Backyard Discovery Bellerose 11' x 7' Cedar Wood and Polycarbonate Greenhouse Kit, Pergola

Bought greenhouse and it arrived 6 days later. I'm a 66 year old and assembled the unit by myself. Instructions are spot on. It took some time for me to complete but I took my time. While assembling I was impressed with the quality of the unit. If I would have bought something similar in quality assembled it would've cost much,much more. I was impressed that there were so many pieces yet they were all there and no damage. I opted to seal all pieces prior to assembling . I recommend doing this. I used a cordless sprayer and it worked out great. That also helped me become more familiar with the pieces. I just finished today and turning it over to my wife. She's thrilled. I got lots of brownie points for this!

I have always wanted a greenhouse and I dreamt about having one for years. Did I need one? Of course not; I am just a hobbyist! But when someone shared that they pre-ordered a Bellerose greenhouse on Reddit I decided to look up Backyard Discovery and I saw the Greenhouse and I was IN LOVE! I promptly pre-ordered mine ASAP. We are in San Diego so we don't (normally) get extreme weather but we do get HEAT. I knew going in that I would only be able to use the greenhouse for part of the year and I was OK with this. Summertime is out for me because it can easily get over 116º in the greenhouse and, short of putting in an a/c system, that means it is my “She Shed” during those months but it also means I can start seeds much earlier in the year than before and I can grow my heirloom tomatoes year round. That a to me is a win-win. The pics I am including are of my Bellerose before I started growing anything because I am too lazy to go out and make sure it is presentable enough for pics today. My thoughts on the sealing and construction of my Bellerose: It was an incredible experience and BD has made it as easy and as smooth as possible considering these are shipping to people with vastly different construction skills. 1. There are approximately 1,346,258 pieces of wood to seal plus twice or three times that many pieces of hardware. Ok, so that might be a slight exaggeration but, for all things holy, do yourself a favor and ORGANIZE. Sort your wood alphabetically and numerically. Every single piece is stamped on one end with a letter and a number. Every single piece of hardware is bagged by part number. Do not let yourself unpack and stack everything willy-nilly. If you do, you will double the time it will take you to build. 2. If you're going to seal before building, set yourself up a system of saw horses to do the sealing (plastic underneath!) As well as a system on which to lay the boards to dry. Drill some screws into two 2 x 4s and stand them up about 2 ft apart like a ladder to act as a rack to lay your longer boards on to dry. Set up a fan for air circulation. If you're sealing when it's raining, it will take longer for them to dry. It took us two people x 3 days x 8 hours each day to properly seal every piece of wood, all sides with two coats. Put some music on, have lunches brought in or take a break to grill a some quick burgers because you will need nourishment during this time! 3. Yes, the plastic on the metal roof pieces is a pain to remove but if you use packing tape to start a corner it will get you a clean start saving you from scratching the metal, saving your fingernails, and most importantly, saving your sanity! Seriously, use the packing tape to pull the corner back. 4. The plastic on the window panels wasn't fun either. Use the same tape if you can't get the corner started (but I found it easier to start on the plastic panels). Only peel the plastic film back along the four edges so it's still mostly protected in the center of the panel. This will allow you to get the panels into the tracks when you're ready to install them but the plastic will mostly be protected from scratches and scuffs. 5. The gazillion pieces of hardware come in different bags, labeled by part number. Leave them in their little bags- no need to waste plastic cups or purchase plastic containers for them. Instead of ripping into the bags to open them, use a pair of scissors and neatly cut the top off the bag so you can then line the bags up without them spilling parts all over the place. Like someone else mentioned, I used a large piece of one of the boxes to stage these bags in, lining them up in columns. Don't panic when you have a LOT of hardware left. They are truly extra pieces and nice to have if you happen to strip out a screw head. 6. Two people are best for building this but a third really helps if they can act as your gopher/runner/hardware and wood finder. This lets the two people who are building stay up on the ladder when they're at that point, deal with the tools and battery changing, while the person who is spotting the wood and hardware become familiar with location of these items which speeds up the process instead of two people up and down and searching while their mind is still in construction mode. 7. The most difficult part is the roof because it does take two people and that final ridge is a little iffy to reach. It can be done, just pay attention and be careful climbing. 