Greenhouse & Hard Standing Advice Sought. Thank you!

Hello!

I'm new to the Gardeners Corner and am looking for help with some greenhouse and shed advice!

A little history to start: When we moved into our house over a decade ago neither of us were particularly into gardening nor did we want to spend much on the garden so we ignored it. The previous owners left us with a delapidated shed and a greenhouse _inside_ another broken shed! Over the last few years the husband has used an increasing strip of the garden as a mini allotment and produced some very lovely vegetables. Now we know that it's not just a passing interest and also that we want to grow more volume and variety going forward we have decided to get rid of the useless old garden buildings we had and buy brand new shed and greenhouse.

We've already had the old ones cleared away by a local garden clearance and maintainence company, who also created brand new back fence with concrete gravel boards and posts. The garden is suddenly looking huge! Unfortunately, we had optimistically assumed there would be a half way decent hard standing below the old buildings but have found nothing but mud, an assortment of old bricks, rocks and coal, some very old plastic tubes, occasional lumps of concrete and rubbish such as glass bottles and bathroom tiles!

The quote for new hard standing is really expensive. We've got a quote (from the people who did the clearance and fencing, as they did a thorough and conscientious job, for a concrete base (�£1700) and also for paving (�£2300).

I know the high prices are because the quotes are for a proper job using same standards and materials as for patio/ driveway and ensures drainage space between the new standing and fence gravel boards. For the concrete base the quote includes making a support at the edges next to the gravel boards, metal meshing with 10mm rods inside the concrete and a 10cm deep concrete layer. For the paving base it includes making a support at the edges next to the gravel boards, a layer of crushed rock (MOT Type 1), a layer of sharp sand and cement and then the 40cm x 40cm paving slabs. The paving will take longer hence also includes more labour costs.

1)
But I�m thinking, given the price, that this is overkill for our needs. I can safely say we are not up for doing the job ourselves but can anyone advise on what we actually need in order to have a robust and long-lasting hard standing that will support an 8 x 10 greenhouse and a 4 x 10 shed? Ought we to bite the bullet and go for one of the above options or ask for a new quote for something simpler, and if so what do we need?

2)
Also, in terms of the ideal base for greenhouses should we be going for a completely solid base (whether concrete or paving) or a partial base where we leave an uncovered area a few inches smaller all round than the greenhouse base - my thinking being that we can then plant directly into the soil. Is that desirable? Pros and cons?

3)
I'd love some advice on greenhouse specifics. We want a 10 x 8 foot model but have not decided exactly which one yet let alone which options to select. Please can you comment on the following with your thoughts, pros and cons, personal experiences and any other feedback you can think of?

a) aluminium versus wood - especially in terms of durability

b) powder coated aluminium - are there any advantages other than appearance/colour? Does it give extra protection to the metal? Does it wear off and look s****py?

c) eaves height - husband is 6 foot 6 inches tall so we want decent ridge height but I'm also leaning towards higher eaves models partly because they feel so much more spacious and partly because they allow for a shelf to be fixed above the staging. Means paying quite a bit more. Any thoughts?

d) single / double doors. I can see that advantage of single doors is being able to have wider staging and of double doors is to have wider access. Any experiences of either to share?

e) sliding doors / hinged doors - we both have a preference for hinged but are there advantages to the sliding that we're not seeing? As long as the door opens outwards space won't be an issue. It seems many of the sliding doors need a rail along the bottom which I'd probably trip over on entering and exiting. We don't need an entrance that's flush with the floor but the lower the lip the better.

f) ideal number of roof vents for 10x8 foot greenhouse?

g) should we pay the extra for the automatic openers for the roof vents?

h) do we need louvres and if so, how many and do we need automatic openers?

i) Husband is leaning strongly towards 4mm toughened glass (single sheets if we can afford it) rather than polycarbonate. I know that polycarbonate is more resistant to breakage, diffuses incoming light more and also retains the heat within the greenhouse better but that glass lets more light in and (in our opinion) looks better. Are there any advantages to combining the two? For example, having the back and side that are close to garden fences in polycarbonate and the front and other side and the roof in glass? Or should we stick to glass throughout?

4)
Do you have any specific models or manufacturers to recommend (that come in 8 foot width, 10 foot length)?

5)
What about models or manufacturers that you want to warn us against?


Any other ideas, tips and feedback would be gratefully received!

Thank you so much!

Kavita

 

Wow. That is a Ph D thesis Kavita. Welcome to GC but I think one of our professional gardeners is best on this one. Pro Gard springs straight to mind because he is into major projects like this one. But others will no doubt put their twopennyworth in as well. I think this one will run and run and may have a little input myself when the 'pros' get it's back broken.

 

Yeah I'm a bit OC, I think, when it comes to researching things!

