"Harbor Freight" Greenhouse WARNING
It was a blustery October morning and the beauty of the autumn leaves could be seen in any direction. I had just finished assembling our dream greenhouse from "Harbor Freight" - it had only been standing for 4 days. My husband was in the greenhouse excitedly planning and planting for our winter greenhouse crop (Kale, winter lettuce). I was inside in the kitchen preparing our lunch and I just couldn't shake an ominous feeling in the pit of my stomach. I looked outside from my lunch preparations only to see the greenhouse flip over taking my husband with it! I sprinted outside and found my husband unconscience and pinned down by the greenhouse. (see pictures below).
Honestly though - my husband was NOT injured. The greenhouse did flip over but thank the good Lord nobody was inside at the time. In these pictures my husband was posing - he was actually unscrewing the greenhouse taking apart the pieces.
A bible verse that I need to learn from: "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom" Proverbs 11: 2
The truth is that I had to assemble the majority of this greenhouse myself - my husband injured his knee 1/4 of the way through assembling this greenhouse. It was difficult but I was so proud of myself. I had just been bragging to all my friends and family "I put this greenhouse up by myself" and then it was gone in literally one second. (I'm not saying that this wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been bragging - I'm just trying to turn this devastating situation into a learning moment).
My WARNING: Don't waste your money buying this greenhouse. The metal is so cheap - this greenhouse should have at least been able to withstand a gust of wind. Also, the design is not the greatest - there were 4 windows/vents on the roof and I think the wind caught the window and opened it making an air tunnel inside. I can't imagine what a Michigan winter would have done to this greenhouse (if it had lasted that long).
This (the picture above) is what the frame of the greenhouse looked like before the wind - I had not had time to take a picture of the greenhouse totally finished with the panels installed
The metal base frame in the picture above was a 90 degree angle prior to the wind - now it is flat.
This support beam in the picture above is NOT supposed to be a 90 degree angle
Metal holes that were factory drilled just ripped like paper
It was NOT a tornado - only a gust of wind. The cheap metal is twisted beyond belief.
My recommendation is to buy a different greenhouse.
I am so sorry that you and your husband had to suffer through this ordeal. You will be in my thoughts and prayers today.
ReplyDeleteThank you "First Light Glass" - your thoughts and prayers are much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteWe had a fabric gazebo porch thing that did the same thing. I needed it to shade the back porch in 100 degree weather...1 wind gust and it was gone and twisted. I am so sorry.
ReplyDeleteAngie,wow I just saw this blog you had posted about yesterday, that is just awful, I am so glad your husband is ok, well I realize that he got knocked out, it could have been worse...needless to say, I would be asking for my $ back.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry that you had put so much time into building this only to have it come down in a gust of wind, but as you say it was a poor design and never would have withstood the winter, so maybe the Lord was protecting you with this happening now and not later when the glass panels were heavy with snow.
Oh no! How awful - did Randy REALLY get knocked out? Oh my gosh. I am glad he is ok. What a HUGE disappointment for you guys.
ReplyDeleteBob and I put up a visquine panel and wood frame greenhouse back when we had the acreage in Dundee. It was great and we started seedlings until. . . . a tornado came through and while the wind was whipping we were out there trying to hold the greenhouse down as it came apart and the staples that attached the visquine to the frame were flying and ripping through our skin as we tried to keep it from flying all over the neighborhood causing more damage! It is funny when we look back, but pretty traumatic during!
Thank you Joyce, I was thinking the same thing - that only God knows the future and I'm sure He was protecting us from something even worse.
ReplyDeleteThanks Cindy - and no Randy didn't really get knocked out although our ladder was inside the greenhouse and it was flipped totally upside down and flew through the air- so if we were inside when it happened I'm sure we would have been injured.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it didn't happen in the spring like it did for you. (It will be funny in the future - the pictures are funny anyway).