[Wavertree Red]

Well the first phase is complete.  Two of dismantled it and moved it 30 miles without a single breakage or even a sheared bolt  .  Some doing considering I had a tremendous hangover and we only had an estate car and a 4 foot trailer.  Took us 5 hours.  I like the fact it has no glass clips to speak of, just beading, meaning we could just attack it was the cordless drills.

Got it on site, spent another 5 hours giving it a much needed clean.  Bought the concrete block yesterday and started to prepare and level the ground. Also managed to download the official assembly manual in case we get stuck. 

Be a couple of weeks until we erect it but will post some pics when done.

[Wavertree Red]

Base is done after a ridiculous amount of hours getting it straight, level and square.  Just need some final tamping down around the edges.  Be a few weeks until its up due to other commitments, good thing really as gives it chance to settle and tweak any blocks.  I can feel a cold pint or three coming on  .

[Kristen]

I'd be inclined to increase the vents from 2 to 4, if you can, and add a louvre lower down if it doesn't have one already.  Otherwise force draught with open door will be your only method of cooling for much of the year (you'll still need that in a heatwave of course)

Some other random thoughts:

Bit of a slope to the end where the water butt will be

Bury a conduit / pipe under the blocks in case you want electricity / water inside later.

Measure the diagonals to make sure they are identical - glass won't fit otherwise!

Dig the soil before you put the greenhouse on - hard work digging it inside once compacted

[Wavertree Red]

Thanks for the tips Kristen.  I wish we had electric electric at the plot.  I was thinking of using gravity fed drippers, are they any good?

Yeah reading the manual it says don't drill it to the base until its complete so as to allow for manipulation of the glass.  I may just loosely pin it once square then put the glass in.  The frame is virtually built as I wanted to double check the base was the right fit.

Regarding humidity and condensation issues.  I'm trying to keep costs down and my eyes nearly fell out at the new price of additional vents and/or louvres  .   Is there a such thing as an automatic door opener?

I'd advise anyone buying second hand to try and find the assembly manual online before you commit.  After taking loads of pics and labelling items I was still scratching my head at times.

[BobE]

I can see it to the left of the photo and it looks pretty good to me.
----- Just something I did -----
I removed the glass in mine last spring and replaced it with twinwall polycarbonate.  Just for safety.  As I had tripped over in it twice and frightened myself.  The twinwall let me do full size panels and so I got rid of lots of crossbars.  Its not as good as glass but it does work.  I needed extra spring clips to hold it in place.  The panels came at the right width all I did was to cut the lengths.
Im not saying that you should do this but its worth having it in the back of your mind for later.

[Kristen]

Polycarbonate has a reputation for blowing out in strong winds - the answer to which is usually to silicon it in, which then makes removal (if ever you needed to) much harder.

[Kristen]

my eyes nearly fell out at the new price of additional vents and/or louvres

  Was that a price inclusive of automatic openers?  If so they could be retro fitted later when you win on the horses!! as that part is quite expensive, and just go for a pair of extra manual ones to start with.

With non automatic you could open in the morning / close at night, and let the others with automatic openers do the fine control. In winter two on auto, and the other two closed, will be fine.  In mid summer fully opening the two manual vents at 6am, and closing them at 9pm will be fine - minimum night temperature will be 10C or better anyway.

Extra roof vents can be very hard to retro fit - on some brands they slide into the ridge bar, and thus you would have to remove the glazing to fit another one.  Your brand may be easier than that.

If you have auto-vents might be worth checking whether they need winterising ... some brands require removal of the wax piston to prevent frost damage (it probably just reduces its lifespan), others can be left out 365.

[JayG]

Yeah reading the manual it says don't drill it to the base until its complete so as to allow for manipulation of the glass.  I may just loosely pin it once square then put the glass in.   The frame is virtually built as I wanted to double check the base was the right fit.

Good idea - trying to wield a drill vertically to drill through the base is very nerve-racking with the glass in place!
If you've got any "Waxoyl" coat the screws or bolts with it - makes it easier to drive them home and they should then outlive you! 

You may not be bothered about water seeping under the bottom of the frame into the greenhouse, but you could apply a bead of mastic on top of the base before placing the frame on top - apart from sealing the gap it will take up minor "imperfections" too (I only thought of it after I'd installed my greenhouse, which has a concrete floor so shows up the quite considerable amount of water which finds its way in, and it took an awful lot of messing around trying to force mastic into the gaps afterwards.  )

[Wavertree Red]

Thanks very much for the hints and tips folks, appreciated.

Bob, I'm fairly accident prone as my girlfriend likes to point out but hopefully, being toughened glass, the most I'll end up with is a bump to the head rather than a cut  .  Ive already barred myself from using large tools in there.  If I break any I'd consider poly.

Kristen, the price of a new louvre was more than what I paid for the greenhouse and without an autovent, shocking.  They can be retro fit so I'll see how it goes next year and buy one if needs be.  I did think of a few of airbricks amongst the blocks but it'll only be a couple of inches above ground level so didn't run with it.  I need to buy a replacement Bayliss tube as one of them is dead, only £12.

Jay, I like the mastic idea!  I'll be doing that.

More pics when up.

[Kristen]

the price of a new louvre was more than what I paid for the greenhouse and without an autovent

Blimey. Skip that then.  Roof vents more important anyway.

There is probably a way to simulate a louvre.  My thoughts are along the lines of fitting something at the North end of the greenhouse and substituting a pane of glass, low down, for something that can be opened.  Hinged Trap-door in a sheet of marine ply, for example.  There isn't any light coming in from the North ...

[Wavertree Red]

It's up - minus the door. No calamities, not much drama. I'm more than happy with it :-).  It's bolted down with 12 fittings so shouldn't be going anywhere.  Going to kit it out soon.




We couldn't put the door on as we were missing one of these, see below.  It's the 'bolt' that holds the door wheels in place and has a couple of rings that slot in the grooves. Does anyone know what they are called? They only sell the whole wheel kit but I only need one of these bolts. If I knew what they were called I could search for one.

[Kristen]

Does anyone know what they are called?

Shank? Axle? Pin (as in cotter-pin)

Can't supplier provide one if it was shipped with the part missing?

[Wavertree Red]

Axle pin it is thanks. The greenhouse is 2nd hand and we must have lost it in transit.  Seller only sells complete wheel kit - which is out if stock atm.

Cheers.

[grendel]

can you replace with the same size bolt and use a couple of nuts to lock it (leaving it slightly loose so it turns OK, depends how much space there is at the ends really) (or threaded studding with 2 nuts each end) - the grooves are for circlips to stop it falling out, but other than that its just an axle.
Grendel

[grendel]

could also use a clevis pin and one circlip - http://www.technifast.co.uk/documents/Page20ClevisPins.pdf
Grendel