[wellingtons]

... well what a bonus.

I was invited round for drinks last night with some peeps who live near me that I share office space with.  I arrive, late, but arms with chilli and tomato jam and a few runner beans!

About 10pm the husband starts talking about his plans for the garden and how he can't wait to get rid of the glass greenhouse, and how he's going to have to trash it.  I nearly spat out my wine.

Me, me, me ... I squealed in what I fear may have been an overexcitable way.

Anyway, this weekend I am going round to dismantle it.  Now, my question is.  Do I put it on slabs (and if so how da hell do I fix it to the slabs) or do I plant directly into the ground (and if so how da hell do I fix it to the ground)?

And is aul' misery twits next door going to complain about me new greenhouse?  Don't answer that, cos I know it's a resounding yes!

[Novice]

You could always ask for greenhouse erecting advice from John - and if you play your cards right, he might even venture south to help you  

[noshed]

Excellent news.
As I haven't got a greenhouse I am perfectly qualified to pontificate on this. As I understand it some greenhouses come with a base thing which you peg into the ground with long stakes (I think these are mainly the metal ones.) So yours might have some arrangement like this already.
Failing that, a glass one will be quite heavy so it might just rest on slabs or bricks, although I'd be inclined to peg it down or cement it in.
If it's got a wooden frame there's more scope for bodging so you could drive some stakes into the ground and screw everything to them.
I would have though the key thing would be to level the site properly whatever you do. This involves a lot of tramping down and fiddling about but worth the trouble. You could use slabs round the edge so they stick out and leave a hole in the middle to plant into the soil, or slab the whole lot - but then you'd be dependent on grow bags all the time.
Don't forget the gutter - another water-collecting opportunity.
I'm sure your neighbour will get hours of entertainment grumbling about this. Check if you have to get permission to erect one - we're supposed to, although I don't know if anyone does. Might save aggro later.
Don't forget to show us the pics!

[hayles62]

I'm right jealous, i'd love a greenhouse. Congrats and enjoy

[stompy]

Hi there wellies, mine came without a base too.

All i did was sink a 4"x18" post into the ground in each corner and then joined inbetween the posts  with scafolding boards on their edges, i then screwed the bottom of the frame to the boards.

[MumoftTwo]

Mine was a freebie too that came without a base - I screwed it to some old railway sleepers, which means that whilst it won't blow away (gets a bit gusty round here) I can move it around if I need to, and it also gives a bit more headroom

[GrannieAnnie]

All OH did with my 10 x 8 greenhouse, was stand it on a plinth of bricks.  It is heavy, and in the year I've had it hasn't moved, even though it gets windy here in Lincolnshire and we are quite exposed.

[Caretaker]

I put my first one up in the rain and pinned it down with long round spikes.
My second one had no base, so i made a base with wood from B&Q in my garden, got my girls to carry it over to the allotment.
I screwed GreenHouse to wood base and put the long spikes in a drilled hole in to the ground.
Now for the spikes, they use to hold maps in a map cabinet, so you can not get them im sorry to say, but there must be some thing you can find to pin it down with.
How about long tent pegs or conduat pipeing, oh yes i used slabs round edging.
Make sure the rain runs off the right way, not like i did, runs to the back.
Best of luck, it is hard work.

[shaun]

mine is on a ring of 9" breeze blocks (on edge) and the base is screwed down to the blocks,you could use railway sleepers but they are not cheap and very hard to cut to size. this gives me an extra 9" of head room.
will post a pic in the photo bit

[legendaryone]

Like others on here it is held down with spikes which came with the greenhouse, it also has a small lip running all around which i covered with house bricks.

[MumoftTwo]

you could use railway sleepers but they are not cheap and very hard to cut to size

Not if you're a dab-hand with a chainsaw

[rugbymad40]

Are you supposed to fix them down?  Mine is so heavy I can't see a hurrican moving it.

[John]

You need to provide a base of some sort  and it must be level and square. (Free membership of the masonic lodge after that) !
You will need a spirit level and a tape measure.  You can use 4"? square fence posts as a base or any of the things above. Check it is square by ensuring the diagonals are equal and level with the spirit level.

Larry had is 10x8 greenhouse move 6" and off it's base in a storm so I would strongly suggest you fix it to the base. Even though a glazed greenhouse is heavy, wind is incredibly powerful.

When you re-glaze, start from the top otherwise you are trying to get at the roof over glass sides!

When you dismantle the exisiting make copious notes about what went where - an indelible felt tip to mark pieces is useful.

Good luck - it is harder to reconstruct a 2nd hand one than a new one but a lot cheaper

[milkman]

Great tips there John - it sounds as though you are now speaking from experience!!! - if you have a digi camera I'd also advise taking lots of pics of the greenhouse as well as marking all the bits before dismantling it, and if poss also note the order in which you dismantle it so you can re-erect it in reverse order.

ps John, once you have done one, you will find the second one much easier and quicker...

[John]

I certainly am! I don't think I could have done it without the help I had. If I'd taken it down, it would have been a lot easier than trying to figure a pile of bits.

The next one is coming from next door so the plan is to de-glaze then carry the frame round in one piece!