Rion Greenhouse

Finally got the GH up. Overall it was quite a task. My DH was ready to toss it in the lake. We have the Rion Prestige. Anyone considering getting one, we feel it is not worth what we paid for it, difficult to assemble, the doors are flimsy. We will have to customize them to make them weather worthy. Hopefully it will do the job but I think I would build our own next time.

Hello Nanadee,
we just finished our Rion Prestige (8.5 x 16.5) this past weekend.
Took us 1 1/2 days to set it up (to level the darn base was the most work), and I learned a lot of new swearwords during that time...lol
Not to mention all the muscles in my body I never knew I had until I could barely walk...lol
The roof glazing gave us the most problems and well about that door...it definatly needs more work on it to make it less "drafty".
Otherwise so far I am very happy about it and can`t wait for the rest of the floor to be laid (pavers).
Would I buy it again? Probably yes, because constructing/building my own would be way harder I think.
Hope you will enjoy it many years :)

Thea

I put in a Rion 8.5 x 16.5 in February 08, just in time for a series of heavy wind storms. Though hard to put up and seemingly fragile, it has withstood 30 mph gusts with no more than the doors blowing open. Yes, they need to do something about the door latches, lol.

I agree with you about the Rion door latches, especially the left door. The pin that goes up never stays up. It's a gravity thing. I stuck a piece of floraI clay in there to keep the pin up. I also put two cap stones inside and outside the doors when they're closed to keep them from blowing in or open. When I want the doors open I use the stones to keep them open. Cap stones are heavy and a pain to move, but I tried bricks and they are too light. The doors can push them away on windy days. Other than becoming a weight lifter, I'm pretty happy with my GH.

Honestly I think any of the GH kits in that general price range are going to have similar issues. I have a Sundog greenhouse and I have to lean something up against the doors to keep them flapping around in the wind, and I think if I got too much wind the whole thing would just blow apart (although it's held up to occasional 50 mph gusts). If you want a perfect, sturdy greenhouse you have to be willing to spend a lot more money, or build it yourself (or both!)

Hi, I agree with ecrane3, you always get what you pay for. I built mine and think it is always a little too small.

Does anyone know where I can see a Rion in the Seattle area?
Randy

Sam's Club used to have one set up in their store. Don't know if they still sell do.

Last year I built my own GH, and this spring built another one 16 x 16 which is a fairly good size for us gardeners. Going to Lowes in the construction department, you can ask them to estimate and give you a list of all the materials you need for the framing of the GH, 16x16' cost $4,000 if you do it yourself. I did it in three months.

Smegtone,

Is the covering that you used, twin-wall? U/V coated?

It is polycarbonat (white/opaque) 100% uv. They are not cheap.

Twin-wall, or single?

The reason I ask is that you're in GA, which is a much warmer climate than others that have posted (including the OP, save for ecrane). Single wall, in the colder climates, probably won't cut it. =)

Yes, it is a single wall, either ways, in winter you have to heat it. The tuftex material is very resistant also(fifteen to twenty times more than fiber glass for the same thickness). Sorry I didn't mean to hijack this thread.

I would have loved a custom built GH, but for those of us who aren't carpenters, you can get a 24' Rion for less than $4K.

We had a 10 minute storm yesterday. It came up suddenly, out of nowhere. I went outside to check on the GH and found the left door to my Rion about 15 feet away. The wind ripped the door off, hinges and all. After scouting around in a panic for the hinge pieces, I finally found them laying on the cement. I almost gave up looking for the little pieces. i screwed them back into the GH and got the door back on. There's a 5" crack in the plactic door frame now, but i think some epoxy will patch it to keep from spreading. I got everything put back and secured all while DH napped on the sofa.

Just another saga in the tale of GH ownership.

Weird. Mine has withstood 60+ mph winds with no damage. Musta been one heckuva wind you had! Glad you found all of the pieces! =)

Oh, and I'd call Rion about the cracked piece. It should be covered by warranty. Agreed that epoxy would work as a bandaid, but hey, if they'll send you a new part, I'd sure take it. =)

It's partially my fault. The doors were open and secured with heavy cap stones. The wind must have lifted the door off the bottom hinge and the top one hung on for dear life eventually getting ripped off. The stress must have caused the crack. That or it cracked when it landed on the cement. She survived a tornado last fall, minus a couple panes, but the doors were shut. I'll get in touch with the Rion people, but the GH is 3 years old. May not be covered by warranty anymore.

We've had some crazy weather this summer. No flooding here though.