Wondering about a used Greenhouse...

karen82

Mame
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I hope this ok as this isn't a bonsai-specific question.
I found a Lord & Burnham greenhouse for sale nearby for $500... I thought it sounded like a great deal until I went there and found it's very old (from the 60's) and only single glazed.
With it being so old, finding replacement parts - or even assembly instructions - will probably be almost impossible, too.

I guess I'm just wondering if anyone with a greenhouse could offer any suggestions. Is it a mistake to even think of using a single glaze greenhouse in zone 5?

Oh and the owners don't know much about it. It was there when they moved in, and they just used it for storage, not as a greenhouse.
 

Solaris

Shohin
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That depends - are you planning on using as a cold frame, or as a heated greenhouse? I'm betting a single glaze greenhouse would work pretty well at keeping some Japanese maples happier.

... Not that I'd pay $500 for something like that, unless I had the trees to make it worthwhile.
 

coachspinks

Chumono
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I hope this ok as this isn't a bonsai-specific question.
I found a Lord & Burnham greenhouse for sale nearby for $500... I thought it sounded like a great deal until I went there and found it's very old (from the 60's) and only single glazed.
With it being so old, finding replacement parts - or even assembly instructions - will probably be almost impossible, too.

I guess I'm just wondering if anyone with a greenhouse could offer any suggestions. Is it a mistake to even think of using a single glaze greenhouse in zone 5?

Oh and the owners don't know much about it. It was there when they moved in, and they just used it for storage, not as a greenhouse.
Can you post some pics? Dimensions? L and B are still around. Fabricating or creating parts from other items shouldn't be too hard. For a true glass greenhouse of the right size it could be a good deal.
 

jimib

Shohin
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I have that greenhouse. It's a Palram and it's 6' x 4'. Seems pretty small, but is plenty for what I need. It feels kind of flimsy when you're putting it together, but when its all together it's pretty damn sturdy. It also cost me about $150 to build a little deck to put it on. It has to be level and mounted. The day after I put mine up we had wind gusts up to 60 mph and it didn't flinch. I bought the automatic venting arm... in the summer it gets over 100°F easily. That thing automatically opens and helps reduce the temp. My wife likes it because in the spring she can buy plants before it's time to put them in the ground, keep them in there until we're out of the danger of frost.
 

sorce

Nonsense Rascal
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Without a real need for it this year anymore....

I would wait to see if the price drops...

Or just lowball em if they're waiting on a sucker.

Sorce
 

karen82

Mame
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I ended up not getting it but it was a nice size (9x15), and a lean-to style, just what I wanted. All the curved glass panels were intact, but some of the flat panels broke when they were disassembling it, so they would've needed replacing. The reason I was considering that much for a used one is that that company has a very good reputation, although they don't list prices on any of their greenhouses on their website. But I figured it would end up costing a lot to heat, like $300+ a year just to keep at 40 degrees, plus there were so many parts to try to put together without instructions.

BTW this is the greenhouse.
gh6.jpg


I might end up getting a new greenhouse in a few years but it will probably cost $4-5000 for the equivalent... I need to get a fairly good quality one that can handle snow loads. I've heard a lot of horror stories of cheaper ones that seemed great until the first snowfall and then the roof leaks. New one will eventually pay for itself since it will be cheaper to heat, though.
 
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