“I wish I would have gone bigger”. That is what I hear from greenhouse owners all the time! It doesn’t matter what brand it is, it’s always the same regret. Most greenhouses aren’t designed for extension kits but Sunglo’s are! We offer length greenhouse extension kits, so in the future when you realize that regret you wont have to worry. We’ve got your back! Each Sunglo series length is extendable. Stocked in 2.5′ sections. You have the option to extend your Sunglo greenhouse as long as you like!
If you are interested in extending your greenhouse give us a call for more information or to place an order! 425-251-8005. Join our newsletter to hear about new products like this FIRST! Click here to join.
Now that your greenhouse is built here are a few things to help you get started-
• Have a certified electrician connect your electricity for the ventilation system, power panel and other electrical components.
• Once electrical has been connected, set your ventilation thermostat and heating thermostat at your desired temperatures.
Example of power panel placement (220V shown): Place the panel in a location where it is least likely to be exposed to water.
• Hook up your lights! They can be hung from the trusses for overhead lighting.
Example of light placement: You can drill holes through the roof trusses, place an S-hook through the holes, and hang lights and baskets from the hooks.
• Install your shade cloth if the temperature is hot outside. We suggest purchasing 6+ bungee cords and the same amount of eyelet hooks to install your shade cloth.
Example of shade cloth on free-standing model: The wooden foundation is perfect to hold the eyelet hooks. For larger greenhouse you can use a long rope at the corners for easy installation and removal.
• Cleaning your greenhouse-
We suggest cleaning the greenhouse twice a year with 1/3 cup of bleach per gallon of warm water. Using a long handled mop scrub the outside and inside of the greenhouse. Environmentally safe cleaning products can be used as well.
• Visit the Sunglo blog for information about saving energy, shade cloths, additional accessories and about greenhouse growing.
• If you haven’t already, we suggest investing in a good greenhouse growing book like “The Greenhouse Expert” By Dr. D.G. Hessayon. This will provide you with information on different plants that thrive in your greenhouse atmosphere and additional information about grow lights, plant nutrients, temperature and moisture control, etc.
• Now that you have the major things sorted out check out our “Greenhouse Gardening Basics” post to keep you moving forward!
• Find Sunglo on social media for new product alerts, company news and greenhouse growing information-
Sunglo provides for each greenhouse a manual, foundation guide, power panel wiring diagram, cedar shelf instructions, product/parts catalog and other information. Contact customer service if you would like to request any additional information.
Please do not hesitate to contact Sunglo’s customer service or technical team for any questions you may have. Call 425-251-8005 or e-mail info@sunglogreenhouses.com.
If you have any “Sunglo greenhouse tips” you would like to share please let us know!
Sunglo Greenhouses is located just outside Seattle, WA. // 425-251-8005
// info@sunglogreenhouses.com
2100 model with 3 foot raised foundation/knee wall
Greenhouse foundations
Purchasing a greenhouse can be a difficult and sometimes overwhelming process. The first factors you should consider are location, foundation and of course your budget. All foundations should be level and square. A square and level foundation will eliminate challenges later when installing your greenhouse. A raised foundation or knee wall is a good option if you prefer to add height to your greenhouse. Knee walls are commonly 12-48 inches high and can be made of various materials. If you would like a knee wall with your Sunglo greenhouse kit please notify us at 800-647-0606 to add a door drop kit to your order.
Concrete
Concrete is a great option for a greenhouse foundation and often chosen among consumers because is it convenient. To attach your greenhouse to a concrete base we recommend attaching quality treated wood to the base of the greenhouse, commonly called a wood sill plate. 2 x 4’s will do. If you choose to use pressure treated wood make sure to install a barrier between the wood and aluminum, such as gasket material, as the treated wood can cause the aluminum to rust. Sunglo includes a barrier called a “boot” with each greenhouse kit.
Concrete foundation – Raised/knee wall
Measure twice before cutting your wood to ensure proper dimensions. We suggest allowing a 1” border around the inside and outside of the entire greenhouse. Sunglo adds 2″ to each greenhouse size for the foundation measurements.
This is designed to allow a safe margin for irregularities in the wood sill plate. After the concrete has been poured and is level and square, a small drain should be placed in the center of the slab where water run off can drain into a gravel pit or piping that leads to a drainage area. Then your greenhouse can be bolted to the foundation. Water and electricity should be ran to the greenhouse site before the foundation is built.
Wood
1200 series Sunglo greenhouse with a raised wooden foundation and custom benches
Building a wood base is easy and inexpensive. Cedar and redwood are commonly used. Pressure treated wood is also a great option but make sure to put a barrier between the wood and aluminum, such as gasket material, as the treated wood can cause the aluminum to rust. The size of your base will depend on the size of your greenhouse again allowing a 1” border around the inside and outside of the greenhouse. After assembling the base and making sure your ground is level lay down a weed barrier. This allows the water to drain through but does not allow weeds to come up through the floor boards.
1000E Sunglo greenhouse built on a wooden foundation
Pack the natural earth over the excess barrier. After your base is finished and the weed barrier is set underneath, you need to cover it. Start laying down your wood planks to make the floor. Now it’s time to attach the greenhouse frame to the base – Make sure it is level and square again by measuring from corner to corner. For added insulation, we suggest you caulk the bottom of the aluminum framing (caulk the wood then attach the frame – making sure there is a barrier between the aluminum and wood) where it meets the base with a waterproof sealant – If you are using pressure treated it is still a good idea to caulk between the base and wood. This will add extra protection to the greenhouse and keep cold air from entering and warm air from escaping in the colder months. If you are using pressure treated wood make sure the aluminum does not come into direct contact. Sunglo includes a plastic “boot” that attaches to the base rails with all our kits, so you don’t have to worry! As with all foundations please consider whether you will need water and electricity ran to the greenhouse site. Wood foundations are natural and beautiful looking! The only down side is you might have to replace the wood every 8-10 years.
