Blog from a greenhouse builder

Herne Bay, Canterbury - 7m by 3.5m

18/5/2013

This one is the same size as one I did at Millbrook Cottages in Devon - although thankfully not sitting on the side of a hill this time (click here to see the blog entry for that one). However, this is still a huge greenhouse - and it will really look so in a few weeks when I come back with all the timber and glass.

Thanks so much to Simon for working so hard helping us to get this one done within the week. We did a lot of good old-fashioned graft to get this one in! With the aches and pains and groans we looked like a couple of zombies walking back to the B&B each night.

These photos are of the second day after we’d got the foundations in and had loaded up ready for laying 1,000 bricks to make the base walls. The little radio helps take your mind off that challenge some times - and thanks so much to Mick and Linda for the regular cups of tea (esp. proper builder tea from Mick!).

And, to the left is the finished job on the Friday afternoon with all the flags laid and the cold frame walls in.

It’s going to be a really interesting colour this one. Linda chose London Clay from the Farrow and Ball colour chart for her greenhouse -and it’s great. It seems to change in different light conditions through the day from dark brown to light purple and all the hues between. Can’t wait to see the finished effect.

...and to think Linda thought is was really narrow when I laid out the battens at the beginning. It’s huge.It’s probably looking thinner because of the uncommonly long length of this greenhouse and when we see it tower up 3.2m it will seem a very generous space inside.
Watch this space please folks - I’ll be back to this one before too long.

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Best of both worlds - the old and new

9/5/2013

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Would you look at this beautiful place - this is a “new build” - but it’s oak timber-framed, lime rendered panels and thatched roof. Shame someone parked their hulking great van in front of it or you could see it better!

Mike and Sandra have taken the best of the past in materials and skills and put them together into a beautiful, modern home. What an honour to put up a Green Bug greenhouse here. Better not let the side down then!

Mike works tirelessly on his garden. I might sneak a little video tour of it when I go back so you can see it in all it’s glory. Much of the work after moving here involves improving the soil condition but already some plants are really thriving.

It’s only a small greenhouse (2.2m wide by 2.75m long) to be tucked into a sloping corner of the garden.

The slope is quite pronounced so I’ve had to put in about 6 steps in the foundations. I lay sold concrete blocks on 6 inches of concrete and overlay with a wet concrete slurry to bind everything together.

The inside in stages.

First I level off the interior (with spade, pick-axe and rake) and lay a weedblock sheeting down before levelling off with sand.

To the sides of the timber I dug trenches which will take the foundations for the raised bed walls.

The foundations are in and hardening off while I lay the bricks to make the path.

I left this overnight so the concrete to the sides could harden

And here’s the finished path with the walls for the raised beds.

It’s nice eh - looks proper old - in a good, heritage-style way.

Next week -I’m off to Herne Bay (Canterbury) to build the base for a 7m by 3.5m greenhouse - and my old friend Simon will be joining me.

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As you like it- bespoke in Stratford

2/5/2013

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Heh - spring is here! The weather is wonderful and look at that beautiful sky.This one is bespoke (again) - built to fit an existing base. The customer also wanted it far enough away from the adjacent shed that it doesn’t cast shadow on their solar-panelled roof.

It’s 3.2m by 3.2m. Given the extra width I made the glass panes narrower than normal giving more rafters and added bracing under each rafter to give greater overall strength to the structure. I also lowered the pitch to 35 degrees - to make sure it didn’t over-shadow the shed - and the extra strengthening helps again.

On the last day I lay along the ridge line to add a lead cover-flashing over the windows - no-one saw me but it would have made a great picture. The greenhouse didn’t make a sound - if it can cope with me laying along the ridge it’s up for anything!

Another greenhouse with a cat-flap. This feature could take off don’t you think? I haven’t seen cat-flaps on any of the other greenhouse websites anyway.

It’s nice to know that you can just ask me to add these details to make your greenhouse work for you - and it didn’t cost them anything other than the cat-flap.

Click here for earlier base-building entry...

A couple of “work in progress” photos. It took me about 2 days (really long days!)to build the greenhouse structure on to the walls I had built earlier.