Securing New Greenhouse?

[TattyJJ]

So now that I have finally moved house at the weekend (yes I’m knackered) I have a south facing, albeit tiny and all paved, garden at last! Found a few hours to get the greenhouse frame up, any got some tips for holding it down?

It’s going to be glazed with polycarbonate so won’t have the weight of glass to help keep it still, and I rent so can’t be laying concrete or anything like that and have to be able to take it down relatively easily. Really don’t want to be laying down some massive lumps of timber to screw it to either.
I could drill into the slabs, but many of them are a bit loose so would have to lift them and fix them down securely first. But would expanding anchors likely crack them?

Is there and easy way to do this folks??

[Martin H]

I would move it a few inches so that the sides sit near the middle of suitable slabs, then drill holes in the frame and the slabs and fix it with rustproof screws and plugs. If you choose sound slabs, they shouldn't crack.

Once the greenhouse is fixed to half a dozen slabs, it should be stable even if the slabs aren't cemented down.

[Bigmallly]

Or............Do as Martin says but instead of screwing the GH to the flags, you could mark round the perimeter with a marker pen, fasten 2x1 timbers to the flags then screw the GH to the timbers.

[bearded bloke]

How BM describes is what I did with Mrs.BB's, it's in 'riven' slabs that sat on loose sand, been good as gold for nearly 17 years now

[TattyJJ]

Think that might be the way forward then....
I've some lengths of wood in the garage that might do the job too.

Can't wait to get it all sorted so everything can go outside, just not enough room on windowsills for everything to really thrive!

[Potstubsdustbins]

5mm drill, red plugs, 4.5mm screws, that won't crack the slabs and will hold it firm in all weathers, except...........................hurricanes.

[TattyJJ]

5mm drill, red plugs, 4.5mm screws, that won't crack the slabs and will hold it firm in all weathers, except...........................hurricanes.

Well, I was gonna go with a 7mm drill, brown blugh and 5mm screws. But that's semantics....

[Cadalot]

Metal L shaped framing anchors, put the toe under the slab and drill and fix the leg using PK screws or nuts and bolt into the frame of the greenhouse. It does mean placing the greenhouse over the joints in the slabs, but if you need to move in the future it's easy to dismantle.

[TattyJJ]

Metal L shaped framing anchors, put the toe under the slab and drill and fix the leg using PK screws or nuts and bolt into the frame of the greenhouse. It does mean placing the greenhouse over the joints in the slabs, but if you need to move in the future it's easy to dismantle.

It would work well and super easy, but also would mean all sides would have to line up with the slab edges. Pretty unlikely....

[Bigmallly]

How tall are you Tatty?

[TattyJJ]

How tall are you Tatty?

5'8" and a half (the half is important) Why you ask??

[Bigmallly]

I was thinking that if like me you was over 6ft, I would be tempted to lay a course of breeze blocks then some 2x1 timber then the greenhouse. This gives you an extra 9" head room plus you could make some beds out of timber to the height of the blocks giving you 9" raised beds............win,win.

[TattyJJ]

I did consider laying 2 or 3 courses of bricks then bolting it to that, would be easy enough to break up if/when i move and as you say gives more head room and the weight would keep it down.
But if i'm totally honest i just can't be bothered.

Want to get it bolted down and glazed this weekend, and cheaply! Picked up some 2x1 and some 4x1 on my way home, can use it to hold it down and build some planters too

On a separate note.... Is it worth putting a power supply in there, for say a fan heater? I want to put everything out there soon as it's up so will prob need heating for little while.
At some point someone hooked up an outside light buy drilling a hole in the wall upstairs poking a cable threw and sticking a plug on the end. Dodgy i know! But i can just swap the light for a waterproof camping extension which has a built in RCD and hang it in the corner.

[Bigmallly]

For the sake of a few weeks, I would just use fleece. See how it goes then maybe think about heating for next year.

[Bigmallly]

I appreciate what you say about not being bothered about the brick/block work but once it's done you won't have to do it again. If you don't do it, odds on you will wish you had.