1) Greenhouse Consultation & Purchasing Service:

This service consists of consulting with the client in regards to his/her greenhouse needs. After we define together what type of greenhouse is required, we contact our network of greenhouse manufacturers to outsource the best-customized quotations on behalf of the client and assist him/her throughout the purchasing process. We work with greenhouse manufacturers in the USA, Spain, Turkey, and China.

When it comes to greenhouses ramifications, it took us years to perfect our knowledge and expertise as well as develop the most strategic relationships and alliances with leading greenhouse manufacturers worldwide.… Our greenhouse consultation service saves money to the customer: we know what type of greenhouse is needed, what the components and prices should be, and greenhouse manufacturers are not playing games with us. The consultation fee we charge is always offset by the savings we negotiate on behalf of our customers.

We are not just a greenhouse consultancy and brokerage firm: we are first and foremost greenhouse farmers ourselves.

We define the most appropriate greenhouse components needed for the project (insect screening, automated air vents, atomizers, humidity control equipment, wet walls, heating system, off-the-grid options, choice of polycarbonate grade, glass, and other materials, etc.).

A greenhouse proposal always includes the structure which is built by the manufacturer, however the fans, the atomizers/foggers, the CO2 regulators, the heaters, the wet walls, etc. are usually built by other manufacturers. Greenhouse manufacturers build the structure and outsource most of the parts and components from other manufacturers.

At Agrotonomy Corp., when working with our network of greenhouse manufacturers, we know which brand we want for each item. In other terms, we might work with a greenhouse manufacturer in China and choose a climate control system from the Netherlands.

Agrotonomy’s greenhouse consultation and purchasing service are from start to finish (from consulting with the client to actually purchasing the greenhouse and working out the building process logistics).
Agrotonomy Corp. is not responsible for the building process of the greenhouse.

The savings involved when hiring our services always outweigh our consultation fee (above all if the customer does not have previous experience in greenhouse development and/or vertical farming).

Whether someone decides to hire us to purchase a greenhouse or whether such a person prefers to work with another entity, we strongly advise in all cases to get professional help.

Once again, when contracting our consultation services, the savings involved when purchasing a greenhouse always offset our consultancy fee.

More than just savings, we make sure that the customer buys the right greenhouse and the appropriate climate control components. When buying a greenhouse, it is not just the price per square meter which counts, but it is also the challenge of purchasing the right climate-controlled related equipment. This is why when buying a greenhouse for the first time, it is crucial to hire professional help.

One big problem in the greenhouse industry is that over 99% of all consulting firms are just consultants and not experienced greenhouse farmers. When buying a greenhouse directly from the manufacturer, the customer only speaks to salespeople who are not involved in active farming. In our case, aside from having developed projects worldwide, we operate a vertical farm in a state-of-the-art climate-controlled greenhouse. 

Greenhouse price average & construction process:

In the US, a climate-controlled greenhouse costs on average $250-$300 per square meter.

For projects outside the US and Canada, we collaborate with greenhouse manufacturers from Spain, Turkey, Lebanon and China. Our current vendors charge on average between US$140-US$160 per square meter for a fully climate-controlled greenhouse (cheaper than in the US, for equivalent quality).

When referring to the price per square meter, we are talking about a greenhouse and all its equipment packed in a container (without shipping).

The building of the foundation of the greenhouse is not included in the aforementioned quoted price range.

It takes about 8 people 30 to 45 days to build a 1000 m² greenhouse. Our Chinese vendors can send an engineer on-site to supervise the building process (for such an engineer to come on location, it usually costs around $150 per day + travel expense).

It takes approximately 2 × 40-foot containers to pack a 1000 m² climate-controlled greenhouse.

Just as a reminder: we publish the recommended technical specs of a climate-controlled greenhouse for a Tower Farm in FAQ #24, 25 and 26.

Further information regarding buying/building a greenhouse is subject to our consultation services.

When buying a Tower Farm, we offer 2 free days of Tower Farm installation supervision and staff training on location. We always come as 2 individuals when going on location. In most cases, such Tower Farm installation supervision and staff training process only takes 48 hours.

In other terms, this part is included with the purchase of your Tower Farm.
Additional days on location (for the installation and training) are being invoiced at the rate of $375 per person per day (+ expense).

For project development (crop strategies, potential integration of other grow systems, expansion, etc.), we work on retainer only and we charge $125 per hour for the first 50 hours of consultation, and $100 per hour for each subsequent hour of consultation.

The first 50 hours are payable upon contracting our services as a retainer fee.

In other terms, we require $6250 as a retainer fee (worth 50 hours of consultation at $125 per hour).

Travel on location is being invoiced at the rate of $375 per person per day (such a daily rate also applies for traveling days). The client is responsible for travel expenses, food, and lodging.

Please note: We can only make the commitment to come on location for more than 2 days as long as we have access to a proper internet connection.