING it! You'll have to let me/us know how you liked it after a winter. Of course they will be gone by then or they will raise the price. sigh...

Hi people,
I didn't read all these posts, but measure your bathroom, it is probably bigger than that greenhouse. As for Harbor Freight, they are a tool company & there are some horrer stories about their tools! (No experience myself.)
Try www.farmtek.com, they have tons of greenhouses, I think the prices a reasonable. They start at $185 for a 8' X 24' cold frame.
Bernie

CountryGardens

Being the new kid on the block, I don’t want to start any controversy. You are 100% right in saying that the Harbor Freight GH is small. It is smaller than my bathroom, but it’s perfect for people with small yards or for people like me that live in neighborhoods that have deed restrictions concerning out buildings. I think most people who have purchased one of these greenhouses knows up front what they are buying. A small greenhouse! As for horror stories concerning Harbor Freight, I have two buddies that are in the construction business that purchase 80% of their tools from them and they told me that they have yet had a bad experience with them.

Bob


This message was edited Oct 15, 2003 9:05 AM

Bernie, your hyperlink didn't work...wanna try again?

On the subject of GH size, I'd have to say we are the proud owners of a bathroom that is actually SMALLER than that GH! (No kidding. Ours is a mid-1970s home and the "master" bathroom measures a whopping 4x8, and I gotta say it would be a tight squeeze to get potting benches in there, lolol!)

Personally, I love the size of my 10x12 GH. I'd often like to have more room, especially when the seedlings get going and suddenly a flat of plugs becomes two or three flats of seedlings in individual cells. I would agree with the tried-and-true advice to go as big as you think you'll ever need, and maybe a tad bigger than that.

But I also agree that for those on small city lots and/or with restrictive covenants and zoning issues, a small GH is sometimes the only option, and it sure beats taking over every flat surface in your house with seedlings from January to April. :) My neighbor has an 8x10 polycarb GH, and a cheap little ceramic heater keeps it cozy all winter long. Can't beat that!

Why do I have to live in Finland where everything is soo expencive, this offer great, in here same kind of greenhouse costs 650€/$.

I am not sure how to do the hyperlink, so just type in that address.
Bernie

This is the corrected link:

http://www.farmtek.com