my home built greenhouse

sponge_bob

i was tinkering with the idea of building my own polytunnel but was a bit unsure how it would stand up to the bleak conditions that my house and garden are exposed to during the winter. i had the materials sourced and figured i would build a decent size tunnel for about €200. anyhow the idea of a tunnel never really felt good with me, so when i got word last week that a guy was emptying out his garage and he had about 20 aluminium windows in a skip ready to be picked up, i went around to his house and asked if i could take the windows. he had no problem so i loaded them into the van and off i went.

here are the windows


next i had to pick a corner for the glass house, so i picked a spot around the back of the house with a garage to the side so that the green house wi]ould have a bit of shelter and it all ready had concerete laid there
before


and after the tidy up


with the area cleared i got some pressure treated timber and set about building the walls


next i fitted the glass

sponge_bob

added the roof and the door and finished off some small bits of sheeting and presto,,, a greenhouse








it has worked out alot more expensive than the polytunnel but iam happier that it is a stronger structure and will be more able for the harsh winter conditions.
it has taken up a good bit of my time, and costs i expect will come in around €500-€550. hardware comes in around €325 and timber iam expecting to be around €200 (havn't got the bill for this yet).
the finished size of the greenhouse is 16'x12'6".
i had a thermometer in there today and it reached 40degrees celceus:D so iam fairly pleased with that.
now just to get a few beds in there and plant a few winter veg or maybe some spuds for christmas.

cora09

Lovely nice and big

Bullseye1

Very nice.

Stove Fan

Looks good:D A great use for the old windows, good recycling.

Stove Fan:)

dfbemt

Excellent - lovely job.

Don't forget to put on your gutter and feed it into something like a 1000lt IBC. The roof you have will fill it in no time and the plants you will have in a house that size will drink it in no time !!

Well done and thanks for sharing.

countrywoman

well done spongebob...that's a great job!
hope it produces great fruit and vegetables!!

planetX

can u build one for me:D

sponge_bob

planetX wrote: »

can u build one for me:D

i could if your living close by;)

redser7

Great job sponge_bob. Looks sound and sturdy. Nearly done with my polytunnel, will post some pics later in the week.

sponge_bob

redser7 wrote: »

Great job sponge_bob. Looks sound and sturdy. Nearly done with my polytunnel, will post some pics later in the week.

good to hear the tunnel is coming on, looking forward to the pics:)
are you hoping to get some veg into it for the winter?
i was thinking of planting some spuds for christmas:eek:, and see how they get on:D

CamperMan

great to see recycling in action like this..


nice greenhouse

redser7

Yeah hopefully will get something going. Have been reading this for year-round growing ...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Polytunnel-Book-Fruit-Vegetables-Round/dp/0711231702/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1314615066&sr=1-1

I imagine the same would apply to you only you'll probably have more success with your heat retension. You can defo can grow stuff from now so give the spuds a bash. Carrots, lettuce/salad leaves shoud be fine too.

Corsendonk

redser7 wrote: »

Yeah hopefully will get something going. Have been reading this for year-round growing ...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Polytunnel-Book-Fruit-Vegetables-Round/dp/0711231702/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1314615066&sr=1-1

I imagine the same would apply to you only you'll probably have more success with your heat retension. You can defo can grow stuff from now so give the spuds a bash. Carrots, lettuce/salad leaves shoud be fine too.

Not really,greenhouse/polytunnels lose 80% of there heat when the sun goes down. Thats why all new commercial greenhouses are built so high now to provide a stable hot air buffer. They actually found that greenhouses could on some nights reach lower temps than outside temps due to lack of air circulation. There a sun box but have very little insulation to retain solar energy when the sun goes down.

redser7

Fair enough. I read that polythene structures lose heat faster than glass. Both ultimately reaching the same temp, just at different rates.

cora09

Oh i'll have to get some double glazing in my greehouse then(if i can ever afford to build one)... a bit of kingspan around the bottom... perhaps a reflective ceiling... t'wud be warmer than the house

wreckless

excellent job there buddy, great size and use of recycled material

may she grow everything for you every year from now till eternity!!!