ANSWERS — THE HONEST PROBLEMS
The problems with our greenhouses (who we're wrong for)
No manufacturer publishes this page, which is exactly why we do. Below: every real constraint of our platform, the buyers we turn away, and the trade-offs we chose on purpose. If one of these is a dealbreaker, we'd rather you find out here than after a deposit.
AMERICAN ROOTS — ANSWERED BY THE PEOPLE WHO BUILD IT · UPDATED JULY 2026
01 — THE CONSTRAINTS
The platform is a grid. If your building isn't on it, we're wrong for you.
| CONSTRAINT | THE NUMBER | WHY IT'S FIXED |
|---|---|---|
| WIDTH | 30-ft modules, gutter-connected | The wind ratings are engineered to the module — bending it voids the math |
| LENGTH | 20-ft steps, 60 ft minimum | Pre-assembly is built around the section |
| SIDEWALL | 14 ft | One height, engineered and stamped once — it's how the price stays down |
| SHAPE | Rectangles | No lean-tos, conservatories, or custom footprints |
| FRAME COLOR | White | Cool Lock is a heat decision, not a palette — we don't powder-coat moods |
If your project needs a 45-ft clear span, an L-shaped footprint, or a frame to match the farmhouse trim, a stick-built fabricator is the right call and we'll say so on the phone. The grid is the product: it's why the building is 364 pieces, why four people can stand it up in two weeks, and why the stamped engineering is included instead of invoiced.
02 — WHO WE'RE WRONG FOR
Three buyers we regularly send elsewhere.
The hobby grower. This is commercial infrastructure that starts at $40,000 for the frame. If you want a backyard greenhouse, a garden-center kit will make you happier for a tenth of the money.
The lowest-sticker shopper.A commodity hoop house costs genuinely less up front, and if you're extending a season on a market farm, it may be all you need. We compete on the total project — construction, engineering, weeks — not on being the cheapest line on a spreadsheet. If the sticker is the whole decision, we lose that comparison and you should know it now.
The one-of-a-kind builder. Research station, botanical conservatory, architectural centerpiece — buildings that are the point, not the tool. Beautiful work. Not ours.
03 — THE TRADE-OFFS WE CHOSE
Things buyers push back on, and why they're still true.
The kit price isn't the project price.Our book prices the building. Your pad, site work, freight, utilities, and climate equipment are real money that varies by county and crop, and any manufacturer quoting them sight-unseen is guessing. We publish what's knowable and scope the rest in the quote — some buyers find that frustrating; the alternative is a number that changes later.
Series 200 and 300 prices aren't published.The rating upgrades are engineering that varies with configuration. A published flat number would be padded or wrong, so those two lines read "priced in your quote" — same-day, but not on the website. We know that costs us some comparison-shoppers.
You (or a crew) still have to build it.Ten to fourteen days with four people and an impact drill is radically less than a construction project — but it isn't zero, and buyers picturing a building delivered like an appliance should hear that clearly. There's no cutting or welding on site, and the 364 pieces bolt together with one kind of carriage bolt, but it's two weeks of honest work.
PLAINLY
What doesn't belong on this list: wind. The one problem a greenhouse can't have is structural, and every building ships PE-stamped at 120, 140, or 160 mph. We publish our constraints because the structure isn't one of them.
Can you make a custom size?+
Within the grid, hugely — any width in 30-ft bays, any length in 20-ft steps from 60 ft, to 18,000+ sq ft under one roofline. Off the grid, no: no custom widths, no sidewalls over 14 ft, no non-rectangular footprints. The engineering is stamped to the module.
Is the greenhouse really only 364 pieces?+
The 30×100 building is 364 pre-assembled pieces plus 326 bagged brackets, joined by one kind of carriage bolt. The comparable conventional bill of materials we counted runs to 9,384 loose pieces — that difference is the product.
What isn't included in the kit?+
The concrete pad, site work, freight, installation labor, utilities, and climate equipment beyond the passive ventilation system. All of it is scoped line-by-line in your quote before you sign — none of it appears later as a surprise.
Why should I trust a page like this?+
Because it's cheaper than the alternative. A buyer who discovers a dealbreaker after a deposit costs both of us more than one who reads this page and either self-selects out or calls with sharper questions. The rest of the site makes our case; this page makes it credible.
Still with us? Then the fit is probably real.
Price the building against your acreage — and when you call, ask the hard questions. We publish our flaws; we can handle yours.
WIDTH — 30 FT MODULES
OR TALK TO A GREENHOUSE EXPERT — (772) 321-6305