Greenhouse

[Gordon D]

Yay....I've managed to get a free green house from an elderly neighbour of a colleague. I'm going to be collecting it tomorrow but it will need dismantling first. What tools will I need to take with me? I'm assuming screwdrivers but is there anything else which would help?

Also, where's the best place to start? I'm assuming the glass and then the frame from top down but if anyone has any helpful hints they would be most appreciated 😃

[Bigmallly]

Here a thread Gordon with some good tips:

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ase_53692.html

[Gordon D]

Here a thread Gordon with some good tips:

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ase_53692.html

Thanks BM, that's really useful!! Looks like it will be taking me longer than I thought to take down though 😞

Will post a pic of it once I've seen it tomorrow and then when I get it back up.

[Bigmallly]

Make sure you take plenty of pics of the GH once you have marked up all the joints before you dismantle it.

[Bill HH]

When you pop round to see it spray any nuts and bolts with wd40 so it soaks in before dismantling.

[Gordon D]

Good idea, I'll leave the wd40 in the car so I don't forget it 😃

[Bigmallly]

If you have a Wilkos nearby, call in & pick up some nuts & bolts as you will most like shear the old ones off when you try undoing them. Maybe pick up some W clips as well. It's always handy to have spare glazing clips.

[Mikey]

Simple tools include an adjustable wrench or socket set to remove aluminium nuts and bolts. A lot will shear off rather than undo, but you can pick them up quite cheaply at a hardware store as BM said. old bits of carpet or cardboard to rest the glass onto when you take them out this stops it from chipping. A sturdy pair of gloves or your hands and likely to be full of cuts by the end of it. Some sheets of newspaper is handy to place between the glass panes as this stops them sticking together, a lot easier to move then.

A set of steps to reach the roof glass, an old ice cream tub or similar to keep all the clips in. most horticultural glass is 3mm so if you do buy some new clips these rather than the 4mm are better. Long sleeves you don't want the glass accidentally sliding down your arms and taking a trip to A&E.

Its pretty straight forward to take down take the roof off first as this will stop the weight of the glass from distorting the sides. I would also take a metal saw or angle grinder with you just in case the base rail has been secured into a concrete base and they refuse to budge.

As others have said take lots of photos from all sides to make it easier when reassembling, taking care to see where the diagonal supporting braces are located and where any window openings are.

I'm very jealous, I've been searching for another secondhand greenhouse for ages, and I'm really fond of words like FREE.

[Raybon]

.......and take a mate!

[greenishfing]

What vehicle are you transporting it in?

I have completely dismantled one greenhouse but with another we simply took the glass out and transported it in 6 pieces - 4 sides, 2 roof panels - and put it on the roof rack. That was much easier.

[Scarlet]

It's probably pretty obvious but make sure you stack your glass upright, preferably with sheets of newspaper between. You will loose a few regardless, they crack so easily. Or is that just me??

[greenishfing]

It's probably pretty obvious but make sure you stack your glass upright, preferably with sheets of newspaper between. You will loose a few regardless, they crack so easily. Or is that just me??

Me too! A couple always get away.

[Gordon D]

Mikey - thanks for all the useful hints !!! Good shout on the set of steps, I hadn't even considered the height doh. And free is definitely one of my fav words too lol

Raybon - I've managed to rope my dad in as he has a bigger car than I do.

Greenishfing - it'll be a vw passat estate, so I'm hoping to leave it in fairly large pieces 😃 I'll give him a call later to bring the roofrack

[Mikey]

The sides are generally around 1200mm - 4ft high and what ever length the greenhouse is.

6ft 1800mm
8ft 2400mm
10ft 3000mm etc etc

The passat estate is about 5000mm in length ish!?, take some bright material to tie to the end of whatever you strap to the roof rack. The roof is generally easier if you take apart completely as its only the main rail and detachable struts. You should be able to keep the sides and both ends in one piece though. Take some string with you so that you can tie the door in a closed position.


I'm coverting a 8ft x 12ft for my garden but they are like rocking horse do around these parts, and when they do come up second hand they still fetch around £150 which is still a bit out of my bracket. So I'm waiting and watching I'm sure with a long enough wait something will appear.

[Gordon D]

Here's a picture of it in situ before we took it apart (excuse my dad in the photo lol). Will look great once we clean it up and re-assemble it 😃

Thanks for all the tips, they were really helpful. In the end It took the two of us about 3 hours and we only broke 2 panes of glass.