Home Bar Blog

Starting Your Own Greenhouse - Growing to Survive:
With today’s high gas prices comes high food prices, but that’s not the only problem, with the apparent slow decay of our economic system we are also seeing problems in the quality of foods, and in particular the produce that we consume.
First was the spinach scare, then lettuce, now tomatoes. We decide to become proactive in this area by building a greenhouse in which to grow all our summertime vegetables. Any excess will be canned for winter consumption.

Step one was to find a space and design the greenhouse itself. We did a search on the web and found greenhouse prices running several thousand dollars which kinda makes this a loosing proposition. Searching further we found one model of greenhouse made by Harbor Freight, The HFGH 10×12 model 93358 for a mere $599. The price has now jumped to $789, probably due to the rising cost of aluminum and polycoarbonate, since both require oil to produce , but we managed to get in on an early season sale. If 10 x 12 is too big, try the HFGH 8 x 10 model 93920 for $499.

There are many good sites that will help you build and modify the Harbor Freight greenhouse and this seems to have become somewhat of a cult item for gardeners on a budget who have some do it yourself skills.

This blog site shows you seven time saving steps in building your HFGH.
It’s a great addition to the factory provided instructions and is a RECOMMENDED READ.

Here are a few pictures of our 12×24 DIY Garden Shed and 10×12 Harbor Freight Greenhouse project.

May 30 2008:  The 12×24 garden shed foundation.
Had this contracted out to a local concrete contractor.
Cost: about $1800. 
  
  
 
The shed construction progress.
Notice the gravel pile and door on the south end.
This will eventually be the greenhouse foundation and entrance.
The frame on the ground is a 4×6 timber foundation for the greenhouse.  
 
  
Here the garden shed gets a roof.
Again, we contracted the labor out to a local roofing firm.
Cost of labor: about $250, and they were done in 2 hours.
A small price to keep me off  the roof.
 
 

After just under 30 days of construction, finally taking shape!
The greenhouse attached to the south side of the garden shed.
The total cost of the shed and greenhouse including concrete work, roofing and all ofthe materials was just under $5000.
 
 

 June 25 2008: Here is the final project result.
The greenhouse is in operation with plenty of growing space.
The structure rides out storms very well. This last weekend saw
50mph winds and hail. No problems whatsoever.
This photo also shows how the roof pitch of the greenhouse compares to a standard 6/12 pitch of the shed, just in case you are concerned with matching the roof pitch to your structure. Looks like 7/12 or 8/12 would match well.

The inside of the greenhouse features a heavy duty shelving structure made from 4×4 AC2 treated lumber stained a redwood color. The color of the raw lumber was not very appealing and the stain job was worth the effort. Be sure to stain BEFORE the polycarbonate panels are installed or they will become spattered with stain. There is about 32 feet of 32″ wide shelves and the upper support will be for future wire shelving. Do not use lumber shevles above or they will cut out a considerable amount of light.

We are now capable of growing our own vegetables in a controlled, bug free environment that should accelerate production and be a fun hobby for years to come. The next step is to add some basic automation for watering using and Allen Bradley Pico controller and a few relays and dishwasher water solenoids to feed a Misty Mate 17 nozzle patio cooler. We’ll keep you posted as this develops…
Have Fun!
  
 

Summer sun can deliver a beating to unprotected skin and too much exposure can cause overheating or worse, a nasty case of sun stroke. One simple solution is to drink plenty of fluids and locate yourself in a shady area such as under a tree, but when trees are nowhere to be found, try a patio umbrella.
This selection of affordable umbrellas will deliver years of solar protection and comfort from summer heat. For a limited time, get FREE SHIPPING on select orders.

