versatile affordable kit!

That's one of the main reasons I got the HFGH. It is very versatile and affordable. I've even seen people slapping two together to make a 10ft by 24ft. If I had the money I'd buy an expensive one but I'm a beginner and thought it would help to experiment with a cheap one until the day I can afford a really good one
Honestly the only problem I had was the drilling of the holes for the base. But with Ric's help by turning it upside down, that solved it. Everything else has ran smoothly.
@Eric4home Never thought of painting it white. In my backyard, it is placed where it will get sunlight from sun up to sun down. In fact, a shade cloth will be needed during those blistering 100+ temps we get in the summer.
Well, my 12 days of vacation are done and I go back to work today. I'll be off again Thursday - Wednesday but it's supposed to rain here Thursday and really bad Saturday and Sunday.
I got two of my studs notched out today and they fit nice and flush with the frame vertically on the left and right side of the front entrance. Took me a while to figure out the best tools to use after trying different tools so it should go much faster now. With all the bolts facing in the greenhouse it was a challenge at first but quickly figured it out.

Which brings me to a question. Since the original design is meant for it to be sunk in the ground. Has anyone ever experienced water leakage from the base? There was a lot of cracks in the places where bolts connected the ends of the base and others in the corners on top of the base.
I used silicone to prevent water getting into my C-shaped base but just curious if anyone else has seen water getting into their small cracks?
See pic below of the cracks I'm referring too.

I don't think you will have a problem there. Since we live with sometimes daily freeze and thaw, I sloped my floor to the brick center to prevent ice from heaving the sill plates. We used a hammer drill to drill the concrete and used Tapcons to secure it. The sill plates also had microfoam under them to help seal out drafts.

@ShadyGreenThumb @Eric4home

Have you two seen this tape for the poly carbonate panels?
They look like they would do a better job than the Waterproofing tape with puncturing holes in the bottom

Name of the tape and and a good view of what it looks like before applied to the panels


This shows the vents in the tape from a side view


This show the vents on the tape from an above view


The shows that the kit also comes with a 2nd roll that is just for completely sealing the top of the panels

BTW: I forgot to submit my latest update on 3/1/16 before the rain came and delayed me
This pic shows all the vertical beams that I'll be putting up. They are notched out as certain heights to allow the aluminum side braces to fit in perfectly and for me to screw them into the vertical beams.
I still have the horizontal braces to notch out that will also be screwed into the frame.

Also, I'm going to buy a storm door to put in instead of the sliding doors. I think that will help a lot in keeping it air tight

Yes it will Lucky, the door supplied rattles in the wind. That's why I have a used Anderson in the end of mine.

Is that a sliding glass door?

Yes it is, a lucky score from freecycle. I got 2 of them.

awh, how lucky is that. Was it hard to install with the green house aluminum? I see you had to go above the regular height of the sliding doors.

I love the way that sliding door looks on the GH, Ric! (dang, WHY did we get rid of the one we replaced last summer??? )

When Ric first put in the sliding door I wasn't too happy about it. Although I agreed that it would save energy I didn't like that the opening would be smaller as both sides of the HF doors open and only one side of the slider does, or that it would be off center. But now that it is finished I really like how I can see in the GH from the house in the winter when the doors are closed. Looking down there and seeing Ric puttering around and seeing the plants is a real pleasure. Also there is significant saving on heating cost. Only thing I would do would be to look for French Doors rather than a slider.

LOL, Holly -- the slider we got rid of was replaced with French doors...

I definitely see the point about the width of the opening, that occurred to me too -- but I do think I would like that type of arrangement!

I wish I could afford a sliding glass door. But, this is what I decided to go with.
It's a storm door from Lowes 36 inches by 81 inches. That's the maximum length I can get them in without special ordering them. I think that might be the exact size opening with the sliding doors it comes with but not quite sure on that since I won't be even installing them.

Savannah White Mid-View Tempered Glass Wood Core Retractable Screen Storm Door (Common: 36-in x 81-in; Actual: 35.75-in x 79.875-in)
The innovative Screen Away® retractable screen hides in the top of the door, providing a clear view when not in use; the screen glides up or down to let in more or less air as needed for unlimited ventilation control
It's on sale now for $224 but with my military discount it will be $200 out the door.
Still deciding if I should pay someone to install it so it can be air tight and snug for maximum energy efficiency.

Well, we didn't pay for our sliding glass door. We picked up an old one that had been replaced. We are always on the look out for free stuff. Of course that only works if you have the time to wait for what you are looking for to pop up. I think it took Ric a year between his decision to put in the door and for one to become available.

Sometimes, if you post a "wanted" advertisement on Craig's List, you'll have someone that is replacing a fixed glass door or a sliding glass door, that will donate their old one to you. Just post the size and description of what would work for you. Posting on CL is free. You are in a metropolitan area so you have a good chance of scoring a free one.

Yeah, I was going to post my old Sea Doo Jet Skis for sale when I bought a new 2012 GTX and a 2012 GTI. The guy at the dealership said he would sale them for me as an offer they do for customers who buy from them. He said you have to be careful on Craig's list as there have been a lot of robberies of people who come to buy something then walk away. Only to find out two days later they stole what you had for sale. Honestly I've heard to many bad stories about Craig's List. On the other hand, I guess asking for something is sorta different from listing something for sale.

So, what do you think of my interest in the storm door? Would it work or look better than the sliding doors that come with it? Will it help in the long run with sealing gaps and areas that would leak in water?

I have used CL for years, Lucky. I have neither heard of anything untoward happening in our area nor have had any personal "surprises" myself. There are bad apples everywhere though.

I lined the inside of my sliding doors with solar blanket material and also have a roll of it outside and above the doors. I let the blanket down when we are predicted to have extreme cold with wind out of the north. My sliding doors face due north. In my opinion you will never make your GH a completely sealed unit unless you want to build something like my solarium.

The only problem I've had is occasional freezing. I had to add a few more drain holes, and occasionally a bit of table salt.

You in the northern tier of states (all states north of the Mason-Dixon Line ) have freezing/snow issues that we in the deep south seldom experience.