B&Q Greenhouse

[farreste]

I'm really new to the whole 'outdoors' gardening thing, having been in my house two years or so and only really propagating chillies and tomatoes and never getting round to working my 'green-fingers' outside. As a result of this, I've read almost every thread on the subject of which greenhouse to buy and how to build it, and I've settled on a 6 x 6ft B&Q green aluminium greenhouse with horticultural glass panels. I've just bought the base and constructed a sub-base of heavy (non-aerated) breeze-blocks. It took me 2 hours of digging through the heavy South Derbyshire clay and a further 3 hours to lay the blocks for the base which is not 100% level. There's probably less than 1/2" difference from being perfectly level, and not all of the blocks are the same level, but being a perfectionist I was just wondering if this will make a difference when fixing the GH to the base? Or will it make sense to put a light covering of gravel within the GH to deal with any draughts?

Thanks in advance,
Farreste

[Sanjo]

Hello Farreste and welcome to the vine. The only problem with 1/2" difference is the strain it puts on the glass. Other grapes might have more experience though and be able to put you right. The only other comment I would make is that personally I would not use gravel in a greenhouse. It's a messy old job in there sometimes and compost is bound to drop to the floor and get mixed up with the gravel. Something that can be swept would be better I would have thought. Just my opinion. Good luck with it anyway.

[Snadger]

If the base isn't level and even if you can get the glass to fit it will break as soon as it's put under tension i.e. a high wind.
You could lay a thin wooden latt all around, fastened to the breeze blocks and packed accordingly. When it's level you would just need to point up around the areas of variation with a cement mix. Timber 4 inches wide (width of breeze block) by 1 inch thick would do.

[RedThorn]

Nick the Grief also advocates this method and used it when I installed my greenhouse, it worked a treat.... handy with wood, but building walls not my forte. The wood helps to even out the small variations in your brickwork and apparently cuts down on condensation too.

EDIT: found the old thread....shows the drawing of the idea and fixings
http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...use_24849.html

[Galileo]

I agree with the others. It would be best to get the base perfectly level.

Half an inch may not sound like a lot but try bending the glass half an inch to make it fit.

[farreste]

Thanks for the advice guys, the wooden idea seems to be the easiest fix and seeing as bricklaying is evidently not my area of expertise a little basic woodwork is probably within my means.

Thanks for the suggestions re: the gravel Sanjo; I think I may just put a few slabs down the middle for access and leave it at that. The mrs has been badgering me to put slabs down instead of gravel anyway!!

I'm just waiting until wednesday to get my future grandmother-in-law's discount for the rest of the GH from B&Q. Am I right in thinking the green aluminium GH's from B&Q are actually re-packaged Hall's? Or am I being optimistic? Does anyone have experience with these?

Thanks again, Farreste

[matthew2riches]

Advice.....

Gravel attracts ants when it is warm.

[farreste]

Good call!

I've pretty-much abandoned the idea of gravel now, slabs will provide a better surface and will be easier to remove, should we decide to plant directly into the soil.