Shirley Reiman has been managing the House of the Seasons bed-and-breakfast for 11 years, but it wasn’t until she had a Gothic Arch greenhouse installed in March 2015 that she’s had passersby pull over simply to admire her property.
“You wouldn’t believe how many people drive by here,” she says. “And they drive by the front of the house, which is quite impressive, then they turn the street, and the cars just stop in front of the greenhouse.”
As a result, the increased traffic and exposure has helped House of the Seasons become even more profitable. Surrounded by gardens, the impressive enclosure, constructed by Gothic Arch Greenhouses, is essential to the charming eastern Texas getaway spot. In addition to growing ornamentals, Reiman’s new 25- by 40-foot greenhouse also shelters four vegetable gardens, which she harvests and prepares for home-cooked meals for her patrons.
“My guests pull their husbands out there and go, ‘Honey, this is what I want. This is my dream,’” she says. “Their mouths just drop.”
A strangely unseasonable spring that year posed a challenge for the construction of her greenhouse and the separate 16-by-25-foot headhouse, but the Gothic Arch team was unfazed.
“We had snow, sleet, ice, and rain the whole two weeks for installation. It was mud up to the knees, [but] the installers were phenomenal,” Reiman says.
One of the reasons Reiman decided to contract Gothic Arch was their capability of constructing a custom design rather than a generic layout, she says.
The House of the Seasons was converted from a private residence and underwent renovations to restore its original 1872 interior, and Gothic Arch Greenhouses was able to incorporate gutters and other details that coordinated with the home’s aesthetic.
Following installation, Gothic Arch Greenhouses included a handbook outlining the features and details of the customized structure for the client’s reference and convenience.
Reiman also praises Gothic Arch’s loyalty and dedication to maintaining relationships with clients as a stand-out feature from their competitors.
“They’ve been wonderful,” she says. “It’s a year later, and I still call them. They answer all my questions. [Their entire staff] has worked to help us. If I had any issues, they were there. They have phenomenal customer service.”
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