Looking for recommendations for greenhouse

Ceist_Beag

I'm looking at getting a greenhouse so just looking for advice on suppliers. Budget permitting I would like to get a strong, attractive greenhouse as a feature in the garden, as opposed to the cheaper alternatives. Ideally something that sits on a dwarf wall. Has anyone pushed the boat out for anything like this or have recommendations on good suppliers? So far I have requested quotes from Morris Polytunnels in Tyrone and Polydome in Offaly and am waiting to hear back from both. Also if anyone has advice on what to include I would love to hear from them. I'm considering this an investment for the next 15-20 years so want to spend a bit more to get something that can stand the test of time.

Ceist_Beag

I see one other company in Cork who supply greenhouses which look quite good - Peppermint Farm. Has anyone bought off them (or any other suppliers) before? I would rather buy from an Irish company if possible.

martinn123

have a look at these

http://www.steeltechsheds.ie/products/greenhouses/

Ceist_Beag

Thanks Martin, however these all appear to be polycarbonate only which wouldn't really be the look I'm going for (not sure if they would be suitable for dwarf walls either).

liamhana

I got one off polydome & it was probably the best addition we got to the house. Its a large lean to type, they fitted it in a day with some help from myself & my father and while they might not negotiate on the price of the greenhouse, they certainly will on the price of labour - originally they were looking for me to pay 2 of them to fit it over the course of 2 days and pay for a b&B/dinner for the overnight...as I said we did the labour, he had dinner with us & was on the road by 6.
A dwarf wall one would be more labour intensive though...blocklayer/foundations etc.

But! they were top notch.

Ceist_Beag

Thanks very much Liam, that's great feedback. I'll be building the dwarf wall myself (once I get the plans from the supplier to ensure they are the correct dimensions!) so that should cut down on the labour hopefully.

liamhana

sounds like a plan, if you do build the dwarf wall, just be extra firm with the lad(s) who come to fit it that you're happy for them to fit the greenhouse. When I did the clearing job for the lean to, he was a bit unhappy that the wall/roof line was very fairly tight..I had to strongly insist it would fit & that I wanted to proceed....to be fair he was fine then, but there was a minute at the start when I thought 'he's going to refuse to fit this & want to come back & redo the clearing himself'

The other thing is its surprisingly comforting how 'firmly' they hold...the bolting/securing and physical effort putting them in place means that while its great that they do fit them, you should be well capable of helping them safe in the knowledge you're not going to damage the frame etc..

Ceist_Beag

That's great thanks Liam. Do you mind my asking which type of lean to did you go for? I got prices for the Elite and Janssen models from them and there is a massive difference between both (Janssen is nearly 3 times the price). I appreciate I will need to see them in their showroom before I buy but just interested if you got either of these two types.

robbie checker

I purchased a 10 x 8 Elite Belmont glasshouse from Morris Polytunnels last year for €1,050 which included a couple of extra items - the automatic opening vent and the downpipe for a water butt. It is the silver one with toughened glass which is essential where there is kids around and I didn't bother with the bar capping. Priced it around and also from the Uk but he was the cheapest. Polydome had a crazy price for it.

I assembled it with my brother in law. Had most of the frame together but it still took us a good afternoon to glaze it. Used a cement foundation which I prepared myself. Not a builder by trade so it wasn't 100% level which is important when you go to put the frame on it. Screwed the base to the cement base when it was glazed. It is important to note that frames of glasshouses are mostly aluminium and are very light. It is the weight of the glass that keeps it secure. I considered a polycarbonate greenhouse but didn't think it would be suitable for my site which is quite exposed.

In the storm recently, there was no movement in the previous storms around Christmas but on the bad one that Wednesday a few weeks ago, 2 panes of glass came off. I should have taken off the automatic vent opener during the winter as I think this one must have came off first and then one of the large 8 foot sheets came off the roof. Both landed side by side on the other side of the glasshouse intact. Must have been the toughened glass so it wasn't a big job to replace them and I replaced the automatic vent opener with the normal window latch which is more secure. Not sure how a polycarbonate glasshouse would have fared in that storm!

