Greenhouse Advice

[Spookyville]

We currently have a "home made" greenhouse we inherited when we moved to our current house. Its attached to the side of the garage with 1 side glass planes and the roof is the plastic corrugated stuff. its long and thin with a section at the end just behind the garage.

Now, either this year or maybe next we will be rerplacing the garage roof and when that happens this current greenhouse will have to go.

Once its gone will be able to get a "proper" 8*6 greenhouse, possibly a second one further into the future.

Need some advice on what to go for. Would want to take it with us if we ever moved again in the future, and not too expensive.

There seems to be choices of either glass (safety or horticultural) or the polycarbonate ones such as this:

http://www.greenfingers.com/superstore/product.asp??dept_id=6007&pf_id=LS1108D


What are the pros and cons for each type? On the face of it - one similar to the one in the link seem ideal for our circumstances. Would prefer non glass as fear the local chavs would lob stones/bricks at it at some point. But then again I read a lot of comments stating that polycarbonate is rubbish (but not backing that viewpoint up!)

Any advice and pointers appreciated :)

[Spookyville]

[MrsKP]

I bought toughened glass as the g/h is sited next to a hedge where kinder play on the other side.  Nothing has appeared over the hedge yet to test how strong it is, but I did have three panes "bounce" onto bark chip during the storms, and survived intact.

Don't scrimp on the extras, an extra roof vent and louvres are essentials (and probably other things that i've not bought or discovered i needed yet).

My ickle g/h has a twin walled poly carb roof and that has survived, but the clear plastic side panels were effectively ruined by the wind.  Think it actually had more to do with the design of the g/h rather than the material itself.

Polycarb/plassie is incredibly light though and you'd have to make sure it was secured to the base/foundations etc.  I've heard stories of chasing polycarb panels down the street before !

I'm no expert but the light into the glass g/h is a lot better than in the polycarb one !  that's fine now of course, but in high summer even I will have to shade the glass one, all the way up here in the land of no sun !

8) (not that i need the sunglasses this morning - raining AGAIN !)

[Deb P]

My toughened glass greenhouse survived the gales with all glass intact, even though several panes fell out when it was shifted by the wind!

Lottie greehouse with ordinary glass lost 13 panes..........moral; buy toughened if you can afford it! ;D

[Spookyville]

would love to extend the budget to a Rhino, but not sure it will stretch that far!  ;D

[Spookyville]

well another year and still no progress - amazing how things happen to derail you.  ;D Think I have decided to go for Rhino,size to be determined yet - although it probably won't be this year. Any Rhino owners have any thoughts/opinion son their purchases or any photos? TIA