Thinking about a Rion?

I had completely forgotten about the film in the 35mm camera, tucked safely away in the back of the closet. =)

My daughter has recently taken photography in high school, and asked the other day if she could borrow one of our 'old' 35mm cameras. The one with the auto-winder (she looked quizically at the manual wind version, and slowly backed away.. kids. =P ) had film in it, but noone could remember loading it, or what it might contain. Rather than risk overexposure, my daughter just shot off the remaining two shots, and then took the film to be developed.

Much to my surprise, when the pictures arrived (from the 3+ year old, as it turns out, film), they contained a few shots of the weekend the greenhouse was erected. There wasn't much time to take pics, usually a shot or two during a break, but they cover from sorting out the daunting task, to the different "phases" of a Rion greenhouse construction. I guess if someone were trying to decide on building one or not, it might help. *shrug*

Pics (and eggsplanations) to follow...

Day One -- Foundation and walls

Image 1


The greenhouse came packed, if I remember correctly, in eight, large boxes. In February. With most of the worst of winter (most likely) yet to come. I wish I had a pic of the unopened boxes sitting on my front porch, as I arrived home from work that day, but in my excitement, I just rushed them into the kitchen. My wife's ensusiasm at that moment was more than a bit below mine. I still don't get it.

So, the boxes sat in my basement, the walls of a long narrow path half the length of my house, until March. She seemed a bit more tolerant of this setup, but towards the end, now that I think about it, she was watching the weather forecast more closely (intensely, with unabashed fixation?) than I was. When I knew there was to be a 'for sure good weather' weekend, I made sure I was off work, and the packages were opened, and their contents sorted by part number. All parts were inspected for any damage, and that their quantities matched that which the documentation stated. This step is a Must do ! Before you proceed any further, make sure you have all of the parts. The assembly goes very quickly, once you do the first few steps (and get the hang-of-things).

(The orange construction fencing in the background was blocking off another 'big project' going on at the same time: putting my veggie garden in raised beds). The fencing was to keep the dogs out of the muddy mess that was that area. (And, hence, me out of the proverbial doghouse). ;-)

Image 2

The Rion's structural pieces are locked together using small "T" shaped, plastic "pins". A universal tool is provided which makes quick work of inserting (or removing) the pins. I tried to zoom in a bit, without it getting blurry (kinda hard with a 4x6 photo).

The kit comes with a base, but I didn't use mine. It's still in the box, if anyone needs it. It's yours for the shipping costs. I had an existing concrete pad, which used to house a shed. To this, I bolted 4x6 PT lumber, and screwed the greenhouse bottom rail to the 4x's. In hindsight, I wish I would have built a kneewall, for extra height. Something to think about, if you decide to build one.

This message was edited Jun 9, 2009 1:22 PM

Image 3

Day one complete. Once the bottom rail was laid down square on the PT base, the uprights were locked into place by the poly panes and a couple of well-placed bunji cords. =) (The gawd-awful yew in the lower right is no longer there.) =)

We began construction on the roof pieces (as evident by the truss leaning against the front of the GH), but decided to wait until Saturday to build the roof.

edited cuz I can't speel =)

This message was edited Dec 21, 2008 3:17 PM

Day Two -- Assembling the roof

Image 4

The roof trusses are assembled first, and laid out on the ground. They're connected with the same pins, and in the same manner as the uprights. (note the boxes are becoming empty, and their numbers are diminishing rapidly)

*sigh* I told ya I can't speel =(

This message was edited Dec 21, 2008 3:18 PM

Image 5

The trusses are then joined together with a single horizontal piece, at each joint. This task was easily accomplished by two people, and took only a matter of minutes.

Image 6

The roof's frame complete, it was time to begin installing the poly panels. With the roof on the ground, this took no time at all. The panels along the roof's ridge were installed first, by stepping into the spaces where the lower panels would eventually go.

The roof vents simply replaced a panel. The end panel for the exhaust fan was cut from a piece of sheet aluminum, and the fan bolted to it. I was worried about the fan vibrating the sheet metal, but it runs quiet as a mouse. The same method was used for the inlet shutters, at the other end of the greenhouse. They're the first panel down the far side of the frontal-view pic (yet to come), and are blocked by the door in that picture.

Day two was complete, and it wasn't even lunch time! Actually, we were ready for the final step, but needed a couple more people's assistance. My next door neighbor always has his kids over the next day (well, they always seem to drop by at dinnertime, every Sunday), and he volunteered their services.

Day Three -- Raising the roof

Image 7

Four of us lifted the roof (it's not heavy really, just awkward, and kept lighter because we decided to put the remaining lower panels in, after the roof was installed, where they'd be at shoulder level instead of on the ground), and placed it on the uprights, while my son and his friend went along guiding them down, and locking them with pins. We installed the remaining panels and then the weatherstripping. I wish I had taken pictures of that process. i've seen a lot of groans about it, but once you figure it out, it's very easy, and goes very quickly!

