New greenhouse / how to make a base

Seem to have got gale force winds again tonight, little bit worried for my new greenhouse. Can see it flexing in the wind - very gusty out there. Fingers crossed it makes it through the night! Not even got any plants in it yet.....they're all still in the conservatory.

 

That's a good job you've done Joe. I hope it stays in one piece for you in the high winds.

 

Same here Joe , i am expecting something broken in the morning, if not it all, its very bad here .

 

Lost a roofing sheet again (same one as the other night) but that's it so far. The winds still haven't died down either - been going since about 7 last night. Can't remember ever having winds like this in bristol.

Rang up the company who supplied the greenhouse and they've been really helpful. Asked me to email me the list of bits I need and they'll post them out. Not sure if they'll charge or not - the winds have been unusually high. Only need a few plastic end strips for the polycarbonate sheets and a few z clips really. In an ideal world I'd put in one new polycarbonate roofing sheet, but will give the existing one a go.

Also going to modify the roof slightly - I think an L shaped length of aluminium at the leading edge of each roofing panel would better protect it from wind getting underneath. Wicked have something suitable so after work tonight I'm going to pop out to get some. Only tricky bit might be getting aluminium self tapping screws rather than steel ones to avoid corrosion.

 

Anyone else experienced any damage?

 

No damage here Joe, but one piece of roof glass had slipped down 2 inch, I have moved the clips up to it on the bottom glass to prevent it slipping again. once the winds die down I will go round and do the same to all of them.

 

My greenhouse is still rock solid, but as I explained I have toughened glass and the weight makes a big difference. However, the gale has been blowing since last night and with each passing shower today the gusts grew so I stopped work in there and moved out just to be on the safe side.

 

I think the key is, no movement ?, I am a joiner by trade and before I installed the glass I gave it a good shake and it was solid without the glass , I am sure this has helped, but I guess toughened glass will give it a little more satiability like you say due to the weight,

I also made sure no glass was resting on the frame, so there would be no stress on the glass if there was any movement, if it did not break last night with 70/80 mph gust in my location I think it should be good for a few years, as long as the kids next door refrain from playing football.

 

You're right about the lack of movement Martin, a lot is down to stability.....and not opening the door when it's really windy to create a balloon effect!

The window clips are going to need replacing in mine this year, easier said than done as one side is only a foot away from the side of my shed. It means stripping all the glass out methodically from the roof down and then from outer edges to middle.

 

I still need to fit some glass Perspex at the rear of the GH, fortunately it is tight up to the shed, but maybe why the glass moved last night, it was the last roof pain at the top to the right the wind was blowing left to right looking at the GH.

This is the first GH I have ever had/installed, I had similar problems fitting the glass, I had to google before I started fitting it, yes a pain literally lol,

Just out of interest how much is the toughened glass a panel please, if I do get any breakages I will probably replace it with the toughened stuff.

 

I have a greenhouse with the double plastic opaque glazing - installed using the 'w' shaped clips. I ended up sealing them in with some clear silicone sealant - this stops them rattling in the frames. So far the greenhouse has held up to the recent winds. The clips are fiddly to install and from my experience they don't hold the glazing firmly enough

 

It must be six years ago at least since I had to replace a pane and I went to a local glazier who cut it for me and charged a fiver. All the original glass I upgraded to toughened when I bought the greenhouse brand new (it's a Halls) from a UK company. Surprisingly, knowing the weight, I wasn't charged extra for shipping here to the island. It's an 8 x 6 and the whole package including the base cost me £600 nine years ago. Once the crate of glass was put in my carport it couldn't be moved it was so heavy!

 

Then I think the glass you have is to small Clanless. All my panels fit tight and snug.

 

Bit of progress, the greenhouse is now fully back together. Firmly attached to its base so it can't move backwards or forwards. Modified the bottom edge of the roof glass from the south side where all the recent winds have come from. Last lot of wind couldn't undo it, so hopefully it's now secure for a number of years!

Today I've done the inside - put in a central path with brick edging - then put down weed control matting with a load of gravel on top. Also got my min / max thermometer in there to see what the lowest overnight temperatures are like for the next week or so. Not going to put in any seedlings until it's safe from frosts!

 

Pictures. ....