I was the same when researching what food processor and new pans to buy and my travel planning (travel is my number one passion) is probably a terrifying thing to behold!!!

Thanks for the welcome and will look forward to any advice anyone can offer!

 

Hi kavita.. To GC..

WoW.What a lot of questions, I have A 8ft by 6ft on a concrete base, I didn't fancy borders bcos I think they would be messy, ie watering pots above, and when sweeping, cleaning, G.H. etc.. Also �£4000, seems steep to me. Phew give it time, there will be loads of advice coming....
if this gets through! its took 25 mins,GRRRRR

 

It wouldn't be �£4000 - it would EITHER be �£1700 for the concrete base OR �£2300 for the paving one! But that's for over-engineered solutions for our needs, I think. We don't really NEED concrete to 10cm depth with metal mesh reinforcement within, I'm thinking!

Thanks for the welcome!

 

Oh sorry Kavey, no you dont need metal mesh reinforcement, the hub thinks our concrete base is 3 or 4" deep, ( he works in the old language hehe)..

 

Hmm! P.G. isn't around. I just treated it like a patio. Dug out 4" deep. Pounded in some hardcore. Filled in the remainder with concrete and put the blocks on a base of cement. Seems to have worked O.K.

 

Thanks YoungDaisyDee and Cajary!

We know ourselves well enough to know we don't want to do the job ourselves so I'm going to get this guy to quote for simpler job and also some quotes from other folks.

Would still welcome greenhouse feedback too!

THANK YOU!

 

Hi Kavey,similar to what Caj says for the g/house dug it out laid in hardcore then flagged it with 2x2 pressed flags floated on a concrete bed,g/houses with soil borders can be a problem they can harbour pest,need the soil changing after a while it can go sour,ventillation auto vents are good you can fit them on the louvers as well as the roof vents, get as much ventillation as possible at least 2 in the roof and the same for the sides, I prefer wood for the frame much easier to fasten insulation to in winter, sliding doors preferable not likely to blow about in the wind,toughened glass is good,
http://www.gabrielash.com/
http://www.greenhousepeople.co.uk/greenhouses/?src=google&_$ja=kw:greenhouses%7ccgn:Greenhouses+Only%7ccgid:270661031%7ctsid:3573%7ccn:Greenhouses%7cmt:Exact%7cnw:search%7ccrid:765 956171%7cbku:1&gclid=COLcnZP9mpICFQ8HQwodOV0_-w
You get what you pay for buy good quality, get one as big as you can(you never seem to have enough room)
You don't need re-enforcing in the base for your shed as long as you're not keeping gold bars in it 4-6" of concrete on suitably compacted hardcore should be sufficient.Good luck.

 

I think the price for your base is very steep, I to am new to greenhousing and had a proper solid base made to Elite measurements, this cost me �£600 from a local builder all in. As I live on windy hill on the m62 in yorkshire a very firm footing was needed. The guy who erected the house said it was the best he had seen for a long time and made the fixing easy. I wish I had gone for two side vents as well as two roof vents as even in stillish weather the vents blow shut very quickly. But auto vents are my next priority.

 

Thanks for that additional info on greenhouses, walnut... all good to know.

Peteyjen, thanks for your info also. What are Elite measurements, please?

 

OK, we went back on Monday to the place from which we are going to buy greenhouse and shed and turns out that they have a team that can put in the bases for us and at prices that are much more reasonable. We'll go for a paving base for the shed and I can't remember what the name of it was, maybe split foundation, for the greenhouse, total will be about �£500 which is fine. So we'll go in on Friday or Saturday and put the order in (having thought about it and agreed to go ahead) and should have it all done within 4-5 weeks!

 

Sorry have not got back Kavey, if you send size of greenhouse will give you measurements,to write down all models and sizes would take all day

 

Peteyjen
Not to worry, we took a leap and have now settled on a model - the Halls Optimum 10 x 8 and are getting the same company to create the standing beneath, likewise they'll put paving down before delivering and erecting the shed!
Thanks though!

 

Just to let you all know that we placed the order for our shed and greenhouse today.

We went for a Halls Optimum 10x8 (which we liked because of the extra-high eaves height, the hinged door and the general construction). It comes with 4mm toughened single sheet safety glass, guttering and downpipes and an integral base.

For our shed we chose an A&J 10x4 pent with 4 classic windows along the lower height long side and the door on one of the short sides.

Best of all, the company we ordered from also provide the building service to do the greenhouse base and paving for the shed and at a reasonable price too. Plus they can coordinate the timings with the delivery and installation of shed and greenhouse and it means they are responsible for everything which is reassuring in terms of everything marrying up properly.

Within 4-5 weeks the entire lot will be done just in time for the 2008 growing season!