8. It is easier to wait to install the tables until the roof and panels are up and installed. This gives you more room for ladders and movement inside when installing the roof. Some things we chose to do vs. what others might have done: 1. We had a sloped area of our yard that we leveled and installed pavers on. The Bellerose rests beautifully on the pavers and is anchored. 2. We installed a linear drain. I don't have a good answer as to why we didn't run it down the center of the length of the greenhouse other than I knew I wanted to put a sink on the back wall and I just didn't think to put it down the middle. Duh! 3. I needed the water to come in at the “back” of the greenhouse so I just swapped the hose panel with the hole to the back and covered the hole with a piece of wood from one of the tables that I removed for the sink. The area where the hose is suppose to come in has no table so I use that space for taller items like a broom/dustpan, etc. 4. We ran electric tot the greenhouse and it comes in on the back wall and provides me with several outlets for future use. 5. I sourced a really cool used, smaller porcelain sink with drainage boards and racks which is perfect for potting and rinsing tools, etc. We had tot cut into the back slatted table to install it. I added turned wooden legs for structural integrity so it is properly supported. I use no soap and no chemicals so it's considered gray water and it just drains to our property. I bought a faucet with a hose connector so I can connect a small coiled hose for watering inside. 6. I hung a moroccan glass tiled swag lamp in the center and it throws off beautiful green lighted shapes at night when I want it on. I also plan to add LED strip lights for late evening work. 7. I installed a digital thermometer that is connected to my phone via wifi. I can set it with specific parameters to warn me when the hi/lo temp moves too much. 8. I hung a magnetic knife rack on my tool wall to hold all of my smaller tools like clippers, etc. 9. I purchased a small stool/step stool combo for sitting while potting or day dreaming and for standing on to reach upper items. I also have a notebook with pen that I can write notes down for plants, planting method, performance, and yields in addition to installing cute animal hooks near the door for my aprons, etc. 10. I purchased a potting tray that is open in the front to keep soil from falling through the slats of the tables to the floor and bins w/lids to store soil for potting. 11. I hung an herb drying rack to dry some of my herbs. 12. I bought some solar lights to hang on the posts of the trellis. 13. I added a set of plastic storage drawers for misc item storage. 14. I had an old dorm room fridge that I put in the greenhouse for those hot summer days! Cons of my Bellerose Greenhouse: 1. I pre-purchased my Bellerose when they were first coming on the market and I bought the largest one they had at the time. BD has come out with a larger one since then and I totally wish I had it, lol. You can never heave too much growing space, right?! 2. On the earliest Bellerose the windows raise up and down to open and close but the latches are so high up that I have to get up on a stool just to latch or unlatch them. I wish BD had an option to swap out these windows with the newer ones that crank/open out. I did see on the FB group that someone rigged up a pulley system to the ones that raise and lower so she can reach them more easily so I might have to look into that fix. The windows also don't come with any screening and when you live out in the country, you have to do everything to keep critters out. I've had mice, birds, and bats in my greenhouse, “Oh my!” I am currently sourcing magnetic window screens to solve this issue. I also have a magnetic screen door for additional air flow and cooling. 3. The earliest Bellerose greenhouses didn't come with upper shelves. I bought pieces of cedar and hung them but they aren't as pretty or finished as the ones BD is including now. Again, I wish we had the option to purchase the upper shelves for our earlier greenhouses. In summation, if you are looking for a backyard greenhouse or you are waffling about whether you should buy a Bellerose greenhouse, I will give you a resounding “YES! Pull trigger on it! You won't be sorry!” The BD Bellerose greenhouse is an incredibly designed and will be a beautiful addition to your life. I LOVE MY BELLEROSE GREENHOUSE!