Blog from a greenhouse builder

High Wycombe

23/10/2013

Caroline and Tony haven’t been in their new house 6 months yet but they’ve transformed a hill of rubble and mud into a beautiful garden with raised beds, pathways, patios and clever planting.

To be fair landscape garden design was Tony’s job (and his company) but they have so much energy and drive....I think it will have changed again by the time I return in 3 weeks.

.....so I thought I’d best pull my finger out and built their base in a day and a half. I’ll be back here in 3 weeks to construct the rest of the greenhouse on these walls (I’ve already built everything but the doorway and windows though - which is a good job as I’m building bases again over the next couple of weeks).

Here’s the completed walls.

That colour on the wallplates is Lichen (from the Farrow and Ball colour chart) which is still my all-time favourite colour for outside. It never shows the dirt like white can and blends and compliments the plants around it, (well, that’s what I think anyway!).

The countdown to Christmas is on...

I’m going to build 4 more bases and then return with the timber and glass to complete 4 more greenhouses before Christmas....

and that includes Fred’s in Cornwall!

It better not snow.

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Back to Rochester Kent

13/10/2013

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Luckily for me, by the time I could get back to Jean’s to build the greenhouse (the long delay wasn’t my fault this time, honest!) I could collect the puppy I am buying from her.

This is such a wonderful size of greenhouse. Whilst only taking up a small part of the garden (at 3.5m by 3.7 long) the height and usable shelving space gives you so much area to use.

Click here to read earlier base-building entry...

I’d love to have a porch on my own greenhouse - it only comes out by a metre but that gives you so much extra storage space for your tools, treatments and compost without messing up the main workspace. You also have loads of controllable ventilation - with two manual opening windows in the sides and 4 automatic windows opening in the roof.

mThis greenhouse is going to be full of plants in no time - Jean is such a keen gardener I’d love to see what it looks like then.

Here you see the greenhouse partly constructed on the first day. I worked from Tuesday until Friday on this one and luckily the weather was great - until the last stormy day and night which just proved to test that the structure is robust and water-tight. I sheltered in muffled warmth inside as bits of tree whistled past and the roads flooded.

Back on the road.I’ll be on the road for the next 4 weeks straight so there should be some interesting sights to see!
Please come back soon...

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Porch conservatory in oak

4/10/2013

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Don’t get the wrong idea - I haven’t started doing conservatories. I agreed to build this one for an old friend who wanted a porch at the back of his new home and knew he’d get friend’s rates!

Ian is an architect (now retired) who specialises in heritage buildings and conservation.

The whole structure is oak including the steps and the structure which supports them, the trim and pegs which are driven through the mortice and tennoned joints. The oak is so heavy and tough and it will only get harder over time so there is never any issue with maintenance or concern over how long it will last - it will probably outlast all of us. However, it takes considerably more work to prepare and construct from - although it’s worth it right!

Before....

Amazing view isn’t it? Personally I can’t see past the oak though. I routed grooves along the whole top step for grip and safety - they look nice too.