Mount Shasta General Store_Sunglo Greenhouse Foundation

Mount Shasta General Store

FREESTANDING GREENHOUSE

LOCATION
The most desirable location for your greenhouse is placing the
greenhouse so it is covered by the shade pattern of a deciduous, (leaf
bearing), tree during the hottest time of the day during the hottest time
of the year. That’s ideal. Barring this, morning and afternoon sun is best
with shade in the early afternoon to help cool the greenhouse and
surrounding ground. If these conditions to not exist you will need to use
an external shade cloth draped over the greenhouse fastened with
bungee cords to the foundation base to help reduce solar gain during the
late spring and through the summer.

THE FOOTINGS
IT IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT YOU START WITH A SQUARE SOLID AND
LEVEL FOOTING TO ATTACH YOUR GREENHOUSE. Our greenhouses are
designed to be attached to a wood sill plate. If you decide to locate your
greenhouse directly on the ground use a 4” x 6” pressure treated wood
sill plate set on edge and buried in the ground with approximately _” to 1”
of the wood plate showing above the ground. We recommend using
pressure treated wood due to its long life span. You can use high quality
cedar of redwood, however these will not have the same life span as
pressure treated wood products. If there is an existing concrete pad
which you can use you will still need to attach a wood plate. Fasten a 2” x
4” pressure treated wood sill plate to the concrete pad using concrete
wedge anchors, or similar fasteners. Make sure the fasteners are
counter sank into the wood so they are level to the top of the wood plate.

DRAINAGE
Drainage needs to be considered to remove excess water from your
greenhouse site. If you have poor drainage you may need to install a
“French” drain. This is a simple bed of crushed rock or gravel with
perforated piping graded and buried below your greenhouse to lead
water away from your site. If your site has a high moisture content you
will need to install a vapor barrier. The vapor barrier is a 6 mil black
plastic. Do not use a weed block. These will not prevent excess humidity
from entering your greenhouse. Line the interior of your foundation base
right up to the wood with the plastic and cover the plastic with crushed
rock, paving stones etc. This will prevent the greenhouse from wicking up
excess ground moisture into the greenhouse. This is very important in
wet areas. Afterwards if the greenhouse is too dry, you can “poke” a
couple of holes through the plastic to allow some ground moisture to
enter the greenhouse. If you are using a concrete pad make sure the pad
has been sealed with a concrete sealer prior to the installation of your
greenhouse.

FLOORS
If your greenhouse location is directly on the ground using crushed rock
or gravel over top of your vapor barrier will work fine and is inexpensive.
If you’d like to install paving stones down the center of your greenhouse
make sure you grade your gravel to allow the additional height of the
paving stones. Keep the height of the paving stones level to the top of the
wood plate.

FOUNDATION DIMENSIONS
Your foundation needs to be level and square. A true level and square
foundation base will reduce installation problems later on. All dimensions
listed are measured from the outside to the outside of the foundation
base. These dimensions allow a 1” border around our attachment rails.
This is designed to allow a safe margin for irregularities in the wood plate.

ELECTRICITY LOCATION
Your greenhouse requires electricity to operate the exhaust fan, heater
etc. We recommend planning the route you will need for your electricity
utility line so it terminates under the foundation plate inside the
greenhouse on the back wall dead center. Sunglo recommends that you
check with your local building department for local codes and
requirements. Sunglo also recommends using a licensed qualified
electrician for all final connections. Below are the requirements for
electricity:

FOR GREENHOUSES USING 110 VOLT POWER YOU’LL NEED 110 VOLT /
20 AMPS.
FOR GREENHOUSES USING 220 VOLT POWER YOU’LL NEED 220 VOLTS /
30 AMPS.

CLEANING & MAINTENANCE
Your Sunglo Greenhouse is extremely durable. However proper care will
promote a long life, increase sunlight transmission and your enjoyment.
We recommend cleaning both the inside and outside at least twice yearly.
Using a garden hose and a bucket of warm water with one ounce of
household bleach per gallon & enough liquid dish soap for suds, carefully
hose down the greenhouse and lather the greenhouse exterior with a
soft terry cloth. Carefully loosen the dust and dirt and rise thoroughly. On
the inside carefully cover or remove any electrical controls or devises with
a plastic garbage bag and gently clean the inside of the greenhouse using
a misting stream of water and a soft terry cloth. Make sure you clean out
the weep holes on the exterior of the greenhouse as well. In addition if
you have any algae growth pour a solution of 2 ounces of bleach per one
gallon of warm water into the lower U rail and the upper H rails to help
inhibit growth. Other than the twice annual cleaning your greenhouse
should not require any other maintenance.

DOOR DROPS
If you are planning on building a raised footing or kneewall to raise the
height of your greenhouse you will need to follow the dimension guide
below

Hop On I'll
take you to the
top

Sunglo
FOUNDATION GUIDE