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| At this point, I got to throw up the bows and things start to look like a greenhouse. This went surprisingly fast and easy and again lent to my unrealistic expectation to have the whole thing up and running in a short time. 
I actually put the first bow in all by myself because I have a bit of a stubborn streak and I wanted to see if I could do it, but it was much easier as a two man operation. 
I thought once it was sort of closed in, the space would start to feel smaller. But instead, it felt like one giant jungle gym (and still does to an extent).
Steven Pro, yeah that is my real name.
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Wow, that is looking terrific Steven! Can't wait to see it finished & full of livestock. Perhaps I can see it in person while attending MACNA next year? I am sure that many others would want to as well. Maybe you should charge admission?  Steve
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I am sure I will slip some images of the greenhouse into my presentation. Taking people to see it in person might be too much of a logistical nightmare, though along with running the conference.
Steven Pro, yeah that is my real name.
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| After the hoops are up, I started working on framing in the end walls. This is a good example of the poor instructions. They were basically, fill in with 2x4's and make sure you leave space for the door, shutters, and exhaust fan. Not particularly instructive. 
My buddy Chris came over and helped out and in the end, I think our design worked out very well.
Steven Pro, yeah that is my real name.
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| Here is a little sneak peek photo, although it is a bit old now and much of the electric has been run since this image was taken.
Steven Pro, yeah that is my real name.
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| While construction was ongoing, my tubs showed up. While I really like my choice of tanks, everything about the delivery was a disaster. First off, no one told me they had been shipped. Last I heard, they were on back order and were being made. The next thing I hear is from the freight company. The driver is about an hour away and needs some directions. So, I give him directions and then start calling everyone I know to help out. I wanted to have a forklift or front end loader there to help, but had to settle for one of the farm tractors. I am lucky to have some many friends, so I did have enough people on hand. First fire put out. Then the truck shows up. It is a full size 54' tractor trailer and inside they stacked the tubs floor to ceiling. 
The tubs were stacked in two piles of 6 when they left the factory. The freight company took it upon themselves to restack them 11 high. They would have done 12 if they could, but they couldn't clear the roof. They did this to save space and jam more product in the truck, but it made removing the tubs tricky to say the least. We built a little ramp and then drug them out and down the ramp with the tractor. At the same time, we had to steady the stack so that it didn't fall over to one of the sides. The tubs though, being a couple of hundred pounds a piece and stacked 11 high made for a very heavy and top heavy stack. We used 12' 2x6's to steady the stack, but even then it was one of the scariest things I have done.
Steven Pro, yeah that is my real name.
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| Once they were out of the truck, I had a whole new problem. They were over stacked and then bounced over 1,000 miles from the factory to me. Oh, and did I mention that the truck was a freezer truck full of chocolate chip cookies? So, they were jammed one inside the other and frozen to boot. We were able to loosen and free the top 6 tubs. We tipped the stacked over, tied the top tub to the tractor, and then drove down the hill. The weight of the stack held the other behind and the top one would free itself. The problem was once the stack got small, their reduced weight would not keep them in place and instead they would simply being dragged around. A few days later, I was able to enlist the help of my family friend with the excavation company to come over with hiw front end loader and lift the tubs to free them. 


It pays to know people. This costs me a banana cake.
Steven Pro, yeah that is my real name.
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Nice thread, I look foward to seeing this completed
-------------------------------------U.S. Marine Aquarium Society
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Well, I know it's a little late to be saying it now, but I'm a little worried about your door framing. Doors swinging out on hinges and getting slammed all the time create a lot of stress on their frames. So, you usually see them with multiple doubled 2 x 4s (if not three 2 x 4s made into a "C" shape) and at least a doubled 2 x 6 header across the top to keep everything stable. That might be more over-engineering than you are looking for, but I'm worried that the door will start sagging pretty soon and that the frame itself will crack shortly thereafter. Does it feel solid in there?
Otherwise, I'm really enjoying your build and I'm certainly envious of the space you'll have (and the gorgeous view). Good luck!
Andy
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Andy
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