Fantasy and problem

I would love to attach a lean to type greenhouse to my waiting room of the big barn. The problem is that the south side is where all the heavy snow and ice dumps off the high rooftop. Is there a way to protect the top of the greenhouse or is this a dumb idea?

you could reinforce the ceiling of the grhouse to accomodate the weight of the snow/ice. I did that with 2x4's running the length of the grhouse at the top on the inside, and I have 2x4's that hold up the 2x4 length that sit on the shelves-like legs. I think I have them every 6-9'. You would have to have a way of removing the snow as well. That means going out there whenever the snow falls-even at 3 in the morning if there is a heavy snow fall-not fun!!

But what about the impact from the fall of the snow and ice? Depending on how high it is falling from, it could easily break right through the greenhouse covering itself.

Up by Hebgen Lake one of our clients has a two story home which gets such severe amounts of ice and snow coming down they are afraid to walk from the driveway to the front door for fear of getting killed. They are having to put up a big framework to combat the problem.

I have seen some very large icicles that, falling from a height, could do some serious damage.

MM

On the area where I enter the barn (right next to where my fantasy would go) we put up a gridlike metal piece that keeps lots of snow from falling but doesn't help with ice. Because it's the south side, there's lots of melting and freezing and icicles. I guess this wouldn't work. Thanks for everyone's help and experiences, though. Back to the drawingboard.

Boojum (Kathy),

I am going to assemble and install an attached greenhouse kit this winter. It is the Essex Lincoln model and it is not particularly armored against impacts from above, as you can see from this web page:

http://www.essexgreenhouse.com/site/greenhouses/lincoln-greenhouses.php

I have the building permit, the kit is on order, and expected delivery is mid January (brrr). I am in the process of removing the sod and excavating a base for it now. It will be under an eve, and will be subject to some of the hazards you mentioned.

We get a lot of snow here. It tends to stay on the roof for extended periods, but sunny days cause some melting, which forms icicles on the eaves. Fortunately, most of the icicles themselves melt by dripping from their tips, but they do on occasion fall. The snow very rarely falls from the roof as an avalanche.

But, as they say, "bad stuff" happens. I plan to fabricate an "icicle guard" from multiple layers of bubble wrap and solid polycarbonate panels. The plan is that the polycarbonate will protect the bubble wrap and the bubble wrap will absorb the shock of any icicle or snow slide impacts. I will make the attachment board tall enough to permit attachment points for the icicle/snow armor panels. I will deploy the guard panels only during periods of perceived danger.

I think you could design a greenhouse that would be resistant to falling snow and ice. One design technique would be to have a much steeper roof angle, somewhat like this "solar" lean-to model, only more so.

http://www.clearspan.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10051&storeId=10001&productId=64860

The steeper the roof angle, the more resistant it is to snow and ice falling from above. As far as I know, such a snow/ice impact-resistant greenhouse isn't available as a kit, so you would need to use a custom design and you or others would need to build it.

MM

Kathy, Nantucket gets far less snow and ice than Western Ma, but this is what we did and perhaps this could work for you. We have a wooden shed roof that projects out from the overhang above that the snow and ice fall down on to from above before the glass starts. The angle of the glass is such that the snow and ice debris then slid down the glass with no ill effect since 1982. Our glass is essentially sliding glass doors set in wood frames that where recycled from old Rhine gold brewery vats in Brooklyn. I knew I saw glass in your future!!! Just a thought. Pren is finishing up the yule logs and it is now a sparkling day. You guys have got to visit. Patti

Kathy, I don't have many photographs of winter scenes of the greenhouse. Here is Late Dec 2004. We lost power for 3 days. But it blew so hard we had huge drifts, but almost no snow in the yard. We lost some huge cedars and a couple of pitch pines. Patti

Well that is very encouraging!! Maybe this is possible afterall. We want to visit!!