Greenhouse costs

claire07

Well done.  I treated myself to a Rhino 12x8 to house my cacti and succulents for my 60th (over 17 years ago!) and have had endless enjoyment from it and never once regretted it.  Back then OH and I were in much better health and we put it up ourselves.  

Silvertabby

12 X 8! Drool.....

That said, such a large greenhouse would have been too big for our garden.

We are late 60s/70 and still fit, but paying the putter-upper £400 was worth it for peace of mind.  After paying nearly £3K for the greenhouse and £600 for the base we wanted it to be perfect - and we knew that our DIY skills didn't stretch that far.

Ganga

Well it arrived ,3 cardboard boxes , 40 plus panes of glass ,got it thursday ,went up on saturday and sunday ,i like to think i am a fairly fit 74 year old but thank god my son gave me a hand because i could not have done it on my own.
As to why the Rhino brand is quite expensive ,the quality of the frame and the glass is over and beyond ,really strong and comes with a comprehensive plan ( book ) telling you how to build it ,could it be better ,yes i purchased some internal staging ( shelving ) and decided to fit it last as it is not in the book ,the instruction with the staging says " it is better to assemble this before glazing the greenhouse " DOH!! but still managed ,wait till next year we should be swamped with tomatoes ,peppers,chillies etc. well maybe.

Paspatur

Well done, happy new greenhouse
My Rhino was 5 years old 2 weeks ago
Has withstood many storms including Malik when a tree came down nearby and killed someone
Best thing I ever bought, had so much enjoyment from it
Mine included installation but I don't think they offer this now

Vectis

I don't know where everyone is living, obviously, but presumably it's the Outer Hebrides or similar given the number who seem to have problems with greenhouses staying put, and buying reinforced frames etc!!

We had two at our last house, and two at our current, all bog-standard aluminium, and usually around 6x8 or 8x10. Never had a problem with any of them falling over, being blown away etc. We've had one broken pane during about 18 years and that was due to me wildly swinging a hoe around (outside)!

We've always mounted them on old sleepers, screwed down all round, which probably helps, and also gives more height around the eaves which is always useful.

I really can't imagine spending anything like four figures on a greenhouse. After all, you're not going to get any more tomatoes or cucumbers out of a £4,000 greenhouse than a £1000 version of the same size.

-taff

well, horses for courses innit...I have a bog standard aluminium one, set on railways ties, not screwed down and it did blow across them a bit once  a couple years ago with a big storm [south west]

But....if I had the spare cash, I would buy myself something prettier, something bigger and something posher...because I could think about aesthetics then instead of practicality

Dustyevsky

-taff said:

..if I had the spare cash, I would buy myself something prettier, something bigger and something posher...because I could think about aesthetics then instead of practicality

Indeed. There are greenhouses that are really nice places to be in, and there are those which merely perform a function.

Then there are polytunnels!

Gilberton

Really helpful thread. I did wonder the best time to buy a new greenhouse at a cheaper price. I am assuming winter is best time?

Ganga

Vectis said:

I don't know where everyone is living, obviously, but presumably it's the Outer Hebrides or similar given the number who seem to have problems with greenhouses staying put, and buying reinforced frames etc!!

We had two at our last house, and two at our current, all bog-standard aluminium, and usually around 6x8 or 8x10. Never had a problem with any of them falling over, being blown away etc. We've had one broken pane during about 18 years and that was due to me wildly swinging a hoe around (outside)!

We've always mounted them on old sleepers, screwed down all round, which probably helps, and also gives more height around the eaves which is always useful.

I really can't imagine spending anything like four figures on a greenhouse. After all, you're not going to get any more tomatoes or cucumbers out of a £4,000 greenhouse than a £1000 version of the same size.

Well one of the neighbours bought a bog standard one several years ago ,he showed me the paperwork he had which included the sales brochure ,erection plan etc. but included the invoice and he paid over £1000 for it ,i have looked on google for greenhouses in general and there are some cheap ones out there made in China BUT when you read the reviews some are frightening ,some person placed a photo showing the thing had collapsed and beyond repair .
I suppose you get what you pay for with most things in life but only time will tell .The only thing i will say is i helped a friend dismantle one once and it seemed to have a lot less metal/strength than the one we have just erected but as i said time will tell.  

Silvertabby

Paspatur said:

Well done, happy new greenhouse
My Rhino was 5 years old 2 weeks ago
Has withstood many storms including Malik when a tree came down nearby and killed someone
Best thing I ever bought, had so much enjoyment from it
Mine included installation but I don't think they offer this now

Bought mine last year, and Rhino supplied a list (well, if two names can be called a list!) of local approved fitters.

The chap we went for was lovely, and had the whole thing done and dusted in less than a day.  He said that he was putting up 5 or 6 Rhinos a week.  He charged £400 for our 6X6 with shelving, etc, but it was money well spent as our DIY skills wouldn't have been up to it.  And after spending nearly £3K I wanted it perfect, which it is.

I hadn't realised until I received my brochure that Rhino export to the Falklands, as they are one of the few brands strong enough to withstand the VERY high winds down there (says she who had to be rescued from a hedge by two squaddies, after being literally blown off my feet by a blast!)