building large greenhouse or garage?

[MacDime]

So my partner and I are building a space to provide us with enough room to grow large amounts of coral. Were going back and forth between a greenhouse (30x35)ft or a garage the same size. Take into account spending of materials and the fact that we live in Ohio and the weather is up and down. Which would be a better space for us? We would like to budget ourselves around 5 or 6 thousand on the structure. Whats the pros and cons of each space?

[Canadian Reefer]

Pro greenhouse, is the sun is free and the best light, and you will probably have to shade the corals because of the intensity. Con the greenhouse will cost more to heat in winter and will get very warm in the summer. You will need some kind of heat sink to keep your water from getting to hot in summer. A garage you can heat and cool much more efficiently with proper insulation.

[South City]

You could build a garage with large skylights. A hybrid designed to take advantage of the strengths that both structures offer.(free light and more efficient climate control)

[Caryliss]

I built a greenhouse (for orchids though) about 2 yrs ago and I live in NE Ohio so maybe I can give some advice.

My GH is 10 x 22 ft and built of glass for esthetic reasons (on the front of the house). Polycarbonate is less pretty but much more energy efficient and slightly cheaper. If you are set on that size (30 x 35) then build a garage. GH roof trusses are limited in size and going over 20 ft wide may get significantly more expensive. Have you looked at GH prices yet? http://arcadiaglasshouse.comis local and built mine; their 2012 price list shows a 20 x 36 ft GH at $25k, significantly over your budget. And that doesn't include labor if you don't DIY, heating, ventilation, etc.

Heating is a huge expense. I'm fortunate that I have a natural gas well on my property so my heat is free, otherwise I couldn't afford it.

GH get HOT in the summer. I have shade cloth up from April to September, and run some pretty high powered ventilation but on sunny days it still struggles to stay below 95 degrees. Tolerable for orchids but keeping water cool might be a problem.

Get a back up generator. A GH has little insulation so when the power goes out it can get dangerously cold in 3-4 hours in the winter and in less than 30 minutes in the summer (think a closed car in the parking lot). My generator kicks on automatically and has already saved everything in the GH at least twice. And it's nice to be the only one on the block with electricity.

Either a GH or a garage if attached to the house will need a foundation. That's another $4-5k? expense.

Think long term--will you always want to grow coral? What would you do with either a garage or greenhouse if you gave up the hobby? Car garage? Storage shed? Sun room? If you moved which would give the house more resale value (or be less of a negative value--"omg did you see what that house had in it's backyard?").

A well-insulated garage with artificial lighting makes more financial sense than a greenhouse. But isn't as much fun. A cold January day, when the sun comes out and warms the GH into the 80s, makes every mortgage payment worth it. :rollface:

[Caryliss]

double post

[Mark426]

Garage! Green Houses are very expensive to heat/cool and nothing but pain in the a**. Dont ask how I know.

[Shawn O]

A garage with sono-tube type lights to augment lighting sounds more practical, and as Carlyss said, has more uses.
http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/solartubecutaway.gif

[nuxx]

Both cool ideas, make sure you do a build thread either way :)

[booth2010]

I would go with garage for easier temp control as other have stated. Plus like Caryliss mentioned if you decide to not grow corals any longer a garage wouild be a lot more versatile.

[ericarenee]

Insulated Steel Pole barn... Is all that will fit your budget even if you do most of the work.. That will Also NOT Cover concrete ...

My opinion is Gather some more Cash..... and Still build a insulated steel pole barn With Poly carbonate Roof panels places in the areas above where your coral tanks will be.. Be sure to build a LOW Roof type barn.... you only need 10 feet head height and that might even help bring light in directly over the coral tanks as well as less attic space to hold heat inside in the summer months..... Less heat needed as heat goes up.... We are planing on building a green house out back For Garden not Corals and this was the only cost solution to keep it under 10 k.....
We are doing this in like 4 years or less. Depending on if we buy a new truck in the spring or not. . Project will start the day after our last house payment is made..

[AA79]

Much bigger than you are looking for but you get the idea.

Proaquatix Nursery - http://mbmisteelbuildings.com/testimonials/tropical-fish-nursery-in-florida

[Sk8r]

Hail.

[E46er]

thats a big space for 5-6 grand each no matter which route you go. if thats total budget uhhhhh good luck.

Id go with a garage solely based on resale value of the home. for 95% of people a greenhouse wont do anything a detached garage will def add value.

my uncles 20x40 shop was 30k all said and done he called friends for EVERYTHING and its duriod roof vinyl siding a handful of windows and a bay door granted its 20 ft high and everything in canada is expensive.

[glmule]

I vote for Shawn o's idea.

[badguitarist]

For what its worth, I am just finishing up my second greenhouse to grow coral in and I have spend close to 15 grand for a 20x24 foot structure. Sure you can do it cheaper but you'll be paying dearly in heating costs if you don't build it with quality insulative material the first time. I would really think hard about this idea before proceeding. Unless you have a very solid plan it will become a financial sink pretty quickly. utility bills will start accumulating the minute you get water in the tanks and revenue coming in probably wont be realized for at least the first year. I'm not saying it cant be done. If it couldn't I wouldn't be building a second greenhouse, I'm just giving you real experience. I burned away a huge amount of money the first year or two in propane costs. It took me close to five years of growing corals in a greenhouse setting before I was able to quite my day job. make sure your in this for the long haul

[JWClark]

If using natural light do you have to worry about wavelength proportion differences since the light is not being filtered/altered by the water column? Would assume you would have annual variations in intensity and wavelength composition from winter to summer--and obviously length of availability as well. Doe this affect your corals? I know there are a few threads here on natural light reefs but they are at more southern latitudes.

I'm planning a 400-500g build into the retirement house and have been thinking about using natural light (in PA). Probably some type of film you could put on the glass to mimic the filtering effect of a water column?

I would go w/ the garage and skylights as well, personally.

[Dmorty217]

I know a guy with a large greenhouse for this purpose but he is now moving in another direction for whatever reason. He has had it for years but obviously it isn't as great as everyone may think