Green Bug Ltd - Blog from a greenhouse builder

Wokingham, Berkshire

26/2/2021

Before....and, after. Making the most of the space available to construct a "Steve" in this Berkshire garden.

The "Steve" greenhouse measures 3.5m long by 2.5m wide with a small porch projecting 1/2m - right on to the pathway in this case. So I removed the edgings which had been concreted in and laid a new concrete trench foundation for the building.

The first 2 courses are engineering bricks which are very tough and don't absorb water - they lock the walls to the foundation and protect the softer brickwork above from possible rising water which could cause frost damage.

The next job was to dig out all the spoil and historic builders rubble from the inside. I then laid weedblock sheeting, compacted a layer of hardcore (Type 1 mot), and leveled a layer of sharp sand:cement to support the new flooring. In this case we added a gravel bed which could be used for siting pots, or tomatoes could be plugged through the weedblock sheeting into the soil below.

I'll finish building the front porchway back at the workshop now, order up the glass and return in a few weeks once the glass is in.

Walden, Essex - completion

18/2/2021

This greenhouse is 3.5m long by 2.5m wide with a cold frame running along each external wall and a brick-sided raised bed inside for growing tomatoes.

It is constructed entirely from accoya and carries a 50-year guarantee.

From: Michael
Sent: 20 February 2021 19:10
To: robin@green-bug.co.uk

Dear Robin,

We’d just like to say how utterly delighted we are with the greenhouse, it’s a real testament to your passion and skill. Needless to say we’ve spent the entire day in the garden in lovely weather and lots of time standing in the greenhouse just admiring it.

Thank you so much for your tireless work in the most appalling wet and cold conditions, your hard labour was amazing. We shall certainly send you some seasonal progress as we get the plants growing and we hope to be here a few more decades to enjoy it...and should we ever [move] rest assured we’ll be back for another GreenBug.

With our deepest thanks and warmest regards
Michael and Catherine

Family build - driveway at home

14/2/2021

A bit of weekend activity during the mundane lockdown - concreting over the front car parking area at home with all 3 children helping out. Mabel is raking out underneath the retaining wall ready for concrete whilst Tam was on the mixer, full time, and Rab and I did most of the barrowing. We didn't use a levelling board on this one - going for a wave effect with the gravel embedded in the wet mix.

Tam holding his brother over the mix so we can smooth it over.

Walden, Essex

10/2/2021

I built the base for Michael and Catherine's greenhouse just before Xmas with a view to returning in the first weeks of new year - but I'm a little later than planned due to the van misbehaving (covid at local garage etc.).

...and then the cold snap hit - minus 6 all week.

Great photos - but I couldn't seal the glass - so off home. I'll return next week when the weather improves.

Van trouble

20/1/2021

Stuck at home - even when I could work - as the van is trapped at the garage whilst the staff self-isolate following a covid outbreak. It's been weeks now and the painting shed has a fully complete greenhouse on the back wall and 2 more virtually complete at either corner. I'll just carry on machining and filling up the space until I can get out again. (Thanks to Mabel for the snowman)

Abergele, North Wales

22/12/2020

My customers had the base built for this greenhouse whilst other ground works were being completed so I only had to set the wallplates in mortar and take final measurements.

This is an interesting greenhouse as the porch isn't fully supported at the far end - and neither is the front gable of the main structure. They rely on cantilevered support - that the rest of the roof is rigid it can't let one part sag.

You can see the amount of supporting timber going in underneath the roof - supported by 2 acros to hold the line until everything is finished. It'd didn't move a mil when I took the supports away.

This design makes for a wide open space inside - 6m long overall and 3m wide - with 5 side opening windows around the sides and 4 auto opening windows in the roof.

Another "Steve" in Surrey

20/11/2020

This is another of the popular "Steve" type greenhouse built entirely from accoya with 4 auto-opening roof windows and 2 side windows. The greenhouse can accomodate a lot of shelving as the sides are very tall. On request, I made a movable potting station rather than fixing it permanently.

The shelves can simply be lifted off the brackets for cleaning or to allow extra height for plants growing beneath. My customer will add some good top soil into the raised bed in time - a good place for tomatoes and other thirsty plants.

And this is only the start.
My customer has booked a team of groundworkers starting just days after I left - to lay new slate patios, walkways, and a raised pathway leading to the greenhouse door with planting beds either side. I'm dying to see the next stage.

Thank you again for all your hard work. It puts a smile on my face every time I look out at the garden now! I’m very much looking forward to having the rest of the work completed and will send you pictures as promised.

Thank you again and hope you get some rest after laying the oak flooring this weekend.
Warmest regards,

Stuart

Big one in Surrey complete

13/11/2020

This was a large undertaking. 8 auto-opening roof windows, 8 manual opening side windows, 6m of cold frames, 8m long by 4m wide, fitted throughout with shelving and heavy duty workbenches. Built entirely from Accoya which carries a 50-year guarantee.

I'm VERY happy with this. Time for some smaller greenhouses now please.....

Alleyway greenhouse complete

24/10/2020

My customers asked me to build a greenhouse over this alleyway. It makes great use of this space and the greenhouse feels quite spacious inside and taller than I'd hoped it would be - the doors are almost 2m high and the roof rests comfortably above that.

I added a full length shelf as requested. The shelves, and even the brackets, are removable for ease of cleaning and for flexibility. The work station folds down out of the way when not needed.

The roof windows have boxed upstands and full drip edges to prevent any water ingree - the pitch of this roof is below 10deg. They are fitted with auto openers.

I cut a chase in the garage wall and installed a Code 4 lead flashing and then added guttering on the wall which flows to a downpipe which runs into the raised bed.

Back to Surrey for another "Steve"

16/10/2020

My customer had sent me some photos of where the greenhouse is going so I knew there would be some concreting to do to extend the concrete slab outwards. Of course I didn't know what the depth or width of the new base would be so I ordered up more than I thought I would need, then made some trips to local suppliers to get more material.

The first job was to remove the turf for the foundation. I laid plastic visqueen sheeting over the soil (to stop the concrete going hard too quickly) and poured a 6 inch deep slab in one pour.

Once I'd built the walls we could see the extent of the void to fill. I bought 50 solid concrete blocks and laid then in a bed of mortar before pouring a slurry of concrete mix over the top and between all the gaps.

I could then carry on building the walls as normal.

The blue / grey engineering bricks will sit mostly below ground eventually. The plan is for a raised path to connect the greenhouse doorway with the rest of the garden (which is also raised) and have large soil beds on either side.

Hi Robin,

I hope you got home safely and thank you again for coming down to build the base of the green house. It looks amazing and we can’t wait to see the completed greenhouse. Your work ethic and workmanship is truly wonderful.