Harbor Freight 6x8

Wow.. this tiny lil thing was the biggest job I've taken on in a long time! I had help with cutting the base boards and my DD helped me with the top crown beam.. the rest I did myself. I have to say... stay off the coffee cause if you take this on alone.. you might get a litte tiny bit crabby!
Thank you dearly to DAX http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/strucs/msg1018342913355.html
for posting this thread, cause when things didn't make sense, I could come in and see what the instructions meant. I couldn't have done it without this help. Thank you so much Dax!

Here is day 1... getting it level was the hardest part.

Here is day 2

Here was yesterday.... today I am so tired.. but it's down to the wire, this thing needs to get done!

ZZsBabiez, there are some well-documented reinforcements to the 6x8 and the 10x12 HFGHs that are really worthwhile. Without reinforcements, the 6x8 HFGH is vulnerable. Check here at DG or on the GW.

ZZsBabiez, we put up our Harbor Freight 10x12 in August. I know what you mean about a big job!

There are some differences between the 10x12 and 6x8, but I kept a blog here at DG about building ours, if it helps. http://davesgarden.com/community/blogs/t/oldmudhouse/6644/

I took photos of what we did to reinforce it for heavy winds (a big problem here.) The 10x12 is pretty tall, and we found it really needed the extra bracing to be stable...I'm not sure if that's as important for the 6x8.

However, I've read both sizes can have a problem with the panels staying in place in high winds. It's a good idea to add screws to the panels to make sure they don't blow out in winds; the clips provided are usually not enough to ensure that scary things don't happen. (We don't want you collecting panels from your neighbor's yard!) I have photos of how we did that in my section on "Adding the Panels".

I hope you'll post back here with your progress, looks good!
Sheri

Thank you both!
What about silicone caulking? Would that help with the panels? It is in a pretty well protected area, but I still get a bit of wind.

I have read about folks using silicone caulk, and some said it did the trick (kept the panels in) but one person said it did not, they still lost panels.

The screws are really quite easy to do. I'm not sure if the braces in the 6x8 are like the braces in the 10x12 (mine are hollow, yours might be made more like L-shaped angle iron) so I found a page that a friend of mine did, showing how she put the screws in the panels of her HFGH 6x8:
http://imqtpi.freeservers.com/photo_8.html

I did not want to caulk all my panels in since I wanted to be able to remove some to replace with screens in the summer (it gets really hot here!) I used weather stripping instead to close down any air gaps around the panels.

I don't think the silicone caulk can hurt anything, the only down side to it is that it makes the greenhouse a lot harder to take apart if you were thinking of moving in the next few years and wanted to take it with you. I don't have a HF greenhouse, but mine is made of similar materials--last year I didn't caulk the panels and I had several of them pop out (not all the way out and blowing away, just snapping out of the metal frame). They're nearly impossible to pop back in without taking the whole greenhouse apart again. So this year I caulked all the panels in place--haven't had much wind yet to test it out, but I definitely think it'll be an improvement.

ecrane3, do you have a Rion?

I did end up caulking in the poly panels in my roof vents, since those small panels sit in a groove in the metal vent frame (no panel clips there, and no way to screw them in.) One of those popped partly out of the frame (sounds like what ecrane3 described). Caulked those puppies in and no more problems with that!

The HF wall and roof panels unfortunately just sit on the outside of the frame...nothing to snap into...they will fall right out if not held in place with the metal clips that come with the kit. In fact if I'm trying to put wall panels back in on a windy day it can be exciting, while I'm securing the bottom the top falls out and hits me on the head, LOL! That's why they are so at risk to being lost from this brand of GH. Too bad they don't have any kind of a groove or track to snap in or out of, that would help.

ZZsBabiez, another thing people do is order extra panel clips. You can order them from Charley's Greenhouse Supply or from Harbor Freight using their toll free number (that's what I did, in addition to using screws.)

Another thing to think about before caulking panels in is whether or not you'll want to remove a panel for any additions to your GH. For example, I had to remove an upper panel in the back wall to cut a hole in it to install an exhaust fan. Same would apply for any location where you think you would be installing exhaust vents...it's probably easier to cut holes in the polycarbonate if you can take them out and lay them flat.

No, mine's not a Rion, I ended up getting a brand called Sundog, it was the only cecent size one that was 5' wide instead of 6', that's all the space that I had for it.

Well, I got most of the panels in today.. I'm really thinking they will be fine with the clips, but I'm going to order some extra just in case. I'm so thankful all of you post things like.. what if I wanna take it down or modify it.. cause that is a real issue!

I am sure I will be making changes to it, cause it gets too hot here.. I can already tell it's hot in there and I don't have the door or pop up windows in yet! But I am loving it already.. I have wanted a greenhouse forever.. just never got one for one reason or another.. I love the smell inside already! I am so jazzed.

Thank you everyone for all your help!