We haven’t published a review prior to this because it took us quite awhile to complete assembly of the greenhouse — this isn’t as easy to assemble as some of the reviews reflect. Our application is a bit unusual…we first had to build a wooden frame on our increte deck as a foundation for this greenhouse (in order to avoid drilling into the increte itself, which is over a garage)
The final product is good…I LOVE my greenhouse! It looks beautiful now, and I’m hopeful that it lasts. Keep in mind that— even with the doors propped open (with the bungee cords) and the vents open, it still gets quite hot, so the ideal use (during the summer anyway) would be for starting seedlings, etc. I have gotten some velcro strips to help tie up the shade cloth (it’s still very stiff) — I’m wondering if my plants will get adequate SUN if I have the shade cloths in place? The shade cloths certainly do help lower the temp and are a MUST HAVE in the summer months.
I’ve asked my husband (engineer who’s built quite a number of things) to make a comprehensive list of pros and cons in order to help others who purchase this unit. That is below, and I’ll try to post a picture as well.
1) The automatic vent design is poor. This has been our biggest issue. When it’s closed, there is an air gap at the top on either side, and there should be a better way to fasten it to the ridge support…it appears that the top could easily blow loose in a strong wind. It you snap it on as it appears it should be, the vent won’t open at all. So it fits loosely along the top.
We do still keep having an issue with one of the automatic vents opening askew and then not closing properly…we see that it is because the hinged lever arm isn’t exactly straight. That was our fault— it’s obvious that placement of the screw plate isn’t precisely lined up. It would be really helpful if they would provide a good fastening point —from the automatic opener attachment to the vent and to the pane below— maybe a metal piece? so that you don’t have to drill thru the plastic. At this point we’re trying to figure out how to correctly line this up without compromising the integrity of the plastic. Top of the vent (V-2) should be redesigned to allow the vent sides to be parallel and rest on the W-2 panel so that there will be no air gap at the top when the vent is closed
2) Quality control over the t-bolts — it would be so much easier if the threading on the t-bolts were consistent so that they could initially be hand tightened— especially in areas where you had to get two into a bracket at the same time.
3) The gutter drain circular opening is so high that the gutters would have to FILL before they start to drain.
4) Regarding the instruction booklet:
page 39 step 9.4A: there are no spacers as mentioned in the instructions. It is impossible to install the S-6 screw without drilling out the hole. this screw should be installed BEFORE the vent is put in place and it does not appear the screw provides any benefit anyway
On page 38, 9.2A and B: arm A and arm B are reversed from pictures in 9.1B and 9.1C
5) The attachment holes for the door handles on the door are drilled on 4” centers. The holes on the door handles vary between 4 1/8” and 4 3/16” They should match the holes in the doors.
6) The black paint was scratched from a lot of the members due to shipping.
Lastly, customer service was great. They are really helpful and knowledgeable when you do reach them; a faster response time would have been better, however.
WOULD WE PURCHASE THIS AGAIN? I have to say yes, and I’m hopeful — after a month of being AWAY from the process — that my husband would agree. The biggest issue to us is the poor vent design. Had that not been an issue, we would have rated this a 5 star!