[Daamoot]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for a bit of advice for buying a 2nd hand greenhouse as I've never owned one before and not sure what I should be expecting.  As spring is coming soon I'm quite eager to buy one quickly but don't really want to rush into it and waste money on something that wouldn't last a few seasons at least.  So if anyone could advise me on the points below I would be very grateful:

 Size - ideally bigger would be better but is an 8'x6' suitable for a beginner or will I find myself short of space very quickly? Hoping to grow plenty toms, peppers and maybe a grape vine as an experiment to see how well it gets on. Would like to progress to pumpkins, courgettes, etc as well but not this year.
 Price - from watching gumtree they have been ranging from around £75 - £120 for an 8'x6'. Does this sound reasonable or would I be better holding off til there is a better bargain? I've contemplated putting wanted ads up in local shops so if anyone has had experience doing this I'd appreciate their feedback.
 Condition - not viewed any yet but any tips on damage to look out for would be very useful. Should I avoid certain issues like bent frames or broken panes?

Anything else that I've not considered but you could advise on would be helpful. Thanks in advance for any replies.
Damian

[agapanthus]

I would suggest when you finally choose one to take pictures of it (if it's still erected)......it's really easy to get confused when putting it back together ...say me who has just (for the 3rd time) re-erected a hexagonal one.....levels and angles ll over the place!!!! 
And buy replacement nuts and bolts too!!!! 

[mumofstig]

The prices sound about right, it's rare to get one on Freecycle nowadays I think
8 x 6 is a good starting size I think - although we all end up wanting more space 

It's easy to replace damaged glass, (although not exactly cheap )
it's not so easy if the frame is damaged, although sometimes you can straighten pieces out. I think this leaves them a bit weaker though 

Label each piece of the frame as you take it apart 

John has some good advice here about dismantling one
http://www.allotment-garden.org/grow-your-own/greenhouse-growing/secondhand-greenhouses 

[Rallychef]

As well as the digi camera, I drew a plan of the greenhouse and numbered the individual glass pane (marker pen and masking tape) after the frame was put back up I laid the glass out on the lawn for each panel of the greenhouse (sides roof etc) made it much easier to put back together.

regards Ian D

[Daamoot]

Thanks for the extremely helpful advice all!  Noted what to look out for and also which tools to take along.  John's greenhouse tips are very good too, thanks for pointing that out to me.

Sounds like I'll be needing another one before long so I'll jump at the first decent oppertunity I find and take more time finding a bigger one for my second.  Got a viewing lined up on Sunday so fingers crossed its in good nick and hasn't been scooped up by then.

Thanks again,
Damian

[GrannieAnnie]

The others are right about size.  I started off with OH's Mum's old 6ftx7f, then we got a 10x8 off Ebay, then a 6x6 from freecycle which had no glass and frame was a bit wonky.  OH straightened it up and cut all the glass himself from old DG units

Then we got a 2nd hand 30x20 polytunnel, but OH only put 24ft of it up, but with all my tomatoes and chillies, it still isn't enough!

But I'm just being greedy.

Replacement glass can be expensive, so hopefully a greenhouse with all the glass intact would be best.

Hope you get something nice!

[Erfurt]

As everyone has said the value is in the glass so if some is broken/missing you can haggle a lower price. The second thing is what base you are going to use, I always use old red brick which I seem to collect from skips etc. Although glass is heavy, you will need some sort of base for two reasons; Firstly to anchor the thing and secondly to give you a bit more height. Keep the base as square as possible its just better that way.

A 6x8 house is grand for toms and a few other things, a grape will take over (as will a pumpkin, or any other squash) unless you prune it keep it just this side of death.
Courgettes should be grown outside, they just taste better that way. I suppose there is nothing wrong with getting early courgettes from a green house but they dont like frost at all so heated house.

[Daamoot]

I've ordered some red brick and plan to use them for raising it a little and making ventilation by laying them on their sides, which I read about on other threads here.  I'm not overly confident with building the base as it will be a first for me laying bricks so think I'll have lots of questions and need to browse a few 'how to' sites.  One thing I'm scratching my head about already is should I dig down to the sandstone (about a foot deep) and begin laying from there or just start from ground level?

[Erfurt]

You just have to give enough foundation to prevent the structure from moving. A foot seems a bit excessive just a few inches will do but make sure the top of the concrete is level by hammering in pegs and levelling them with a spirit level. A sand stone substrate means a sandy soil so you may have to go a tad deeper and support the trench walls before pouring the concrete.

When marking out the base ensure you measure from the corners diagonally if both are the same length it will be square.

This kind of Brick laying is easy, you are not supporting an office block, mix some washing up liquid in with the sand/cement but remember the old red brick will suck the moisture from the cement very quickly. They are a bit of a pain to work with just do one at a time and check as you go along with a level tapping the brick with the trowel until its just right.

Just have a good think before you start, I've done loads and the best was my first....

[grendel]

The prices sound about right, it's rare to get one on Freecycle nowadays I think

MOS just seen one on your local freecycle...
Grendel

[mumofstig]

I knew it would happen as soon as I said it 

[Daamoot]

lol, great stuff!  Problem is I don't have access to freecycle and won't until tomorrow evening    You couldn't send me the email address so I could make contact could you?  It'll be long gone by tomorrow evening...

Cheers,
Damian

[Daamoot]

Thanks for the help everyone!  Just to update you, I bought that one yesterday because it was in such good condition (2years old) and came with a couple extra panes of glass.  Transporting wasn't an issue as I got a trailer that it could fit on in one piece    Now to get the base sorted and glass installed!!

[mumofstig]

That's exactly the same as my one! It's ok - I just checked, my one is still there 

Have fun in it 

[JayG]

Congratulationa Damoot!  

Make sure you get it completely level (spirit level) and absolutely square (mine looked perfect but was nearly 2" out of true when measured diagonally corner to corner, which can easily cause problems fitting the glass if not corrected.)