Well we have had one of our aluminium greenhouses for 25 years and apart from a few new panes of glass, it is doing well.
I would say, do not buy one with a curved roof, the plastic for the curve does not last forever and it is blooming expensive.
And buy one as big as you can afford and have space for, ours are 16 feet by 8, 12 by 8 and 10 by 8 and they are all bulging!

Thank you owdboggy....very helpful! :)

A cedar greenhouse looks nice but we have always used aluminium with horticultural glass and found them excellent. I think that our lean-to can even beat Owdboggys' when it come to age as we inherited it with the garden 24 years ago and it was no spring chicken then. After removing all the glass we even re-located it once without dismantling it.

Yes, and I think I shall be able to locate my new greenhouse in a corner well out of sight from the house, so it needn't be pretty like this little one had to be. Thanks BA I'm definitely leaning in the direction of aluminium!

I have a 10 x 8 aluminium greenhouse and love it. Spend ages down there just pottering around, growing a few bits and pieces. Apart from cleaning the glass of shading and putting up bubble wrap, it's virtually maintenance free

Thanks Badfish!

When we came here we inherited an aluminium greenhouse, which kept me happy for a while. Then I received an inheritance of a few thousand pounds, and decided to buy a cedar one in memory of my Mum. I think it was an Alton - and we received a huge cedar Cold frame with it for free. I adore it; it's unheated but has automatic top windows, and it keeps the heat MUCH better than the aluminium one. We have never treated the wood, and it looks absolutely fine :)

Btw, it's 10' x 8', perfect. I'll put up a photo of both for you, to help you decide, lol.

Mine is at the end of the garage/workshop.....when this was built the block walls were extended to make half walls on top of these went the kitchen and diningroom windows with the sliding door from the lounge in between, with some more reclaimed windows and a door at the back and twinwall polycarb roof I have a huge double glazed greenhouse (oh we had a conservatory on the house which is why the windows were spare)
If I wanted to I could easily have 2 gro bags under each window with two 6' tables in the middle.
My advice is to go for as big as you can, so much easier to control fluctuating temperatures, double glazing evens that out too

That sounds like quite a construction Pam! Thanks! I'll bear in Ming the double glazing idea.

Sheila, I have read that wood keeps the heat much better...but also that polycarbonate keeps the warmth better than glass! I think that if I settle for aluminium I'll be able to afford a bigger greenhouse, which would be nice. I think I'll have it wired up for a heater as well. I might not use it except in extreme cold, but it could save me some money and worry if it's there just in case. I think I'll go for a green aluminium one.....probably!

of course...what I would really like is one of those beautiful RHS Alitex ones...but that's a dream! It really is...there's no way I'll get one of those...it would look posher than the house! Lol!

Hi, I would go for an aluminium 1, bought a 12 x 8 last year, the only problem was the height at the eaves, which was only just over 4ft, but got round that with a 3 course brick base, a lot of manufacturers extol the virtues of a double door, which they tell you allows you to get a wheelbarrow in, unfortunately it also restricts the width of staging or beds, if you have an 8ft wide greenhouse with a 4ft doorway, the widest staging or border you can have is 2ft, which is what you get with 6ft wide house, I managed to find 1 with a single door, {after all how many times do you want to get a wheelbarrow in}, so that is what I went for, you just have to decide which is better for your neeeds, Derek.

Wherever you put it think seriously about having electricity installed in it.
And as derek says, go for one with high eaves.

Hi, just noticed you say it wont be visible from the house, if that is the case, why pay the extra 2 or 3 hundred pounds for a green 1, the money you save by getting the plain aluminium would probably pay or it to be wired up, just a thought, Derek.

Karen I have 2 allium Greenhouse 1 with a single door and my 2nd one has double doors .

My smaller one is behind and close to our garage it has heat and light if needed to use.

If this is to be your only Greenhouse go big and double doors as easie to get in and out with pots or anything else you want to take in or out Karen.

I do love the wooden ones but they are ever so expensive.

Good luck.

Kath

Thanks friends! Derek, you make very good points about the eaves and doors...thank you. I can't see me needing to get a wheelbarrow in there! however, even though I won't be looking OUT at the greenhouse from my windows....I'll still have to lOOK at it! Lol....It will have to be green...sorry!, no offence to those of you who have silver! ;)

Thanks Scrumpy and Kath....I will!

A light is useful and although you may decide not to heat it sockets for propagators......seedling and cutting heights.......would extend what you can do no end......
You can pot on the seedlings and the taller one will keep them warm if its still cold
At the other house I had one we made using heating cable buried in sand....it workrd fine and so useful.

I have an aluminium one which came with the house. Many panes of glass were broken in a storm several years ago, so we replaced them with polycarbonate and shunted the surviving glass to the door (north) end. I no longer have to apply shading or insulation (the winter temperatures are a bit higher than they were before). I put in automatic venting at the same time so the air circulates better. There is elecricity fairly close by in the garage, so one day I shall get around to connecting it up. Then my only regret will be that it isn't bigger, but that would probably be the case whatever the size, lol!

Excellent thoughts! Thanks so much. eBay or gumtree are not really options as we are not up to dismantling and reassembling, so it will be a new one. I'm hoping to site it behind my garage and utility room, so connecting to electricity supply should be fairly easy, and getting sockets in for a propagation is a fabulous idea! Thanks for that Pam! I think I shall now try not to think about it any more until I get there! I am getting too far ahead of myself! :))