Overall I am happy with the Elite Belmont glasshouse and there is good headroom in it as well. I know a €1,000 is a fair bit but I hope to have it for a good few years.

Ceist_Beag

Thanks very much Robbie, that's a super price for something of quality and I certainly wouldn't mind paying that sort of money once I know it will last. Did Morris quote you a price to install it and did you find it hard to put together yourself? I'd be tempted to put it up myself if there isn't too much to it (with the help of family!).

robbie checker

I didn't request a price to install as I was trying to keep the cost down. If cost was no object, I probably would get them to install it too.

It is a bit of a job putting it together. Took me an afternoon last Easter and I done a bit each evening after work. You prepare side by side and when the 4 sides are complete, you join together and then can work on the roof bars so you can do a lot of it yourself and then get someone to help you join the 4 sides together and help with the glazing etc. If you were putting them together regularly, I'm sure you would do it in a quarter of the time. I made one mistake. There were plastic seals to go on the edges of the large panes on the roof but I only found them after we had the roof up. They were in a separate box with the smaller panes of glass. As a result there is a small leak when it rains but nothing serious. I could take off the panes at some stage and put them on but its a bit of a job to take the clips out once the panes are in.

Ceist_Beag

Thanks very much for the feedback Robbie, appreciate it.

liamhana

Ceist_Beag wrote: »

That's great thanks Liam. Do you mind my asking which type of lean to did you go for? I got prices for the Elite and Janssen models from them and there is a massive difference between both (Janssen is nearly 3 times the price). I appreciate I will need to see them in their showroom before I buy but just interested if you got either of these two types.

We got the elite kensington - roughly 1500 plus labour. I dont know anything about janssen but we live on a very windy site - in english its 'fortress of the wind'! and the elite has proved absolutely brilliant!

Ceist_Beag

Thanks very much Liam, appreciate it. I think the Elite sounds like the one for me, just need to see what price Morris can quote me on it, to compare with Polydome.

redser7

Ask about delivery times before you seal the deal. Have known suppliers to take 2 months + Might be an issue for you if you want it up for spring sowing etc.

baaba maal

I got the Elite Belmont from Polydome for about E1500. 8x12 (go for as big as possible imo- you really are paying the bulk for the basic package and relatively little for additional space). I got it in green, with toughened glass and bar capping (visually makes it a lot more attractive). I didn't get the louvred vent originally, but quickly changed my mind given the summer we had- I don't think of it as an optional extra anymore!
Double door option required if you want to get a wheelbarrow in.
I found the instruction manual a bit frustrating tbh- some of the images are simply too small to be useful and I foiund myself disassembling some bits before reassembling them properly!

We're on a very exposed site and the greenhouse has withstood the worst of the weather really well- I did lean a couple of heavy wooden props against the doorframe but other than that it has performed brilliantly. I simply cemented in the four corner posts and have it sitting on a geomembrane base covered with stone ( I have everything in pots to allow for changing the soil).

In my opinion the Elite range is the right balance between cheap (lightweight) and seriously swanky (Jannsen- more like garden rooms than greenhouses imo), but definitely look at the display area first, brochures make everything look good!

Ceist_Beag

Thanks very much baaba. I just got a quote back from Polydome for the Belmont 8x12 and was quoted E2450 (for the same features you outlined, powder coating, toughened glass and bar capping)! That's quite a difference so can I ask did you get it in the past year or two or was it a number of years ago that you bought off them?

redser7

Does that include assembly by any chance?

Ceist_Beag

No, delivery only.

baaba maal

Sorry Ceist- just looked at my post- I should have said E2500 not E1500! Apologies. I checked the receipt after and it was E2250 for the greenhouse (minus the louvred vent), so E2450 including the vent sounds consistent.

Tbh, if Morris Polytunnels are offering the 8x10 for E1000 (as per Robbie Checker's post, so without capping or powdercoating) you obviously need to get a quote from them.