Deck
If you are planning on purchasing a lean-to style greenhouse or even a small free-standing but only have room on your deck, that’s no problem! Before attaching the greenhouse base to pressure treated wood lay down a thick rubber, insulated mat that is the dimension of the floor of your greenhouse.
1700 lean-to model on deck
There are various mats you can purchase that have designs or just plain old black. Insulating underneath and around the base is a good idea also. To attach the greenhouse base to the deck we recommend contacting your hardware store representative and explaining the project. Decks are made of different materials and you wouldn’t want to ruin your deck in the process. Now insulation will be an issue as well. Depending on your style of deck please take this into consideration and do your research on what type of insulation, if any, you should use. Water and electricity can be easily ran to a greenhouse on a deck foundation as it is usually attached to a house or a building.
There is lots of info on the web about different foundations and step by step instructions on how to build them. I hope this gave you an idea of what you want to do with your foundation!
NOTE: If you choose to create a foundation that is NOT concrete we highly recommend giving the wood base a few days to settle. After 24 hours re-measure for square and level. In some cases the foundation will settle and become uneven affecting the assembly of the greenhouse. And you dont want that to happen because it can make installation very difficult!
Sunglo offers a greenhouse foundations guide that shows how to build a easy, affordable and effective foundation base. To request a free-standing or lean-to foundation guide call us at 800-647-0606.
For more advice about greenhouse foundations or general questions leave a comment below or please e-mail us at info@sunglogreenhouses.com or call us at 1-800-647-0606.
There are many factors involved in greenhouse gardening. And we all know that to grow different plants and flowers the conditions need to be just right. So climate control and ventilation are very important. Greenhouses can get very hot in certain areas around the country. So for that extra protection we offer shade cloths.
1700D Sunglo With Shade Cloth
But why? Well, in humid areas misting and fogging may not be adequate enough in thosehot summer months. And excess moisture build up can become a problem.
There are many different ways to “shade” your greenhouse. Spray on and liquid options are available. As well as woven polyester or even aluminum varieties. Shade cloths can be found in varying densities or degrees of shade from approximately 5% to 95%.
Sunglo’s Shade Cloth Material
Sunglo offers a 73% gradient polypropylene cloth with double sewn reinforced hems and brass grommets for easy anchoring. Polypropylene is a thermoplastic polymer and it is used in a variety of products around the world.
Polypropylene is normally colored using carbon black. It is tough stuff but still flexible and it has good resistance to fatigue. It is suseptable to UV damage from sunlight exposure but our shade cloths are coated with a UV absorbing additive and carbon black also has some “SPF” properties to it.
Sunglo’s Shade Cloth Packaged
Shade cloths can be the difference between beautiful plants or burnt plants! Don’t leave your plants to risk, shade cloths are inexpensive and will last you through the years keeping your plants safe and happy!
Please contact us to request our complete pricing and product catalog.
To attach Sunglo’s shade cloth to your greenhouse, use some bungee cord or rope to thread through the grommets and secure them to some loop posts that are anchored to the ground or base. Lean-to models: For convenience try to set up the loop posts so you can easily roll the shade cloth up or down.
Call or e-mail us for our shade cloth instruction diagram. Please specify free-standing or lean-to.
For more information on Sunglo’s shade cloths or other greenhouse accessories please contact us anytime. And visit us on Facebook for promotion updates and gardening info.
DIY greenhouse shades
To see how to install these light weight shades click here.
This post is a supplement of a previous post for determining the heating or BTU requirements of your greenhouse – Click here to read the Greenhouse Heating post.
The following are approximate surface area’s of each Sunglo greenhouse series.
1000 Series – 7′ 9″ Width
ModelSurface Area
7.5ft – B 228
10ft – C 276
12.5ft – D 324
15ft – E 372
17.5ft – F 420
For every 2.5ft after model 1000F add 48 to the surface area.
1200 Series – 10′ 3″ Width
ModelSurface Area
10ft – C 338
12.5ft – D 392
15ft – E 446
17.5ft – F 500
20ft – G 554
For every 2.5ft after model 1200G add 54 to the surface area.
2100 Series – 15′ 3″ Width
ModelSurface Area
10ft – C 484
12.5ft – D 549
15ft – E 614
17.5ft – F 679
20ft – G 744
For every 2.5ft after model 2100G add 65 to the surface area.
1500 Lean-To Series – 5′ 1.5″ Width
ModelSurface Area
10ft – C 169
12.5ft – D 196
15ft – E 223
17.5ft – F 250
20ft – G 277
For every 2.5ft after model 1500G add 27 to the surface area.
1700 Lean-To Series – 7′ 7.5″ Width
Model Surface Area
10ft – C 242
12.5ft – D 275
15ft – E 307
17.5ft – F 340
20ft – G 372
For every 2.5ft after model 1700G add 33 to the surface area.
If you are a customer with a custom style Sunglo or have a discontinued series or just have questions please give us a call at 1-800-647-0606.
