Where to purchase a Greenhouse

[Hawaii Bound]

Aloha,

Any suggestions on where to purchase a greeenhouse on island or off if the price is right? I have only found one place so far (Greenhouse Specialist Inc) but would like to price the competition (assuming there is any) before I make a purchase. I would just build one, but with the moisture and weather in Leilani Estates wood wouldn't last too long so I figure in the long run I am better off purchasing one.

Thank you for any suggestions.

[Rob Tucker]

Even if you purchase from Greenhouse Specialties (which I did) you still have to build it. There are likely hundreds of designs around and you can buy just the fabrics or plastics from Greenhouse Specialties. Just avoid using wood as you say. I was basically happy with the G.S. kit I installed.

G.S.'s typical greenhouse is an arched building with a bolt together galv. steel frame. That can be constructed from PVC pipe or other material but whatever you build needed a building permit.

[Carey]

You may want to try craigslist (there are a couple listed on island... no idea if they have been sold)

We used to make a PVC arched pipe hothouse in the upper midwest - worked like a charm & was the only way we could get early summer tomatoes!) Ours was made with 1"tube inserted into 1 1/2" base support tubes - the 10' lengths of 1" would make a arched row for starts....

[Markie]

We used Greenhouse Specialists but the service was terrible. It was supposed to arrive in 6 weeks. When I went in after 6 weeks to ask about it they said "Which salesman did you buy it from?" I said I didn't know. They said well we have to search all the files on every desk then to find it as it wasn't entered in the computer yet! Turned out it hadn't even been loaded on a ship then.

After it arrived we had to go back a number of times for items we paid for that were missing.

Markie

[pslamont]

I had a much better experience with GreenHouse Specialists. The unit arrived later than they estimated but I got the complete inventory with no problems. They were kind and helpful. Ours is the metal frame, about 25 x 60 I think. We chose to set metal poles into concrete in the ground. We used a diameter that the kit posts would slide right over. This allowed us to make a level, untwisted structure on uneven ground,. Worked out great. This is the first year that I have actually gotten it going. There was always someone who was going to do it as part of their rent in the cabin or some other arrangement. Only once did we even see anything come out of there and it was a mishmash. This year. WOWIE. I have so many things planted it is exciting for me every day. Friends who saw it two weeks ago and again yesterday nearly fainted. The progress is pretty wonderful. One half is screened in, the other half is roofing material up the sides. The whole thing is a clear plastic top... maybe 15 feet tall or so. The screened side has tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelons, strawberries, zucchini and hopefully butternut squash (only one that isn't up yet). The open side is filled with lettuce in both soil and hydroponics, greenbeans, basil, onions, broccoli, garlic and scads of starts for the outdoor garden, which we hope to till as soon as we have a couple of dry days in a row so we aren't working in wet slop. The joys of soil are mixed to be sure!
Anyhow, back on point, Greenhouse Specialists did a great job for me for the big greenhouse. If I were going to build something smaller, I would talk to Canh Le. He was making frames from PVC pipes a couple years ago that were awesome.

I want to be the kind of woman that, when my feet
hit the floor each morning, the devil says

"Oh Crap, She's up!"

[peteadams]

We'll second the better experience with Greenhouse Specialists. We put up a 32'x96' greenhouse with a design that Don, the owner, had created in cooperation with the mainland supplier, Conley's, that is better suited to Hawai'i than the mainland styles (big permanently-open vent in the roof). There were some glitches, primarily with poorly drawn plans from the supplier that had to be interpreted repeatedly. Don must have been out to our place three or four times with additional parts and advice. We ended up very happy with the result and recommend them.

[Bill]

You might want to check this one out.

www.hobbygardens.com

I built one of their kits several years ago, and was very happy. You can see it in the photo album page under Flathorn Lake, Alaska.

Bill

[Cagary]

Here's mine. It came as a kit from BC Greenhouse in Canada. I built the knee wall so I'd have a higher ceiling height inside. Even though all the parts were pre drilled and pre cut, it wasn't easy to assemble. (Wasn't impossible either.) Its about 18' X 38'.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v61/Ga...nhouse.jpg

www.bcgreenhouses.com/

[Hawaii Bound]

Thanks for the additional information. Looks like I do have some other options available.

[lquade]

say bill, what is the hobby garden greenhouse made out of ? i went over and over their website and it is pretty hard to understand what you are getting.. really good prices, even with extra shipping but hard to figure out.. is it just the brackets and then you buy the wood? thanks.