Greenhouse HELP (sort of urgent!) please!

[emarisa28]

Dear all ....... at my wits end!

A couple of weeks ago we built my second hand greenhouse, it bought a plinth with legs and concreted in the legs (on advice)
The guy i was doing it with checked the plinth and said it was level. We poured postcrete in one side, let that set, double checked the other side and concreted that in too. I suggested to do one at a time and wait to check it was straight again before doing the last but i got told i was worrying for no reason
I have started putting in the glass on the roof and fitted one side yesterday
This morning i went to do the bottom roof panels on the other side and they are sloping. All of them. I didn't have a spirit level with me but i presume somehow that its not straight. I can't believe that this has happened to me

So my question is, if i do find its unlevel, what can be done? At the moment i have left the panels clipped in but they are unlevel, only one side is touching the wall panel instead of all of it resting on the wall panel. I have a couple of alluminium strips and i was wondering if i could 'pack it out' in between the base and the plinth. Any other suggestions?

I really cant smash up the concrete corners . I am so annoyed that i listened to a man!

[veggiechicken]

I'd remove the glass and check all the levels with a spirit level first. To see how much they're out and where.
I'm sure someone who knows what they're talking about will be along soon.

[Bigmallly]

A bit of a long shot but are the panes definitely going in the right place, the greenhouse may have been out of skew to start with & the panes "may" just be a fraction different in size.

[emarisa28]

A bit of a long shot but are the panes definitely going in the right place, the greenhouse may have been out of skew to start with & the panes "may" just be a fraction different in size.

I did wonder that, but all the screw holes are pre-cut so it would be a bit strange
I am at work now so will have to pop there after with a spirit level

[Bigmallly]

You mentioned the bolt holes as I was also wondering if new holes had been drilled and thrown it out of kilt a bit............check the base with a level then check the gutters, then if possible the ridge........If the horizontals are level, it may pay to check the vertical bars while you have the level at hand.

[lottie dolly]

sounds like it got a bit of a twist in it,hope you get it sorted soon,have you any pics for us,that show what you saying,it could help a lot with a diognosis.

[rary]

You can check your level with a water hose, easy to do f you have someone to help you if not, secure one end to a corner post having the outlet flush with the top and take the other end to an other corner and holding it level with the top fill the hose with water if water runs out one end before the other then it not level, check all corners before you adjust accordingly, you must check that your base is square, you can do that with a length of string and sticky tape make sure what you use can't stretch, secure string at one end mark where the string comes off the corner with tape, take it to the furthest corner and again make where the string touches, then do the other corners, (always the furthest corners) and if there is a difference you need to adjust as required. Hope this information is of use, even if it is from a man

[rary]

If you can get a bit of clear hose to go on tight to the end of a water hose it makes checking your levels so much easier, our just check that the water level is flush with corner top then check the level at the other end, far more accurate than a spirit level

[nickdub]

You might want to check for square too by, measuring the diagonal distances between both pairs of opposite corners to check they are the same.

I'm a bit of a bodger so if I was in your shoes I'd take any pieces of glass already fitted out, lift up whichever side or corner it is that's lowest, knock a couple of wedges in, check for level and square again and then refit the glass.

[emarisa28]

I am at work now but aim to go there after with my spirit level. I don't have a photo, but if you imagine the glass panel should full be resting on the frame when you put it in, only one side rests on the bottom and the other side is a about 1/3 cm higher. And its like this across the whole side.
So, if the frame is slightly lower at the front (which is what i suspect) what is the best way to dealing with it as its concreted in at the corner
If i unscrew the base from the plinth and add a bit of wood or alluminium at the lower end to raise it would that be ok?

[emarisa28]

You might want to check for square too by, measuring the diagonal distances between both pairs of opposite corners to check they are the same.

I'm a bit of a bodger so if I was in your shoes I'd take any pieces of glass already fitted out, lift up whichever side or corner it is that's lowest, knock a couple of wedges in, check for level and square again and then refit the glass.

Nick - seems like we were thinking the same thing! measured diagonally and it was fine. I think the front left corner has tilted down. The other thing i was thinking was to unscrew the leg from the plinth if possible and raise and make a new screw hole?

[veggiechicken]

A photo would help me - as I can't imagine a "leg" on a "plinth".
My GH's have a rectangular, metal base which is attached to the foundations, be they cement, timber or whatever. This is the base which needs to be square and level. Once you're confident about that, the GH panels are attached to the metal base and assembled.
Do you know who the GH manufacturer is? They probably have assembly instructions on line.

[nickdub]

Unscrewing and wedging is certainly what I would do. You're going to need an easily split-able piece of wood and either a small hatchet, or a sharp knife and a hammer.. You'll need to make the thickest wedge for the low corner, then decreasing thick ones as you work up towards the level of the highest corner - I'd suggest at least one wedge per pane lengthwise, as you don't want the bottom bars bending under the weight. Work your way from the lowest point upwards then check back along the line of wedges and adjust if any are not tight. Once all is adjusted I'd screw that side down, but not too tight then check the other sides again. Once you've done the worst side move on and do the second worst etc,

Obviously once its all chocked up, you can then screw it down tight. Depending on how much of a perfectionist you are you could use silicon sealant or bodgy foam to seal the gaps which will now be present between the bottom bar and the plinth.

PS don't forget to try a piece of glass in again at some point in this process, just to make sure the frame isn't twisted somehow.

[emarisa28]

A photo would help me - as I can't imagine a "leg" on a "plinth".
My GH's have a rectangular, metal base which is attached to the foundations, be they cement, timber or whatever. This is the base which needs to be square and level. Once you're confident about that, the GH panels are attached to the metal base and assembled.
Do you know who the GH manufacturer is? They probably have assembly instructions on line.

@veggiechicken http://www.edengreenhouses.com/pdf/b...structions.pdf

[emarisa28]

Unscrewing and wedging is certainly what I would do. You're going to need an easily split-able piece of wood and either a small hatchet, or a sharp knife and a hammer.. You'll need to make the thickest wedge for the low corner, then decreasing thick ones as you work up towards the level of the highest corner - I'd suggest at least one wedge per pane lengthwise, as you don't want the bottom bars bending under the weight. Work your way from the lowest point upwards then check back along the line of wedges and adjust if any are not tight. Once all is adjusted I'd screw that side down, but not too tight then check the other sides again. Once you've done the worst side move on and do the second worst etc,

Obviously once its all chocked up, you can then screw it down tight. Depending on how much of a perfectionist you are you could use silicon sealant or bodgy foam to seal the gaps which will now be present between the bottom bar and the plinth.

PS don't forget to try a piece of glass in again at some point in this process, just to make sure the frame isn't twisted somehow.

ok thanks, i actually have some think alluminium strips so was thinking to wedge those inbetween rather than mess around cutting up wood - as i am sure i would mess that up!