THE MANY FACES OF A HEADHOUSE

Where did the term "headhouse" originate? If you are a sailor or have been in the
Navy, you may have a very funny answer. Most of the growers agreed that in
greenhouse terms it is the "headquarters of the operation". Very few headhouse
operations are exactly the same. Differences may occur because of state
regulations, proximity to operations, need for light, and electrical layout, budget,
or automation, etc. In our industry, a headhouse is where everything except
growing happens...and even that is debatable with some people.

Different Faces and Uses

There are a number of advantages to having a Nexus headhouse. Using a Nexus

greenhouse as a headhouse gives you an inexpensive and easy addition to your
gutter-connected greenhouse with the ability to add-on to both your headhouse
and your greenhouse range. A Nexus headhouse is the same high quality
structure as your Nexus greenhouse. The covering may be the only thing that is
different. A headhouse is generally covered with metal, insulated, and has some
light. Your Nexus salesperson can help you discuss the potential options to fit
your greenhouse and headhouse needs.

Headhouses can be constructed with different color metal decking or with

polycarbonate. As an option you can also get contrasting color trims and color
coordinated screws. Headhouses are usually a peak style. Nexus can
manufacture high-clearance trusses for the headhouse end-walls to allow for
higher doors than gutter heights so the greenhouse can still remain gutter-
connected. Often times, columns need to be eliminated in side walls for
additional clearance. Nexus can engineer cross beams to allow for wide
openings.

"It is important to have a headhouse." Jim Gulley of Gulley Greenhouse in Ft.

Collins, Colorado likened having "a range without a head house to buying a car
without a trunk. Headhouses used to be luxuries but now they are necessities".
Jim's headhouse is the "heart" of his operation. One of his head houses is a two-
story facility housing offices and a break room on the second floor. Gulley's is in
the process of adding a seed germination chamber with floodlights to their
headhouse. They will be able to roll in racks of seeds, germinate them, and roll
them back into the greenhouse. Jim advises that growers should build quality
houses and not try to build a "cheap" structure. Most importantly, "make it big
always bigger than you think. Situate it centrally where it helps your operation
flow smoothly."
Need For Light

Many operations have a need for light in the headhouse. Gloria and Dick Colerick
of The Grow House in Lincoln, Nebraska have their headhouse gutter connected
to their Nexus greenhouse. Polycarbonate was placed at the top of the peak on
the end of the house with metal decking below. This peak covering provides
natural light for the seed planters as they work in the headhouse. Dick said that
they should have built the head house area larger and added more natural light.
Another lighting option is at the peak of the truss where vents are traditionally
placed. The greenhouse can provide insulation at the connected end. It may also
be good to cover the inside of the headhouse with white metal siding. It is clean
looking, and protects the insulation from damage by forklifts and other
equipment. It can easily be cleaned with a sprayer.

Aesthetics and Economy

Aesthetics are one reason growers use the same style of structure for their
headhouse as they use for the greenhouse. In addition, you get the same pre-
drilled trusses and column caps that make a Nexus so strong and durable for
about the same price as you could get a simple, metal building.

Location

Where should your headhouse be located? That depends on the layout of your
operation. Some growers choose to put the headhouse in the center of the
operation as a way to separate the propagation and production areas to eliminate
contamination. An important factor in placement may be how far employees have
to walk to get from the break room to the production area or from the greenhouse
to the shipping area. For others, it needs to be at one end of the operation to
provide an accessible place for shipping and receiving.

Height

Many greenhouses have twelve-foot high sidewalls. If you need a higher

clearance in the headhouse, Nexus manufactures high-clearance trusses to give
height in the center and allow for high doors at the ends. This allows trucks to
back in for shipping and receiving. Using these types of trusses mean that you
can have the same gutter height as your greenhouse. Nexus can raise beams to
eliminate a column to create an egress or a larger work area. It is possible to get
a 24-foot roadway inside the house to ease movement. The high beams and
ladder truss beams make it easy for forklifts to move around and the
transplanting and transportation systems can work without obstruction.
Temperature

Insulation helps keeps the heat and cold where it belongs: outside. Depending on
the geography, there may be a need for additional heating or cooling. A simple
swamp cooler can be added if necessary. For cut flower growers, the headhouse
is a cooler area in which to do the actual cuttings. For bedding plant growers it
can also be a place to hold plants for shipment without deterioration.

Gutter Connected or Extensions

Making the greenhouse structure a headhouse is a smart move. Construction is

difficult when a different building is connected to the greenhouse. Special
flashing must be designed to fit the two together. An added benefit is that you
don't have to work with two companies to complete your facility. It is all designed
and manufactured by one organization. Highland High School in Pocatello, Idaho
needed a building with a lot of flexibility. We designed three partitioned growing
areas, each allowing for valuable subjects to be taught, or research to be done.
Alan Heikkila, the Agriculture Instructor described flexibility as a key factor in
designing their greenhouse/headhouse.

Adding On

Don Brown of Brown's Greenhouse in Arvada, Colorado stresses that "you need
to build the largest headhouse that you can afford at the time. You discover uses
for the footage that you hadn't thought of and as operation grows, your
headhouse needs will grow." If you select a Nexus it is very simple to add-on to
your Nexus headhouse. Don has made several additions. The original
headhouse was for the boiler and potting. Today they have headhouses for
offices, lunchroom, generator, restrooms, water storage, order assembly, etc. As
they grew, they saw a need for more space to load and unload trucks. One
headhouse was built with the special high truss to accommodate a walk-in
cooler.

Shipping

A big advantage according to Jack Diamond of Clinton Nursery in Clinton, Utah is

to be able to pull a truck into the insulated headhouse on a cold night and pre-
load the next day's work. The next morning, there is no need to warm up the
truck. The plants hold up well in the truck and you can get an early start the next
morning. "Many functions at Clinton Nursery were done in the same headhouse
originally. As the company has grown, so has the need for need for more space
in the headhouse."
 A headhouse may include:

restrooms
showers (some states require in a close proximity for safety)
computers (eliminates problem with humidity in a greenhouse)
offices
shipping
receiving
garage (storage for trucks)
back-up generator
electrical
fertigation
chemical storage
break rooms
hardgoods storage (pots, soil mix, boxes, trays, packs)
power panels
mixing tanks
water storage
circuit breakers
order assembly area
boilers for the heat system
employee lockers
barrier between production
and propagation areas
potting area for plant growers
seeding and flat tilling
work area
pot bulk coolers (refrigerators)
seed germination chamber