The concrete pad slopes towards the front of the greenhouse, and I cut notches through the bottom of the 4x6's to allow any excess water to drain out and into the ground.

...end-of-flood =)

Oh memories. Nice tutorial. After the horrible blizzard we had this weekend, I'm afraid to look at the GH. Hope all the windows are still in place.

It didn't get finished that year (does it ever?).

This pic was taken Christmas morning, the same year. Looks like there was still no electric (outdoor cords ran to waterproof outlets, one outlet per breaker x 2), and apparently the irrigation hadn't been ran yet (tubing coiled up inside greenhouse, against wall). The Hibiscus didn't seem to mind, =)

Worst fears were realized. The storm blew out one of the windows next to the door. It's always the same window. I hope it's buried in the snow somewhere and not in the next county. It's been below zero here since Sunday. Hope I can get out there today and find it.

bummer pastime hope you find the panel soon =(

DH dredged through 3' drifts and found it.

Sooooo - would you recommend this GH? What size is it?

It's 16.5 x 8.5. Bought it through Mega Greenhouse Supply. Shortly after I purchased it, Rion offered models with clear glass panels. I would buy another one if need be. I'd put it in a less windy spot though.

I'd recommend it, also. My only two regrets are that I didn't get a larger one, and I didn't put it on about a 3' kneewall. My Ficus maclellandii Alii did much better over the winter in the GH than my living room, but it just out-grew the GH ceiling. =(

Eggs- GREAT tutorial! Many thanks. If you had built a knee wall, what material would you have used? It looks like the front rail of your base is in gravel - have you had any settling of this side? I'm thinking of putting our GH on a piece of a left over swimming pool apron.

Mortared cinder blocks for the kneewall would have been my choice. They're cheap, easy to lay, and fairly large (less time to install, and less product to purchase).

The pad that the GH rests on was a few inches short of the actual greenhouse size, so the front of the GH overhangs by a about six inches. It's still bolted to the sidewalk, and there's been no sign of warping or settling. When the weatherstripping is installed, the GH is quite rigid. The side nearest the garden overhangs dirt, and there is (for the moment) a border of landscape rock between the sidewalk and the house. It (the rock) used to be on three sides of the house, as well as surrounding the deck, but I've been able to remove all except from the deck to the greenhouse. I doubt I'll mess with trying to remove it this year (I need a break from rock removal, heh), but within the next few years, it too will be gone. Some people like rock mulch, but personally I can't stand it. The good part about the overhang is it's on the low-side of the pad, meaning water has a place to go after draining from the pad.

This summer, when the GH is mostly empty, the plan is: to bolt the benches to the concrete, place pavers down the center, and fill the rest (with an as yet, undetermined material). I don't want to use pea gravel because it's just too light. I'm leaning toward crushed granite (nice, large, surface area), but I've a few months to decide. =)

HTH,
Eggs

This message was edited Jan 5, 2009 4:21 PM

Thank you so much for this post, it is exactly the information I been searching for.

You're welcome, cathy. Glad I could be of some help. =)

Eggs, I ordered a rion today. 8'6"x8'6", a bit larger than my slab on one edge, will gravel that area for drainage. Double wide doors for future wheelchair access. I'm thrilled!

Hiya cathy,

Congrats! You're going to really enjoy it, of that I'm sure. =)

Holy cow, when I ordered it said 3-4 weeks for delivery. It came today after only 4 days. The old shed is still standing and partly filled with junk. We've got work to do!

Cathy - can I ask where you bought it and how much?

dmail on the way.

I ordered it through Sam's Club. It is the 8"6x8"6 with the double doors and 6'10" center height, shaped like a barn. It included the auto window opener (most don't) and rear louvered windows. The double doors was the deciding factor for me as I may need wheelchair access in the future. Most doors are 28" at the most. They do charge tax, so you might want to look at the Rion website. I goofed on that part.

I liked the 15 year frame warranty and the 7 years on the panels. Again better than many of the other brands.

Part of why we bought one is that we were pricing new sheds and this wasn't that much more. I couldn't believe the price on sheds that weren't just metal boxes.



This message was edited Feb 12, 2009 9:11 PM

Opps, forgot the picture:

If the weather doesn't get nice soon, I'm going to bring the boxes into the house and put it together just so I can sit in it. It is 20º outside but sunny, I want it up NOW! I'm too old for a tantrum, but this is like having a big chocolate cake sitting on the kitchen table and not being able to have some. Grrrrr! I have a closet company saving used metal shelving for me to use for shelves, DH brought home concrete blocks. Driving home I passed a gutter company replacing gutters on a house, grabbed 2 of the old ones to use for salad veggies. I need warmer weather!

