[al78]

The storm on December 23rd has damaged the greenhouse on the local community allotment (see photos). Aside from knocking out quite a few panels the greenhouse itself has been shifted off its foundation and the frame at the bottom on one side has buckled where it has been pushed against a paving slab. Is it worth trying to bend the frame back into place and replace the panels or is it scrap? The frame is aluminum.

[3 allotments]

Hi al ,personally i would repair it myself,its not to badly damaged i had one given in worse condition,if you take out all the side panes  or all of them, i know it seems a lot of hassle ,use a straight piece of 2x4 the width of the glass 2 feet ,and a lump hammer and bang it back into shape it will bend back to shape quite  easily ,then site it back,on bricks or scaff boards screw it down so it dont happen again saves buying a new one :)good luck hope this is usefull  Darren

[finleyfreyaseth]

anything on an allotment is repairable

[JayG]

Unless I'm misinterpreting your pics Al78 it looks to me as if the base is probably the cause of your problems, and will need to be sorted out to avoid a repeat performance (the structure itself doesn't look too badly damaged.)

Probably worth investing in concrete blocks (quite cheap) or railway sleepers (probably not cheap) to provide a heavy, straight base which the frame can be screwed securely onto.

Given that some of the struts will have been weakened by being strained and/or bent and then straightened, I'd probably go for at least two additional internal upright braces sunk into the soil and bolted to the frame - something like 2" angle iron would do the job, and you should be able to pick some up at a reasonable price if you have a steel stockholder or recycler/reclamation yard in your area.

[Lardman]

Just looks a bit buckled to me.

Glass out, gently bring it back into shape with a straight bit of wood and then secure it to a solid base as JayG suggests,  blocks if you're not worried about the look about £20 and a days graft should have you up and running again. 

[al78]

Thanks for the suggestions, I will pass them on to the rest of the volunteers.

[jezza]

hi if its just the bottom main beam thats bent it should straighten with a gentle hammering if not i have a dismantled green house thats going for scrap ,2 years ago it was fastened to 4x4 oak timbers wind picked it up and deposited it in the neighbours garden.I have a greenhouse that ive been offered and dont want in swap shop forum its 8x6    jezza