*It's not a mirage!*
By lorilyn57
18 comments
Some jobs just aren’t going to be done quickly no matter how much we would like it to be so. Some of my friends are going to sigh and say…oh thank goodness now we won’t hear any more about it!! lol… and justifiably so.
This is it folks! The Greenhouse is UP!
At the outset I thought I would do a pictorial record of all the steps as I accomplished them…but the first stages were hard work and my mindset was not worth exposing on the internet!
Am a great believer in “going with the flow”…if a project ticks along at a reasonable pace and I feel comfortable with the progress I’m more likely to pick up the camera and record the details for posterity. Not all projects are like that…I speak from experience.
The greenhouse was a kit. And now that it’s done I’m glad it was as well engineered as it is…but in the early stages with just pictorial instructions I was a little frustrated. The weather seemed to be against me too…any time it wasn’t raining it was too hot or too buggy to work.
After a few false starts the project gelled. When I started to see progress I was like a horse with the bit in his teeth! Must finish today! so I stayed at it until almost darkness…and believe it or not in one day I went from the base and uprights to the completed shell!
The kit got lost in the mail!…that was the first delay. After three weeks of waiting for what was supposed to be a next day delivery, I finally had my greenhouse.
It sat in the shed in boxes as everything was frozen solid…and the weather remained cold until well into April…meanwhile I’m indoors chomping at the bit again!
When the snow finally went and the frost left the ground I was able to order the materials for the base. The gh sits on 6×6 timbers with 3/4 pressure treated plywood for a floor. I changed my mind about the location twice, which meant I had to disassemble the platform and move it across the front yard…then to the back yard. This also served as a reminder that I may be reasonably fit for 60’odd but I’m no spring chicken anymore…those 6×6′s are heavy!
With the site finally established it was necessary to do some digging and levelling to place the concrete supports for the deck…then made sure the deck was level and the floor well supported.
It seemed to sit at this stage for ages…and in the meantime the decking materials arrived…so since I was more comfortable with this project I decided to work on it…
Then…in JULY, the bugs eased, the weather, although hot, was dry and working in the early hours of the day was possible. The deck was done and I was just fed up looking at that shell standing there…so one Sunday morning I got up at dawn (5:30 ish) went outside and collected my tools and fittings…and went to work.
By 9:00 p.m. I slid that last sheet of polycarbonate into place.
If you had asked me in the middle of my muddle, would I recommend this kit to anyone? …. I would have said..“heck, NO!” Here comes the BUT…. but, I have changed my mind. It is a well engineered product that anyone could build with at least one other person to help with the roof…It is well braced on the inside and should withstand the extremes pretty well. (we’ll have to see how it makes it thro the winter) specialized tools were included in the kit and as I previously complained the instructions were all pictorial…which wasn’t as bad a deal as I thought.
After having leveled the base, and made sure the base frame was level and square most of the difficult part was done.
It rained and blew really hard today and the greenhouse is still standing. Found out where I need to do some tweaking as there were a few leaks around the vents in the roof…but otherwise…things are looking good.
The next order of business is benches and potting table. there is room in the shed now to put up my table saw and go to work! I’m feeling pretty smug. Can’t wait to see it full of plants and soil…mmm the smell of a greenhouse…nirvana!
14 Jul, 2011
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Comments
I love a greenhouse smell too :o) It looks great aswell and I'm pleased it went up so fast. It will be nice to see it full of plants next .
14 Jul, 2011
Well done, Lori! You're nothing if not tenacious!! :o)
14 Jul, 2011
Well done, Lori! Now that you're finished, could you come and give my builder a hand to finish my projects? He's not half as handy or tenacious as you are!! lol!!!
14 Jul, 2011
And darned fit!!! What a wonderful achievement, every time you post a pic or a blog, Im gobsmacked about what you tackle...I used to years ago, but sadly Ive deteriorated at a rate of knots. Well done Lori...Im also glad to say that Ive have caught up on pics and blogs at long last!