I didn't come across them in my googling at the time (kicking myself considering that price!), but from looking a the google results, I may have thought they were just UK-based.
I'm still happy I got what I got though- if you can afford the extras, I think it is worthwhile paying extra as you will (hopefully) be looking at it for a long time.

Let us know how you advance in the scary world of greenhouse-buying!

Ceist_Beag

Thanks baaba. Yes I got a quote from Morris as well, they're quoting E1800 for the same model, but without powder coating (which I don't really need). I just need to confirm with them if that includes delivery (doesn't include assembly).

Rojito1

Not sure if you've given any thought to getting a polytunnel instead of a greenhouse. I too was in the same position as yourself a few weeks ago and opted for a polytunnel instead, I bought mine off a company called inthemarket (http://www.inthemarket.ie/categories/Polytunnels/) they are based in Cork but deliver all over Ireland.
I was really impressed with the quality and sturdiness of the tunnel, weighing up the pros and cons between a tunnel and a greenhouse...I think there is no comparison between the two.
I even sent in my progress with putting up the tunnel and they kndly published it on their facebook page.

fiestaman

Rojito1 wrote: »

Not sure if you've given any thought to getting a polytunnel instead of a greenhouse. I too was in the same position as yourself a few weeks ago and opted for a polytunnel instead, I bought mine off a company called inthemarket (http://www.inthemarket.ie/categories/Polytunnels/) they are based in Cork but deliver all over Ireland.
I was really impressed with the quality and sturdiness of the tunnel, weighing up the pros and cons between a tunnel and a greenhouse...I think there is no comparison between the two.
I even sent in my progress with putting up the tunnel and they kndly published it on their facebook page.

Just woundering which tunnel & what size you got. What price was it?

Rojito1

Sure, I got a 20ft by 10ft (6Mx3M)....it cost me 279 delivered and came with a free anchor kit and hotspot tap & repair tape.
I wasn't expecting much to be honest with the price being that low, as after some research I found prices in excess of 600 from the UK and polydome.ie, but I can honestly say it's rock solid and I'm well happy.
I've included a pic....haven't put up the cover yet as I'm waiting on some timber to make my raised beds.

redser7

Not trying to be negative here but be aware that those covers are not very durable. To get a decent life out of a tunnel cover you need to be using the proper horticultural plastic.

Rojito1

Not at all, you're right in a way. I got my tunnel on a friend's recommendation from the company previously mentioned in my post. Their cover lasted 3 years, which in accordance with the price I think is about right. I've also done some searching and found elixir garden supplies, who supply a 720 gauge polythene cover delivered from the UK for about 70euro which is what I'll be getting in 3 years time when my cover expires.
I grow quite a lot so I reckon 3 years of produce and I'll have those costs well covered.

Ceist_Beag

Rojito1 wrote: »

Not sure if you've given any thought to getting a polytunnel instead of a greenhouse.

Thanks Rojito, I did consider them alright but I'm looking for something long term as an additional feature in the garden so would rather spend now to save long term. I went out to Polydome and had a look and am really impressed with the Janssen model and the prices quoted there were a world away from the prices quoted by the chap who emailed me previously - no idea why that was! I'm still deciding but seriously tempted now to get the Janssen model (will be somewhere between 2.5-3K in total for an 8*12 model with some accessories and delivery included).

Ceist_Beag

Thanks again all for the feedback. I went for the Janssen model in the end and received it there a few weeks back. I was well impressed with how easy it was to construct - was able to put it together by myself over a weekend. I'm delighted with it - it's spacious and solid so hopefully I'll get man many years from it - once I can keep the kids from playing football or hurling up against it!
Just to add, I found Polydome excellent to deal with, very friendly and helpful.

tobo

Why not have a look at landmark greenhouses . look strong and very reasonable with all the extras included

Ceist_Beag

2 years later and first post - any personal interest in landmark to declare tobo?

Sonnenblumen

Gabriel Ash Superior Cedar Greenhouses. The only timber Greenhouse manufacturer endorsed by Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).