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On the first day - digging out the foundations and setting out the site and, as this was in my own village, and my sons were home, I had them help me all of the first day. Obviously this is quite a large build but by using Accoya and toughened glass there should v minimal maintenance. The Accoya is dimensionally stable - so it won't move over the seasons and the doors and windows won't swell up and stick. It's also guaranteed to last for 50 years even if you don't paint it. The roof glass is 2.5m long but toughened glass can easily cope over that length so there aren't any overlaps in glass where moss or debris can get caught. This walled garden project has been built from scratch so all the grounds will be landscaped by other contractors and the greenhouse floor leveled and tiled. Hopefully we'll get to see it when it's all completed but my job is done here.
This was always going to be a complicated build as lean-to's have to fit the existing wall height and the uneven nature of sandstone. On my first visit I discovered the dwarf walls weren't even or square - the front and side walls had been built 20cms longer on one side than the other. However, by knowing this beforehand I was able to make adjustments in the structure and order the glass to fit. The design was also revised to have a box valley sitting inside the wall rather than have the greenhouse rest on the top of the wall. This isn't something you can guess so I built most of the structure and mocked up the rear before ordering the glass - making sure I returned not long after with the next sections to complete the roof.
This one was a lot of fun to do and I'm really pleased with how it turned out - it really makes the most use of the space. The greenhouse is nice and tall, but not too much! We discussed exactly how high she'd like it so my customer had it at exactly their preferred height and there are lots of opening windows - 4 in the roof, 2 large side ones and the door opens inwards so that can be left open if wanted. It gets a lot of sun here.
I'd been asked to quote for a replacement to this greenhouse which kept losing glass. The new one was to be a little slimmer so you access all sides. I added lots of ventilation - 4 auto-opening windows in the roof and two side opening windows too. The door opens inwards so that can also be left open on really hot days. I dismantled the old greenhouse and removed it from site together with all the glass, the foundation blocks and even the old paving slabs. A trench about 1.5ft deep was filled with wet concrete mix and solid concrete block. The floor had a sand screed then weedblock sheeting laid before the pavers were laid on a mortar bed and gravel added to the sides.
I'm back in the Bristol area this week building a greenhouse for the neighbours of another recent customer - they liked the look of the greenhouse so much they wanted one just the same. Lots of shelving and a lovely tiled floor. I also added stays to the cold frames so they can be left partially open if you want too.
This is the "Mark" style greenhouse with a few changes - I reduced the porch projection to just half a metre, added a raised bed inside, double doors and the inside floor will be laid in small concrete setts - oh, and there's a cat flap going in through the rear wall.
I'd been building down near Bristol (again!) when the neighbours over the fence asked me to quote for the same greenhouse they say me installing. With a few tweeks - a different colour, flooring layout and some clay tiles for the pathway.
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