Eggs, if you put in a knee wall, would you have to step over it to get in? I guess I don't understand this part. Tks, c4

You'd need to modify the door (or replace it with a taller one, or add a second, lower door aka: a Dutch door, or...). Of course, your way is an alternative.

Haha, no, that isn't an option for me, I'm just thinking of my tall husband, IF I let him in.

The old shed it now gone. We have a bit of digging around the slab to do, seems grass has grown up and over the edges, it is bigger than I thought, which is good. It will only need one row of paving stones on one edge to make it the perfect size. My husband enjoyed sledge hammering the old shed down, it was rusted together. He just took a pay cut, so his mood wasn't so good, we will be planting even more veggies this summer than planned.

Eggs, did I read that you caulked your panes in to make the GH tighter, or was it someone else? I'm just wondering what kind of caulk is the right kind, I want to do the North wall where the wind hits right away, maybe the others later. Thanks.

Yep it was me. I just noticed a few small gaps at the peak of the roof, and filled them with clear silicone.

HTH

Thanks, it does help. Clear silicone it is.

I'm going to have to get some of that stuff. The wind blew out two windows this winter. One I found, but the other is in the hinterland somewhere. It's always the same ones too, next to the door and first one around the corner. The barn protects most of the GH from the wind, but the one corner gets hit every time there's a strong SW wind. Got the replacement windows last week, but need a mild, windless day to put them in. I hope the silicone caulk will help.

That's weird that it's always the same ones, pastime. Does anything appear to be warped, or "out of square", there?

And, if I had the same trouble and were going to caulk them with silicone, I'd do the inside and outside of those panes at the same time. I'd be a bit "neater" with it on the outside, as I was on the inside. I wasn't going for "pretty" with it, by any means. I made sure that I thoroughly plugged the holes, and was done with it. It made a huge difference, too. My two small electric heaters are on thermostats, and set to 65F. When it was -4F in January, with 35mph sustained winds for days, it never dipped below 46F in the GH. The rest of the time, it's held within about 10 degrees of the outside temp (if not, dead-on 65F). A few things balked that week, but most did fine. I think the only fatality was a Croton that I got from SB, so I'm kinda bummed about that. But, that was a pretty extreme week, weather-wise (when isn't it, in StL? lol).

HTH

I blame the problem on the concrete slab that's it's built on. It was made for cattle and has a slight slope going away from the barn for water, and other stuff, to run off. The window on the high end corner has never fit right. There's only an inch or so difference between the right side and the left side, but that difference has caused the GH to skew a bit making the window in the front corner too loose and one near the door on the other corner had to be trimmed to fit. I'm hoping the caulk will help. I will do both sides, inside and outside.

I have one of the plastic greenhouses shown here and if at all possible stay away for the plastic. Mine got too hot in the summer and the plastic got too soft and bent so badly I had to cover it . Go with wood if at all possible or aluminum. They have some really pretty aluminum supported greenhouses. If the good Lord lets me live through the summer I will have a small green house next year instead of a big one.

Do you have a Rion? Or, some other 'plastic greenhouse'? Rion's are made from uPVC (Unplasticized Polyvinyl chloride, the same thing that vinyl siding is made from). I'm sure there are other kits that are made from more inferior materials.



How hot? Did you have any cooling methods in place? And, covering a greenhouse in the summer with a shade cloth (especially in warmer zones), is good practice. I prefer to be proactive rather than reactive. When outdoor temps hit the 70's on a regular basis, the shade cloth goes on. Mine has been exposed to temps as low as -4F to above 100F, and has shown zero warping. It's also been exposed to 60+mph straightline winds and hail with no ill effects.



"Pretty" was far from my main consideration, when purchasing my GH. Cost, completeness of the kit, and assembly time were my main considerations. I sure didn't want to spend the time making all of the modifications required to stabilize a Harbor Freight aluminum-frame GH). And, building one from wood (and then trying to find a reasonably priced retailer of twin-wall poly) was cost-prohibitive. My other alternative was a hoop house, but the area where the GH was to be located was much too small for that. Plus, changing the covering on a regular basis wasn't a thought that I relished.

I set an all-inslusive budget of $3000 three years ago. I've spent $2600, and the only thing left to install is a misting system (drip is already installed) and I need about 25' of 8AWG wire. I think I'll make it, even with inflation. =) I don't think I could have built one out of wood or aluminum, with fans, powered louvres, auto-opening vents, drip irrigation, misters, heating, plumbing, and electric, on that budget. Do you?

I did a HUGE amount of research before purchasing this greenhouse, and feel I made the right choice. Plus, unlike many other kits, this one comes with a 15 year frame and 7 years on the panels warranty, not just a one year like some.

This message was edited Mar 1, 2009 8:56 PM