Greenhouse Rebuild
A Replacement Greenhouse
The old (photo was never returned by Insurance company) and the new 
click for a larger view
My treasured Victorian greenhouse collapsed in a gale on 8th May 1999. Miraculously the massive roof timbers and most of the glass remained intact and balanced on a tall stack of my largest pots which were leaning against the end gable. I worked by headtorch, risking life and limb to get all the plants out. Few were badly damaged and none were lost. A couple of hours after I finished, the roof collapsed down to ground level.
Once household insurance agreed to the replacement costs, I set about a rebuild. I cleaned the soft mortar off the bricks and hired a bricklayer to put in new foundations and build the dwarf wall.
Finding a joiner who was willing to tackle the job was problematic. I telephoned many who weren't interested at all. Two came and measured up but never provided the promised quotation. Then a bonsai society chum mentioned that his double glazing contractor also did work in timber and was very reliable, fast and reasonable on cost.
The company provided an excellent service and the frame was delivered and erected. Two coats of microporous preservative and a stain will hopefully extend the life of the redwood frame so that it outlives me. It came complete with puttyless glazing bars. I recycled the glass from my grandfathers greenhouse. Most panes required cutting but very few breakages occurred. I used steel z clips between the panes on the sides and the puttyless glazing worked a treat. For the roof I bedded the panes in putty and used the glazing bars.
While I was doing the glazing, all the cast iron fittings were off being shotblasted. This removed a century's worth of paint and revealed details I hadn't suspected were there.
finial (click for a larger view)
Some brute force was needed to get the rusted up fittings for the vents moved to new positions but a passerby became intrigued and then involved in my struggle. He is a retired engineer and font of much practical knowledge. WD40 and then heating with a blowtorch got the brackets and hinges moving in the end. An unknown neighbour thus became a new gardening friend and the plant swaps have already started.
The side vents are again operated by the original hinged arms fixed to a long steel tube. The tube is rotated by a handbrake like lever and can be fixed in open, closed and points in between. It works perfectly.
I decided to go high-tech with the side and roof vents and have installed automatic, temperature operated, openers. See http://www.mywebpage.net/autovent/for details.
The original slate slab floor was relaid. I was unable to lift any of the pieces as they are over 4' x 2' and 4" thick, so much "walking" on end was needed to get them positioned. I built new benches resting on the inside lip of the 9" brickwork.
My Satsuki azaleas had spent the winter squeezed into an unsuitably hot & sunny conservatory, so I'm delighted that they are now back home.
I've recently laid on power for lighting and a thermostatically controlled fan heater. A raised, heated bed for propagation, transplants and repots is being designed.
The bulk of the work is now completed. The greenhouse has been in full use since summer 1999 and it is a vast improvement on its draughty and leaky predecessor. Almost all of the propagation that I tackle is started in here and the results are very gratifying.
The insurance company paid out £2000 and it has cost me £2,250 so far. Not a bad deal, all in all.