Cactushobbyman, here I go again

Do-it-yourself projects such as greenhouse or shadehouse builds and related topics.
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Tiggy
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Re: Cactushobbyman, here I go again

Post by Tiggy »

Looking good so far. By the way what is the significance of HF (harbor freight)? :-k You seem to be a bit apprehensive about it if I'm not mistaken. 8-[

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iann
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Re: Cactushobbyman, here I go again

Post by iann »

Tiggy wrote:Looking good so far. By the way what is the significance of HF (harbor freight)? :-k You seem to be a bit apprehensive about it if I'm not mistaken. 8-[

Susi
Harbor Freight is a company that sells complete greenhouses for astonishingly low prices, especially if you catch one of their offers or coupons. The downside is they are not the most robust, cutting the aluminium frames to the thinnest they can get away with and using the lightest grade polycarbonate that can possibly stay in place in a greenhouse. Usually they need a little judicious tweaking and caulking to make sure they don't blow away in the next storm and the glazing stays in the frame without leaking.
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Tiggy
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Re: Cactushobbyman, here I go again

Post by Tiggy »

Thank you Iann, I was wondering if that was what it meant, as I have been looking for over a year now on the net to see what was on offer, and have been tempted by some "good bargains" on various sites. This one in particular is the sort of size that I wanted and the price is brilliant - E.236,00. Would this be a complete waste of money in your opinion?
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This on the other hand is my dream, if only we were capable. Would cost a fortune to do anyway.
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Perfect this one. :sleepy2: :sleepy2: :sleepy2: (I can dream, can't I?)

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iann
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Re: Cactushobbyman, here I go again

Post by iann »

The first picture apparently shows a "polypropylene" glazed greenhouse. I can't tell if the frame is aluminium or plastic, but I don't see any gutters. One vent on a greenhouse of that size is completely inadequate. The polypropylene blocks more light than polycarbonate (might be good or bad for you), but is much less durable and softer. I have seen it offered for sale described as polycarbonate, but it isn't. I wouldn't touch it with a barge-pole and that's from someone whose greenhouse cost a big fat nothing.

The second one is nice :) Not just pretty either. Look how many vents it has. The glass is (should be!) toughened which is good, at least some with automatic openers (not that I'm a big fan, but they are convenient) and that frame will last forever. One thing wrong with it though ... not enough Lithops!
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Tiggy
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Re: Cactushobbyman, here I go again

Post by Tiggy »

You have just confirmed my thoughts Iann. It's a nightmare trying find a good balance between quality and the pocket. If I could afford it I would LOVE to make one from scratch similar to the one in the photo.

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cactushobbyman
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Re: Cactushobbyman, here I go again

Post by cactushobbyman »

Tiggy wrote:Looking good so far. By the way what is the significance of HF (harbor freight)? :-k You seem to be a bit apprehensive about it if I'm not mistaken. 8-[ Susi
Harbor Freight greenhouses are not made with the highest quality of material. $550.00 for a 10 X 12 foot greenhouse is a great value. :D The down side is the quality. :( The greenhouse I built 9 X 14 foot, the one next to my new addition, the polycarbonate was $1100.00, not counting freight. The polycarbonate on the one I built was 8mm and on the Harbor Freight about 3.5mm. Big difference. I used 2 X 4 redwood construction instead of 1.5 X 1.5 redwood you see in most sold on the internet. So my concern will be if the final product is worth the 550 dollars invested or triple my investment and increase my original greenhouse 60% instead of doubling my space. More thoughts on my next installment. :)
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cactushobbyman
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Re: Cactushobbyman, here I go again

Post by cactushobbyman »

Iann

Right now I'm more worried about expansion of the polycarbonate. Not built with any space for expansion.
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cactushobbyman
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Re: Cactushobbyman, here I go again

Post by cactushobbyman »

Finally, recognizable assembly starts. One thing I keep in mind from the reviews I read is that the directions are not the best. Well with three kids and many Christmases behind me, poor directions should not be a problem. Next I want to keep reminding myself to take my time. Knowing that a few parts may cause me some unknown problems, patience may be the best tool that I will use on this project. First up is the floor plate installation. This is mounted to the base and is held down with clips. The base has a slight bow at the seam where it is conjoined. So as an added measure to secure the plate to the base I used construction adhesive. This will also seal the small gaps in the bow on the base. Nonetheless, the base plate was pretty straight forward. Next the corner post installation. I see why the reviews stated the directions were poor. I just took my time and made sure not to tighten up any nuts because I did have to reinstall some parts. At this point I came to realize that the parts were made just strong enough to get by. But I hope strong enough to hold up to the elements. :shock:
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Peterthecactusguy
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Re: Cactushobbyman, here I go again

Post by Peterthecactusguy »

hahaha I am laughing cause once I get the greenhouse I am working on leveled I have to reassmble the framework.. AND this will be fun since I HAVE no instructions, but I took it down so IT can't be that hard to put back together right? lol
Here's to you, all you insidious creatures of green..er I mean cacti.
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Tiggy
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Re: Cactushobbyman, here I go again

Post by Tiggy »

Peter-You have the same way of thinking as my husband, and he ALWAYS end up with extra bits (be it screws or whatever) which as he always says weren't needed anyway!!! :shock: :shock: :shock:
CHM-It's coming along great.
Are you planning to do any modifications to it, or wait and see how it goes? I'm really curious for your opinion on the finished product for ref. when I go down that road, (hopefully this year :roll: ).Like you I have toying with the idea of whether to make one from scratch or get a ready-made one. Trouble is to get any quality you first need to get the cash, and lots of it ](*,) ](*,) ](*,)

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Re: Cactushobbyman, here I go again

Post by daiv »

So far so good! Keep posting pics of the build!
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cactushobbyman
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Re: Cactushobbyman, here I go again

Post by cactushobbyman »

Assembly pace quickens. The side walls, back and front is assembled. All nuts and bolts are not tight. The directions got a few choice words during this process. I had many water breaks, reread the directions and still had to reassemble several parts. The parts are made with the least amount of aluminum but starting to strengthen up. :)
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Arjen
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Re: Cactushobbyman, here I go again

Post by Arjen »

nice progress! are you going to make that one big greenhouse, or just two next to each other?
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mind ‘cactus taxonomy is the pursuit of the impossible by the incompetent’ - Fearn & Pearcy, Rebutia (1981)
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cactushobbyman
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Re: Cactushobbyman, here I go again

Post by cactushobbyman »

Arjen wrote:nice progress! are you going to make that one big greenhouse, or just two next to each other?
I intend to make both greenhouse join together and that will be the last phase of the build. I have to complete the new greenhouse to make room for the last phase or should I say design phase. :lol:
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majcka
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Re: Cactushobbyman, here I go again

Post by majcka »

When do you plan to move??? :lol:
Maja

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