This greenhouse is built entirely from accoya.  I applied an oil based preservative to the wood - it doesn't really need it given that accoya is guaranteed to last for 50 years without any protection (25 years under water).  However, accoya seems to drink up the oil making it less brittle to work with and it fetches out a honey rich grain.  I think it looks spectacular.   It's situated on a circular route around mount Snowden and people kept stopping to say how much they liked it.

This greenhouse has lots of ventilation - 6 auto-opening windows in the roof and 7 windows around the sides which can be opened manually and retained with casement stays.  

I added some shelving and a potting station with tray on the gable wall.  Rather than have shelving running over all the side opening windows I built 4 large potting tables which can be moved around the inside as you want.  My customer Mike has used them as a row along one wall or as a central island as shown in the picture below. 

I'm so excited to show you the completed Caernarfon greenhouse in natural accoya.  Unfortunately, it's a few days off being completed yet - but here's a taster, before I finish cleaning the brickwork up, fitting the shelving, and glazing the surrounds.

Dear Robin
 
Thank you so much for creating such a beautiful greenhouse. Although we are novice gardeners, we can’t wait to start using it. 
 
Thanks so much Robin, and if you’re ever down this way again, you are more than welcome to pop by.
 
Kind Regards
Anne

This greenhouse is made entirely from accoya - guaranteed for 50 years against rot or insect attack.   It is dimensionally stable so the doors and windows won't swell/warp/stick/shrink whatever the weather throws at it.

There are 4 automatic-opening windows in the roof, 2 manual openers on the gable ends.

This one is called "Jon" - named after the first customer who asked me to build him a "Steve"-type  but could he have it a bit wider (3m) and longer (4m).

From: Sue
Sent: 21 April 2018 14:45
To: robin McGregor
Subject: Lockerbie!
 
Hi Robin!
 
I just thought, since it’s such a beautiful day, you might like to see a couple of snaps of the lovely greenhouse you created specially for us.
We have a lot to learn about how to use it to maximum effect but we absolutely love it already. It looks so different now from the last photo I sent when it was covered in snow!
 
Also I thought you would like to know that it has been much admired! We had a visit a couple of weeks ago from George Anderson, who is better known as the presenter of “The Beechgrove Garden” on BBC 2 Scotland (you’ve probably never heard of it but it has been running for 40 years this year!) I contacted the programme last year to ask for advice on the pruning of our very overgrown shrubs. We have been short-listed for a tiny slot in one of the future programmes, so they sent George Anderson to assess our garden. He arrived in the snow and headed straight for the greenhouse which he thought was remarkable and he was hugely impressed! I told him as much as I could about you and your work, so maybe your ears were burning!
 
Anyway, enjoy this beautiful weather and thank you again for this very lovely structure!
 
All the best,
Sue

Anne asked me to build the very same greenhouse after visiting a recently completed one I built for Jon.  This is the "Jon" - a 3m wide by 4m long with reduced height porch.  This one will be built using accoya and a brick path will be laid in a 'T-shape' on the inside.

The ground is nice and level so the first job was to mark out exactly where the greenhouse is going - tight up against the back and centred exactly between the two aluminium planters.

Delighted to be working so close to home this week (so useful if you forget to bring something too!).

I've been asked to pop back here to look at adding a range of flexible, removable shelving inside as well now that they've had a feel for how the space could be used all year round.

Thanks to my daughter Mabel for this photo - she joined me to put up the porch shelves at the end of the week.

I'm building a large accoya greenhouse in the Snowdonia National Park.  It will be attached to the gable of this new garage shown below and the accoya will be left unpainted.

The first stage is to lay a concrete slab to protect the building from the high water table and potential overflow from the nearby streams.

This is an "Yvonne" greenhouse which I've redesigned again - reducing the pane width, adding extra uprights on the gable ends, shaping the glass edges into the guttering, altering the glass rebates to improve how the glass is retained and making a "cleaner" fitting with reduced installation time.  One of the benefits of being a sole worker is I can keep improving the designs without having to revise training manuals or go to committee meetings to get approval.

This greenhouse is made from tanalised pine with 3 coats of German paint (Profilan Impra Opac) and Pilkington's toughened glass.  The next installation in a couple of weeks with be the same greenhouse but using Accoya wood instead (carrying a 50 year guarantee) and the paint will be mixed to Lichen (Farrow & Ball colour range) rather than Green Smoke as above.  The paint can be mixed to any shade you find (any paint chart or RAL number) although most people like the Farrow & Ball range.

There are 4 auto-opening windows in the roof and 2 manual ones along the sides to give ample, flexible ventilation options.  All the glass is held in 15mm deep rebates and sealed with exterior grade silcone as a water bar along the joints which has a life expectancy of 25 years.

Of course all the shelving, guttering, walls are included - even the potting tray, coat hook and touch up pot of paint should you need it (the 3 coatings of paint should give 10 years service before touch-up is required).

Next week I'm laying a concrete slab for a large greenhouse around Snowden (south of Caernarfon) before returning to North Wales to fit the top on another "Yvonne" type greenhouse.