Progress, of Sorts

With just two days before the "crew" was to arrive to help me erect the greenhouse, I called it off. Too many things were not right. First, I had found out that the foundation I had prepared would not work. I had two days to fix the foundation, but the first of those days, I really didn't feel well and couldn't bring myself to work in the hot sun. I started, but then quickly began to feel really tired.

Then, I got to thinking about some other things that have gone wrong. The provider of my LP gas came back with a $1,300 proposal for running a gas line underground from my house to the greenhouse and modifying the gas pressure regulators to accommodate the additional demand. That didn't include the additional costs of purchasing an LP heater and having it professionally installed. There was still the issue of how to vent the heater - possibly having to replace one of the panes with sheet metal. At this point, for various reasons, I don't have the cash to purchase and install an LP heater.

The alternative is to heat the greenhouse with an electric resistance heater. To do that, I would prefer to run an underground electric line to the greenhouse. I can do that myself possibly, but I need a little more time to study the local code requirements and do the groundwork. It will be easier to run the line, a distance I estimate to be less than 30 feet, while the greenhouse foundation is still easy to move around. I learned that I can rent a power trenching machine for about $80 for 4 hours. The rental agent I spoke with said I should be able to finish the job in 4 hours. Together with the costs of electrical components, and purchase of an electric heater and the PVC conduit, the total cost should be much less than $1,300. That is, if I do the electrical work myself. I am also going to inquire about putting the outside circuit in my emergency generator system, so the greenhouse will continue to be heated in case of a winter power outage.

I originally preferred to heat the greenhouse with LP gas, but it just turned out to be too complicated to install a gas heater with proper venting. With electric heating, the energy costs might be greater, but the initial costs much less. It's something like the tradeoff I had to make when I bought my Toyota Highlander. If I had waited several months longer, I might have been able to purchase a hybrid version of the Highlander. I saw this as desirable from an environmental perspective, but when I learned that it would most likely cost me about $7,000 more than the comparable gasoline engine model, I thought I would have to save a lot of money on gas to make up this difference in initial cost.

The final reason for postponing the greenhouse raising was the local weather forecast. There was a 40% chance of thunderstorms. If the thunderstorms materialized with sufficiently high winds, it could prove to be a disaster. An incompletely constructed greenhouse could take off like a kite in a good wind.