Dismantling and transporting a greenhouse?

[sandspider]

Hi all

I'm tired of my plastic greenhouses collapsing / ripping in the wind, and want to get a real glass (or even polycarb) one. Rather than shelling out lots of money on a new one, I thought I'd try with a cheap secondhand or even free one first, and see if that survives the wind. There are some cheap and free ones about, but the catch is usually that they need to be dismantled and collected. Is this a huge pain to do? How does one dismantle a greenhouse, and how small do they dismantle? I'm assuming lots of metal frame sections, lots of sheets of glass (or polycarbonate) and lots of bolts? Can I dismantle them into (say) the ends, sides and roof and transport in sections, or is that asking for broken glass? I have access to a small van with a roof-rack, but am not sure how much of a hassle this dismantling and collection is likely to be...

Thanks for any info / suggestions.

Oh, and I was considering a 6 by 8 foot greenhouse, but that would probably be too big for my garden and the van, so perhaps a 4 foot by 6 foot would be easier...

TIA,

Giles

[Aberdeenplotter]

what a lot of questions but last answer first. Whatever size of greenhouse you get you will always wish you had a biggerone so go for the absolute biggest one you can accommodate.

As for dismantling and transporting. You will absolutely have to remove all the glass except perhaps the glass in the doors. With the glass removed, the structure will be very light. If you know anyone with a suitable sized trailer, it would be worth trying to move the frame complete. It will save loads of hassle. If that isn't on, at least try to keep the gable ends complete and just dismantle the sides and the roof. With an old greenhouse, you will undoubtedly have problems with aluminium bolts shearing so be prepared for that. Quite cheap on fleabay. Otherwise, it's a breeze if you DIY minded.

[Capsid]

You will need to remove the glass panes; be prepared for a few breakages.

Dismantling an aluminium house isn't too difficult, just lots of bolts and nuts really, that may shear off if old. So perhaps spray with WD40 to loosen first. Take pics beforehand so that you know how to put it together again and/or label the parts.

You could then dismantle it to have the two ends intact, but it's still quite large to get in a van.

[The Large One]

take pictures, lots of pictures
i put up my greenhouse with some fairly good instructions and i still wanted to trash it by the end of day 1 so a good reference point on what it should look like with some close ups of any fiddly bits

[vikkib]

All of the above is very good advice!

This thread may be helpful too: http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ain_68313.html

[arpoet]

I moved one from a garden 3 houses away and it was quite a task.

1) Devise a plan of dismantling.
2) Mark each section with numbers or letters with a permanant marker.
3) Take photos and Videos of all sections both inside and out before removing the glass.
4) Get a mug... sorry, friend to help you.
5) Allow a day to dismantle and one to re-assemble.
6) Decide where the funds of the swear box is going to.
Roger

[sandspider]

Thank you one and all, that's some useful info, especially the past posts on the subject. I will go and measure my garden again, and bribe my friends to help with the dismantling...

[Jelliebabe]

How about this?


THE IDIOT GARDENER: Not Green; Not a House!

LOL not for everyone!

[JD85]

I bought a 6*6 aluminium greenhouse with polycarbonate glazing on eBay last week and collected on Sunday.

Once you get the knack of unclipping the polycarb panels then you're away. It took us (2people) 45mins to entirely dismantle the greenhouse. Everything dismantled into small pieces, could have fitted everything into a hatchback car.

I'm more concerned about how long it will take to rebuild...

[sandspider]

Thanks boys and girls.

The Idiot Gardener link was interesting! Good writing style! And, his greenhouse looked good at the end, but cost more than an equivalent polycarbonate job from Ebay, as well as the trouble and time taken to put it up!