Just a few short years ago, it was nothing to dump ten bucks in the gas tank and drive five hours for a two night vacation in the northwoods. Today that trip, financially speaking, is no longer a great idea. The trip burns about 20 gallons of gas for the round trip and today that will run over $78.20 (and rising) leaving much less cash for food and entertainment.
Unless you have a large stash of disposable income, vacationing away from home is fast becoming less practical for many families. So what’s the solution?
Take a Staycation! Staycatioing is fast becoming the “green” way to save green while investing your money into home improvements. Stay at home and invest the money you’d normally spend on a vacation into an unused space in your home; like a basement home theater or for summer months your backyard. Sure many people feel trapped by their daily grind and just have to get away for a vacation, but what if everything you ran 100 miles away to enjoy was right in your own backyard?
Taking a staycation has many advantages:

• No long “are we there yet?” drive.
• No speeding tickets.
• No traffic hassles.
• Clean facilities nearby.
• No crowds.
• Quick escape when weather turns ugly.

Taking just one staycation per year can not only save money, but also helps the overall gas problem. With the number of people out there today, we all need to start doing our part.

Once we got to our vacaton destination, the things we enjoyed the most were simply sitting under the tent and next to the fire, so rather than spend hundreds of dollars each year on the long trek to increasingly congested campgrounds and resorts, we decide to bring the best of the resorts to our back yard. Now we have our own relaxing gazeebo, jacuzzi and fire pit right in our backyard.  

Money spent on a vacation is gone the day your vacation ends, but money spent on items you can continue to use keeps providing fun and enjoyment year after year.
We decided a few years ago to start using the money we normally put aside for vacationing for improving our back yard. We first erected a fence, which for our rather large back yard was equal to a winter Mexico vacation we had planned to take. The next year we again stayed home and installed a Jacuzzi hot tub. Now we can feel like we’re in Mexico every day of the year!

This year we are continuing our staycation tradition adding more trees and a 12′x24′ garden garage with an attached 10′x12′ greenhouse. The greenhouse will help us offset the rising price of fruits & vegetables, allowing us to become less dependent of store bought produce.

This year, try taking a staycation, you’ll find it more relaxing than an expensive trip!
Tell us about your staycation experiences.

Adding quality bar stools puts the finishing touch on your home bar. If you’ve spent hours on getting the bar finish just right, why would you skimp on the bar stools? The fact is, cheap bar stools just look cheap and detract from your overall project, however, good quality stools really add the right amount of flair to all your hard work. We’ve found one bar stool that shines above the rest in quality and appearance, it’s the Dover Bar Stool.

The Dover is 32 inches tall, the perfect height for a home bar. This hardwood stool is finished in distressed antique cherry and features a padded leather seat with 360 degree ball bearing swivel. Priced at about $460.00 each, they may seem like a lot of coin, but they are an investment that will last a lifetime. Cheap bar stools on the other hand will last a few years at best. Right now the price on these stools is discounted $90 ($369.99 each) and includes FREE SHIPPING.
A matching set of four would total about $1476.00. Not a bad price, and buying online will save you an extra $73.80 in sales tax.

A similar hardwood model is the Vienna Swivel Bar Stool.
The Vienna is actually a better value, regularly priced at $511.99 each, but currently priced at $369.99, the same price as the Dover, but saving you $142.00 each. The Vienna is a bit more stable due to the slight flair of the legs. This hardwood bar stool is finished in a rich tobacco color and also features a 360 degree swivel seat.
It all depends upon your taste, but for the money, the high quality and attractive Vienna bar stool wins hands down.
Check out these other fine bar stools today while still on sale.

If so, put down the bottle and step away, although gas prices are getting out of hand, there is some GOOD news to report! Lumber prices are at an all time low! The housing crash has resulted in stock piles of lumber and the lowest prices in years. Now is the perfect opportunity to load up on building materials and add that indoor or outdoor home bar or rec room addition. Here is the best deal on home bar construction plans.
Entertaining at home will help save gas and with the recent rise in grain prices, will help save money from the higher cost of beer at your local tavern. It also keeps you from being liquored up behind the wheel, and that’s a good thing! So, entertaining at home will not only help save gas, it will help increase the value and enjoyment of your home. So get busy! And as always, stay safe & have fun!