I'm in the market to buy a new one and was at first just going to get a fairly basic 8' x 10', with standard horticultural glass and aluminium frame - around the £500 mark. However, as I did more research, I realised that there is a host of features that seem desirable, e.g. extra eaves and ridge height, toughened large-pane glass, bar-capping (continuous glazing strips that keep out draughts, instead of those irritating little clips that ping off and get lost in the mud), auto-opening roof vents, extra vents, louvre vents, guttering, downpipes... quite an extensive list.

Given that we're likely to have hotter summers, certain features such as extra ridge height and increased ventilation, along with a way to harvest rainwater, seem to make sense. I'm now looking at a posher model, called the 'Rhino' (offered by Greenhouses Direct). It boasts an extremely strong frame, and all the other features mentioned above, and comes in at around £1,200. That's a lot of money. Any thoughts? Do you think it's worth paying extra for the higher spec model? I can afford it (I'm doing bugger all else with my meagre savings) but is it worth the money?

Any advice/opinions/experience gratefully received.

Good luck

My own personal list of options worth investing in:
- full pane toughened glass avoids those annoying overlaps;
- a quality door that opens, closes, seals well, and locks;
- more vents than any greenhouse comes with standard;
- auto vents, almost a necessity rather than optional.

The bar capping is nice but I'd spend my money elsewhere unless I lived in a really exposed spot. But do think about stainless steel clips instead of galvanised and look at the U clips instead of the spring clips, I like them a lot. You can always add extra clips to each pane if you need to resist high winds. A tube of silicone will solve a whole host of sealing problems. More expensive models tend to pay a bit more attention to how the glazing is sealed even as standard.

Benches and shelves might be a necessity or you might not need them but they can add a lot to the cost. You may get them included with a secondhand greenhouse.
Most greenhouses have some guttering anyway and its very easy to add a downpipe to a barrel. Remember you'll likely want a stopper for the other end of the guttering.

Robinson's are even more expensive than the Rhino. Hartley's possibly even more expensive again but they are extremely well made. Think about whether you need to heat it in winter. Consider a wooden house (usually expensive in cedar) for better insulation, possibly also twinwall polycarbonate, but you should be prepared to maintain it well.

Last thought is the foundation. You can get a metal frame for most houses and plonk them almost anywhere, but you might be happier getting an extra foot of height from a small brick wall (think about whether you need a level door opening). Or consider an insulated concrete pad for a longterm installation that will be heated in winter.

The foundation is a separate problem. The last one we just anchored to the soil, which in that area is very soggy clay, giving a chilly, damp, unwelcoming atmosphere for half the year. I was thinking we could lay slabs, but the whole process sounds quite complicated, and very daunting for us hard-landscaping-virgins. Still, there's a first time for everything. Now I have to stop prevaricating and order the damned thing!