Greenhouse - Not securing it?! Mad?

[Rhona]

We're getting a 5ft3 by 6ft3 aluminium greenhouse, with diagonal roof braces, with full sheet toughened safety glass. It's going to sit in a very sheltered corner of the patio, with a tall fence on one side and an outside wall on another. However, we might want to move it at the end of the year, and I was wondering if we can get away with not securing it with posts or brackets.

We can attach it to the fence for a bit of security, and by way of a yardstick, we've had a blowaway of the same dimensions on that spot for two years and it's still there (despite some 50 mph winds last year) with no movement.

On the t'interweb, I've gleaned that some people think it would be fine, whilst others don't. I'm not sure.

Any views?

[Madasafish]

If you secure it, it will not blow away but you will have to spend time unsecuring it before moving.

If you don't secure it and decide not to move it, then you will have to secure it.

If you don't secure it and we have high winds, you will need a new greenhouse...


Hope that helps.

[Nicos]

My thoughts are that is it worth risking the cost of the greenhouse for the sake of a bit of time spent securing it?

It's a pain I know but is it worth the risk??

[Aberdeenplotter]

^^^^^ my thoughts as well. It's an expensive bit of kit and toughened glass isn't cheap and that may not be all that has the potential to be damaged

[Bigmallly]

Sorry Rhona, I'd secure it, you would only worry if strong winds were forecast. Can you not just screw through each corner of the frame & fasten it down with rawplugs & screws?

[Rhona]

To be honest, it wasn't really to do with the work involved and more to do with not drilling into the patio slabs. You've all confirmed what we are both thinking though.

Anyway Mr R has a few days reprieve... patio is under 6 inches of snow at the moment.

I'm VERY excited about my new greenhouse.

[Aberdeenplotter]

if you don't want to drill into the patio, get a few concrete blocks and anchor your greenhouse to them

[Two_Sheds]

Mine isn't secured. I told the man from Greenhouse People that it might blow around, and he laughed at me (politely)

[chris]

Or see if you can align it to the mortar joints in the patio? Mind you, glass is heavy...

[rustylady]

Mine isn't secured. I told the man from Greenhouse People that it might blow around, and he laughed at me (politely)

But yours is a Rhino and weighs a ton

[Two_Sheds]

Rhona might be getting one too: she doesn't say what brand (I don't think).

[WendyC]

You sound like you are putting it in a similar sitution to mine and it's a similar size. I secured it with angle brackets some how. One in each corner. Did drill the patio but will only move it if and when we move.

[Alison]

Mine's not that well secured (never really thought about it when we installed it about 15 years ago. It's an old B&Q 6ft square aluminium one. The greenhouse is attached to an aluminium base by means of self tapping screws but the base itself just has a couple of tent type pegs holding it to the ground. It's never shifted at all but then again our garden is very protected and I've also got a plastic covered frame that's about 5' tall which is only held in place by a couple of bricks on the bottom shelf and that's never moved either in the 4 or 5 years it's been there. If I was doing it now I'd probably secure more securely but I'm not changing anything now.

[SarzWix]

My glass one is sitting directly on the soil, in the lee of the shed, and is fastened to nowt. It's been like that for 2 years, and hasn't shifted an inch.

[Rhona]

This is the fella Simplicity Stafford Plain aluminium 5ft3 x 6ft3 Package - The Greenhouse People
Actually much cheaper on this website than the one I was going to order from, but need to order by tonight to save a couple of hundred quid. It's not the most beautiful and certainly not the biggest but it's fine for pottering at home.

I was idly watching the blow away not blowing away in a storm the other night, and thinking we'd probably get away with it, but Mr R might come over all sensible and bolt it down a bit.

Thanks for your ideas and comments everyone. Haven't a proper greenhouse at home since I was a kid, and Cannot. Wait.


p.s. since I'll probably order it later, if anyone thinks it's a terrible choice, do speak up now...