do ya wana build a greenhouse?

doc_gonzo · Mar 13, 2008

hey boys and girls,
i feel like i've spent half my life biulding gh's for other people. everything from cattle pannel tunnel coldframes to full blown pollycorbinate conservatorys. little mother and i had a gnarely motorcycle accident a month or so ago, and i've got a bit of time on my hands. i would be happy to help anyone who is thinking of building or in the process of building a gh with the nuts and bolts reality of making their dream come true.

res ipsa loquitor

cheers

doc

kinnip · Mar 13, 2008

Ouch, sorry about the accident. I'm glad your typing fingers are o.k.! I have a question about materials. I really want to build a greenhouse this summer, but I can't decide on a medium. The cattle panel?/plastic option seems really nice for its portability potential (we're engaging in some construction on our property) and lack of expense. I assume I don't need a slab to erect one of these, correct? I don't have a detailed design for one of these and I don't know exactly what materials I need. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

By trade, I'm a commercial glazier. I handle all sorts of aluminum and glass systems, and would love to erect something more permanent in the future. I'm curious as to why I don't see more small glass greenhouses. Is it merely a matter of expense, or is heat accumulation a problem with glass? If necessary, I can use insulated glass and/or a thermally broken glazing system to control heat. Have you ever seen such?

doc_gonzo · Mar 14, 2008

hi kinnip,

you deffinatly don't need a slab for a cattle pannel cold frame. when dawn and i first got our scooter we used 2 cattle pannels to make a shed for it. i'll get her to hunt up the pics she took of the process. we used tarps,but it won't be much different to cover it with gh film. there is also several discussions going on over at the chicken forum about using cattle pannels to build coops and runs, it wouldn't be hard to ajust those ideas to do a gh instead.

glass is fragile and heavy, these days most people use thinwall polycarbonate. we get most of our supplies from

www.teksupply.com

great prices,great service. they also have some really nice complete gh or coldframe kits. a lot of times i use them for ideas and build what i want with odds and ends we have on hand. we cobble a lot of things together here at the "broke-down palace"

cheers

doc

Dawn419 · Mar 15, 2008

Um, Skip, you forgot to tell me that I needed to find pix for this thread... :lol:

So here are pix of the cattle panel scooter shed...

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47b7ce02b3127cce98548015c38d00000037100FYtm7ho2Y-

Pix of the entire building process...Scooter Shed

This was a temporary fix for the Harley so we didn't do any framing. Here's the link for where I found the idea on-line...
Hoop Houses.

Dawn

Rosalind · Mar 15, 2008

Okay, just got back from the Boston Flower Show. Yes, I want to build a greenhouse. I want it to have Japanese-style timber-framing, but the panels in between to be polycarbonate. Maybe 8x10. I haven't figured out where in my yard this thing is going, but I want it anyway, because I saw one at the flower show filled with lilies, and it was awesome.

Also because my black kitty, who fiercely guards my little greenhouse window from the depredations of my grey demon kitty, likes to sit on nice warm seed trays.

Another thing: I have a bunch of old storm windows in the barn. I have no idea whatsoever what windows they go to...Apparently not mine, they don't fit. Are there any convenient online plans and materials lists for building cold frames out of your standard window? These have aluminium frames, not sure if I need a special drillbit to attach hinges to them?

valmom · Mar 16, 2008

I'm thinking about a greenhouse, too. But I think what would be even more useful for us up here, would be something like a greenhouse size coldframe- right over the garden dirt and plant right in the ground, instead of using a greenhouse for pots then transplant. That way the ground would be insulated, I could put plants in earlier and they would be able to survive later.

The only trouble is, our garden patch is on a hill. Our whole property is on a hill. Can you put up something on a hill that will withstand winter winds and snow build up? Do you have to sink footings?

doc_gonzo · Mar 16, 2008

oopsie i forgot to ask little mother to hunt up some pics for me

rosalind,
i love that style of architecture! the place i mentioned earlier tek supply has some real nice redwood timber frame gh kits that use polycarb pannels. you could look at those and adjust your plans to include a more japanese style of framing. 8x10 is kinda small, and gh are much like chicken coops; you run out of space fast. build as big as your space and budget will allow.
for the storm windows, i would build a wooden frame that the sw's would fit into, caulk the heck out of them and then put batten strips around the seams for a nice finished look. after you build the lid i would build the front sides and back of the cf to fit the lid. glass is heavy though so dont plan on going more than 2-3 panes wide.

valmom,
it sounds like a cattle pannel cold tunnel would be perfect for your needs. you wouldnt need footers, we used 18 in rebar pins to keep the scooter shed in place. check out the link that dawn added earlier, the only thing you would have to change is framing in the ends and adding a door. 1 16 ft cattle pannel makes an 8 ft wide tunnel the length is decided by how many 4 ft sections you choose to string together.

cheers,

doc

nightshade · Mar 20, 2008

HI Doc,
I just posted another thread about a hoping to build winter garden in a greenhouse, before I found this. IF you could would you take a look and tell me what you think? But I have no idea of what I am trying to do but you sound like you might be able to give me some really, really good construction tips. I always have lots of BIG plans and no idea how to make them happen. Poor Hubby gets stuck with the "How to" part. But he said on this it's all me. If I can't figure it out the it aint gonna happen.

It would be a permate structure, and old windows or polycarbonate is an option. Is the polycarbonate the same as that you would fine at HD or Lowes or is it better stuff from the site you quoted? Would half walls work? Wood on the bottom three or four feet? Or would this be a bad idea? Wood framing is the most likely choice for us since Hubby works in construction and we gather up alot of large wood scraps and 4x10 foot pallets.

Dawn419 · Mar 22, 2008

Wanted to post some pix of the 3,000 sq. ft., double-bay gutter-connected gh that Skip/doc built for our neighbor.

Pepper Anne guarding the gutter and hoop sections...