New Greenhouse - Please help!

Posts

• Busy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043

  10 January

  Wood looks nicer but it's expensive and needs maintenance or it can rot so I've always gone for aluminium. The one I had at my last house stood up to some pretty strong gales. It needs a good attachment with concrete to the ground. It wasn't an expensive make.

  Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.

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• Emptyheadtime Posts: 366

  10 January edited 10 January

  I looked into this recently. You say you want it for veg growing so you need to think about how you will grow them, in pots or in the ground? If in the ground you may need to change the soil every year or so to prevent pests building up. If in pots you may need to consider your base (concrete/slabs/gravel). 

  Often the difference in brands/sizes can be how tall they are, so consider what size you are getting and how much room is inside for standing up in etc. The bigger the better for air circulation too.
  

  Vitavia look fine but you can spend a fair bit more adding safety glass/gutters/staging/extra vents etc. Safety glass (dearer) shatters into small pieces if the glass gets damaged as a posed to big shards for horticultural glass (cheaper). Gutters are good to collect the rainwater (you may need a down pipe). Staging/shelving can be useful. You cannot have too much ventilation to help prevent disease and overheating in summer.
  I looked at Rhino which were quite a bit more expensive but I felt looked better quality. Glass is held in better (long strips rather than clips) so less likely to blow out, was 4mm instead of 3mm so added a fair bit of weight to help keep it all in place in bad weather. The sizes I was looking at had side vents and extra roof vents (with automatic openers). If it’s for a sheltered site the Vitavias looked fine. If it’s a more exposed site and budget allows then I would pick Rhino. 

  I looked at wood but these needed a brick base building and treated regularly so was not for me, although they do look really nice.
  I never ended up buying one as for the size I wanted it was just too expensive for now and I didn’t want to compromise with a smaller one as I will only be buying a greenhouse once so will wait until I can afford the one I want (Rhino 10x8 🤞).
  this is a handy guide.
  https://www.landmarkgreenhouses.com/advice/guide-for-first-time-buyers
  
  
  

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• Butterfly66 Posts: 970

  11 January

  Once you have a feel for what you want I recommend doing a detailed price comparison. I liked the look of Rhino but from headline prices thought they were outside my budget. However when getting into the detail I got more included in the basic Rhino price than with the other suppliers (Halls was on our shortlist but I can’t remember the others, it was about 8 years ago) and some of the extras I wanted were less expensive. When we costed up adding in ventilation etc the headline cheaper one was often more expensive or very similar.
  
  Am still very happy with my Rhino and would get one again if we moved elsewhere - unless I win the lottery and then it will be an Alitex or Hartley Botanicals 
  
  I have a friend who had a beautiful white painted wooden greenhouse, think Hartley B in style, and she said it was a nightmare maintaining the woodwork. Theirs was inherited so not sure on age but needed repainting quite often to keep it looking it’s best.

   If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero
  East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham

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• Buttercupdays Posts: 4,546

  11 January

  I've had an 8'x12' Rhino for for a good few years now, can't recall quite when I bought it, but it's great. It gets some shade from nearby trees which is useful in summer and it does get plenty of wind as we live on the side of a hill in the Pennines. This has never been a problem. Mine is a lean-to, which may help with stability. 

  Having the doors in the middle of the long side means I have the full height against the wall for growing climbers or other tall plants. I use large square tubs so I can easily change the compost as required. Would be good for veg!
  

  There is staging at both ends and one door usually stays closed so I can have large pots by it. Right now the central space is also full of pots of overwintering salvias etc but in the spring the staging will start to fill up and the centre will gradually empty. Then there will be room for my rocking chair
  

  Very little maintenance required beyond cleaning the glass, wiping the staging and clearing the gutter - which empties into a water butt.
  

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• McRazz Posts: 440

  11 January

  I've got an elite aluminium GH that is pretty old, late 1980's i think, and its still going strong.
  
  If you have the space have you considered a poly tunnel instead? Often you don't need much more space, they're more accommodating for veg growing and cheaper. Every time you see an award winning veg grower on the telly they're standing in a poly tunnel which says it all really...

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• AnniD Posts: 12,585

  11 January

  So much depends on the amount you're willing to spend, whether you're bothered about how it looks etc.
  I would personally avoid the cheaper lightweight aluminium ones, Rhino is a very good brand but not cheap, so you might ge better off looking at the mid range ones.
  
  I have a wooden greenhouse, years old but it does require maintenance in terms of treating the wood etc.
  
  If you think your OH is really going to make a go of it and make good use of it then l would definitely spend as much as you can afford. If possible,  and you have the room, it might be worth considering going up a size.  Greenhouses have a habit of not being quite big enough 
  
  

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• Allotment Boy Posts: 6,774

  11 January

  I have one at home and one on Allotments.  Fror home I have  a cedar wood octagonal one  but I wouldn't buy another.  Far too expensive now and you loose too much valuable space,  better with a standard rectangular one.  
  For the plots I did try to buy second hand but couldn't get what I wanted within a sensible distance, the cost of van hire to collect it was another factor. I  got a new Elite  high eaves Aluminium from the greenhouse people.  It does the job I want.  
  I sow seeds and propagate at home, I grow on and grow Tomatoes and sweet peppers on the plots. Prices have shot up recently (as has nearly everything). Ploytunnels are good for veg if you have space for something big, but remember covers havd to be replaced after 5-7 years. So good luck in your deliberations. 

  AB Still learning
  
  

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• philippasmith2 Posts: 3,742

  11 January

  I prefer wood but that's just a personal choice - I find it easier to insulate for one thing.
  I currently have an aluminium one which is OK..........but...........the height is just a bit OTT.  To open the top vents, I need to use a step ladder and I'm not extraordinarily short   May be worth bearing in mind when you come to make your final decision

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• Helios Posts: 232

  11 January edited 11 January

  I have an aluminium Simplicity one which was the cheapest option for me at the time. I have come to hate it! Not because it’s aluminium but because it’s draughty and cold, the door has never fitted well despite the company’s best efforts, and it has a raised entry step which meant that after an injury I was unable to get in there at all for a few months.
  
  i can’t justify buying a new one but if I could afford it, I’d go for a Rhino. Expensive, yes, but you get what you pay for in my opinion and the many extras I needed to buy for my cheapie greenhouse come included in the price. 

  Depends on your funds. 

  @Emptyheadtime - I want the rhino 10x8 too! Will never have it now but it’s nice to dream😀

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• darylwilson1781524 Posts: 2

  11 January

  Hi everyone, I just wanted to say thank you - so many have taken their time to give me their advice and its hugely appreciated.
  
  I've done a bit more research, and from the comments I have a much better idea of what to do.  It feels like the Rhino ticks all the boxes - price (particularly when compared to the cheaper options after the additional items added), maintenance, strength/sturdiness, quality and all of your recommendations. 
  
  Thanks again!

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