Now to answer your PM, which because of the much interesting content, I always need a little more time to think (another thing thats gone downhill recently lol!)
14 Jul, 2011
Well done indeed. How clever are you ? What an acheivement Lori. and what a sense of satisfaction you must have now.
14 Jul, 2011
what a hard job building greenhouses are, well done on getting it finally done. I only took 2 yrs to get round to putting up my old one from our previous house and it was an awful job...But glad its done now..:) and I bet you are plannng already what to grow in it..Love your decking too..
14 Jul, 2011
I am soooooooo impressed. You should beso proud of yourself - what an achievement.
14 Jul, 2011
HEAR, HEAR, sound of loud clapping!
well done girl, never mind those 6X10s plus years!
all the more of an achievement.
i love your decking too, will you make/grow some kind of shade/cover over it?
just in case you run out of jobs to think of....
14 Jul, 2011
brilliant and well done Lori, greenhouse looks great , happy planting and seeding ;o))
14 Jul, 2011
LOL..there were reports of "blue clouds of expletives over Matawatchan", Rogi. Getting one of those gh kits is like the first time you make a model plane or put together a kit model of the Chartres Cathedral!! It gets easier as you go along! We must compare notes when next spring arrives!
Thanks Hywel! have the soil ready to go into the bin(as soon as I get the bin made!)
Some might call it stubborn, bull headed...I like tenacious, personally. lol...thanks Nariz!
Karenfrance you have a wonderful place...I envy you your warm climate. Must sympathize with anyone who has to work in the sun and heat...only way I could make any progress was to work in the early morning and late evening. Like 'south of the border'...midday is siesta time! maybe a hammock in the shade would inspire your landscaper!
LOL..Tet. I'm blushing...Shucks ma'am...twern't nuthin~. I have to say that you sell yourself a little short, you know! Your chassis may have slowed a little but the engine (brain) is still revving! lol...
Thanks Cinderella...
Madaboutgardening...I find I am much happier having finished the greenhouse than I was about the process of building it! such is life, aye?
Thanks Pippa...
Resi...you just have to stop reading my mind. I think I will try to find a canvas awning as the deck is a little too warm to sit on during very sunny afternoons.
Hi Sandra...How's it going for you this summer? Thanks very much!
I'm so relieved that it's finally done and I can actually check an item off of my endless "to do" list and thanks to all my goY friends who have stuck around to see the end of my task!
15 Jul, 2011
Fantastic Lori! What an achievement, really well done, and looks great too! But now you'll have to beg borrow or steal a tomato plant...a greenhouse isn't a greenhouse until you get that familiar smell of tomato foliage wafting around!
15 Jul, 2011
Thanks Libet! very kind of you! (insomnia again?) No sooner said than done...I have a patio tomato with some lovely tomatoes on it! It's quite hot during the day at present but I hope to get a few more tomatoes from it this fall when the weather begins to cool outdoors and it will scent the greenhouse with that unique tomato plant aroma!
15 Jul, 2011
Im afraid to let you into a secret Lori...agree the brain still revving..but the clutch has gone!!! lol
15 Jul, 2011
Oh, and I no longer have an accelerator...
15 Jul, 2011
Any mechanics in the family?
16 Jul, 2011
Nary a one! Dont know if you are familiar with the expression for old cars over here...they are called "old bangers". Guess its cos they backfire a lot...loath to call myself one of those...in case I get flagged LOL!
16 Jul, 2011
OMG... agreed.
16 Jul, 2011
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The story of my green house is almost the same as yours. I bought mine new through ebay as a kit, it came in january...so no hope of getting it errected then so I had to wait until the weather got bit better. Although it is not as big as yours it was a 2 man job to put it up..the fun we had..haha!, and the cut fingers etc. The building instructions were not very good..they had been translated many times and the pictures were slightly blured, but after a lot of sweat and swearing we finaly got it made in the middle of march. I also made a blog about it here with photo´s...take a look if you would like to.
14 Jul, 2011