Replacement Blow-Away Cover, or a Greenhouse?

That is the other downside of this whole mess - my mum lost a bleedin fortune in savings and pensions thanks to the 'banking crisis' - meanwhile the bankers are getting ever richer!

We are all suffering one way or another.

 

I think it is definitely a supply and demand thing that has driven house prices up, but that demand has been stimulated by the fact that council housing is now completely non-existent for anyone that is native to this country and in employment.

To be honest, I don't really give a monkeys about owning a house, other than the fact that it would go some way to helping my family feel a bit more secure (we had to move last year just because our landlords bank decided that they weren't happy with the current mortgage arrangement) - I'd be quite happy to pay a reasonable rent on a decent property for the rest of my days with the assurance that I could stay there for the rest of my days.

The bit that really grinds my gears is the fact that I am currently paying more in rent than I would for a mortgage on a similar property, simply because I do not have £60k deposit (and no, I don't live in a mansion, its basically a two up two down); more than that, is the assumption that because I don't own my home, that I am somehow less worthy of credit than anyone else.

See, that just makes me more annoyed - I am sat here asking myself (much as I need a replacement of some sort) if I want to do business with a company that is essentially dishonest.

And I wouldn't wish for you to lose 50% of the value of your home - why should you - all I would like to see is a more sensible approach to mortgaging. I'd be more than happy if a bank turned round and said that they were going into a shared ownership deal where I could eventually work toward the 100% ownership, but they don't work like that.

The shared ownership idea isn't a bad one in itself, but even they are not as straight forward as they are portrayed - we tried for one this time last year, only to be told we couldn't because we currently lived in the wrong borough (we lived less than a mile away from the house, but over the borough boundary); that, and the fact that they are only available on brand new builds, which are increasingly few and far between at the moment.

 

Thanks Jack - I am of a mind to get our other finances completely (and I mean completely) annihilated before going for anything like that, as I reckon that they wouldn't look at anyone with any borrowings such as credit cards (it does say on there that they are much more stringent, which is fair play).

I've had another potter around on the net, and its either a small fortune for a greenhouse on interest free, or paying nearly 30% in interest for something midrange, or a polytunnel - at the moment, the polytunnel is winning, simply because you can buy a whole load of tomatoes and cucumbers for the amounts of money being asked for greenhouses.

It beats me how they are so expensive - extruded ally with a few holes in it, cut to specific length and plastic glass - don't see where the cost is.

 

Right, I've found it for £69.99 delivered here - anyone see any reason not to order?

 

Found it from that company, through Amazon so I get my Nectar points too - ordered for £69.99 (along with a CD that I have wanted for a while, and a load of other bits that took it to nearly £150 )

Hopefully, this one will last more than 6 months, and I can save my pennies for a 'proper' greenhouse - cash.

 

It depends on your long term plan fc. My greenhouse cost £100 about 35 years ago. It needs very little maintenance, just the odd pane of glass I've broken over the years so it has cost me at the most £4 per year.

So a modern greenhouse will cost you £500 which is £14/year (over 35 years). Compared to a £70 polytunnel that needs replacing every 5 years is going to cost you £14/year! A greenhouse has a few advantages over a polytunnel (in my opinion), such as being easier to ventilate (especially with auto-openers) and glass is a better insulator so it will retain the heat (cheaper to heat). Go for a greenhouse!

 

Ooops I was too late posting that fc

 

Long term, I will go for a greenhouse John - I am just being really stubborn and not playing ball with the likes of Argos/Homebase that want to charge 30% for the pleasure of letting me pay it over a few months. I'll go with the polytunnel for another year, and all the while will work toward saving the cash to treat myself to a really good quality greenhouse, paid cash.

 

Keep an eye out in the meanwhile on ebay/freecycle (as per Kristen's posts). Also ask any friends/colleagues who are moving, I got my second greenhouse for free from a non-gardening friend who moved to a house with a greenhouse they didn't want.

 

Will do

 

Well, I erected the new polytunnel this morning - frame far superior to the old one - then emptied and moved the old one onto the lawn, pressure washed the whole area, then moved the new polytunnel into position and got the cover on.

Things went rapidly downhill from there, with one of the ties in the corner unravelling itself (woven cord type), and then in short, one of the zips failed. So, it was dismantled, put back in its box and I have rang the seller and asked them to collect it for a refund.

Enough is enough for me now - its going to be a greenhouse or nothing. I have had enough of faffing about with polytunnels; the failure rate alone means that they are going to be considerably more expensive than a 'proper' greenhouse.

To cap it off, some bar-steward has just hit my car in Tesco's car park, badly damaging the passenger side alloy, and scraping the wing.

I need Bacardi.........

 

Thanks loli - I'm just looking at an 'Eden' greenhouse, 8 x 10, 3mm toughened safety glass, 20 year guarantee on the frame. Not cheap though.