Greenhouse Move and Expansion

Do-it-yourself projects such as greenhouse or shadehouse builds and related topics.
daiv
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Greenhouse Move and Expansion

Post by daiv »

Hi guys. Well some of you will remember when I built my greenhouse back in 2008. If not here is the link:

http://www.cactiguide.com/forum/viewtop ... =30&t=7420" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I've been very very happy with what was thought to be a temporary solution. The lightweight greenhouse I built has proven to be very durable and extremely well-suited to my needs.

The location it was in was starting to become too shady. So I moved it out where it will get more sun. First I moved the plants and benches, then the greenhouse itself, then the pea rock floor. Here are some pics:

I moved it myself. I used the loader on the tractor on one end and pulled it backwards. On the other end, I used a two-wheeled cart to lift the back and give it wheels for rolling:
gh01_moving.jpg
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I hand-shoveled the pea rock into the bucket and moved it that way - about 6 buckets full
gh02_rock.jpg
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Next I had to scrape the ground flat where the expansion would go. The tractor proved very useful here too.
gh03_ground_ready.jpg
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Laying out the lumber - I decided to make it a modular lean-to design:
gh04_lumber.jpg
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Outside wall going up. The lean-to addition is not attached to the original, but works with it or it could be used entirely on its own.
gh05_lumber.jpg
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All of the frame is built. Now to start putting on the covering and the roof plastic.
gh06_roof.jpg
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Since I made the side panels on the original removable, I was able to take the one side off and just hang and hook the side panels on the new one as you see here. I got a sheet of plywood and am going to use that for the bottom strip below the panels. It is only two feet or so and doesn't need to allow light in through there.

I'll post the specs separately.
gh07_side_panel.jpg
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daiv
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Re: Greenhouse Move and Expansion

Post by daiv »

On the first build, I used mostly scrap wood and did not buy much lumber. This resulted in a lot of smaller pieces that I would have used if I purchased the wood. I used 1x4's and 2x2's in many places where I would probably have used 2x4's instead. Not only is the smaller wood plenty strong, it is also lighter and doesn't block as much light.

So in the add on, I just ordered mostly smaller wood.

total used:

4x4
2 @ seven feet long

2x2
3 @ eight feet long
3 @ seven feet long

1x4
4 @ 14 feet long
4@ 8 feet long
5@ 10 feet long

2x4
4 @ 8 feet long

and 1 4x8 sheet of plywood.

Total cost in wood is less than $80.00

For the roof, I bought 5 more ten foot sheets of the indestructible polycarbonate. The first time they were $46/sheet and they went down to $30/sheet. So there is $150.00 right there.

The plastic sheeting is 4mil special UV greenhouse stuff and I know I have leftover. I am hoping it will be enough to finish the job.

Finally, I had to get 3 more yards of pea rock for the floor. That was about $30.00 or so.

The eave of the original is 8 feet high and so I slopped it to 7feet on the down side. I have never regretted having a nice high ceiling in my greenhouse. It greatly increases the volume of air and keeps a lot of the really hot air off the plants.

Oh, and if you look at the second-to-last pic above, you can see where I cut a doorway to go between them. I decided that I didn't want to make another hinged door. That is a real pain.

Dimensions. The original greenhouse is 14 feet long by 8 feet wide and 8 feet high at the eaves.

The new additions is exactly the same size except only 7 feet tall on the one end.

In other words, I had an original 112 square feet of space. Now I've doubled that to 224 square feet. Woo hoo - hope to have it all finished tomorrow.
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CoronaCactus
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Re: Greenhouse Move and Expansion

Post by CoronaCactus »

Nothing like the right tool for the job ;)

Awesome man! It's great you were able to double the space so relatively easily.

We're hoping to have 2 more by the end of fall in time to put a good amount of seed down. Can i borrow your John Deere? :mrgreen:
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Re: Greenhouse Move and Expansion

Post by *Barracuda_52* »

:D RIGHT ON DAIV!!! =D> Looks great, good ol plastic its has many uses HA!!! :lol: Post more pics of it when ya get it filled.. :wink:
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Harriet
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Re: Greenhouse Move and Expansion

Post by Harriet »

I love it! And it will be so much fun to fill up!
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iann
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Re: Greenhouse Move and Expansion

Post by iann »

A greenhouse with a porch. NIce!
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Harriet
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Re: Greenhouse Move and Expansion

Post by Harriet »

A "porch" is a perfect place to grow hanging plants, only instead of ferns, epis and rhipsalis come to mind...
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Tony
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Re: Greenhouse Move and Expansion

Post by Tony »

It was only a matter of time. :)
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Re: Greenhouse Move and Expansion

Post by charlpic »

Mmm I see space for further expansions. :lol:
daiv
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Re: Greenhouse Move and Expansion

Post by daiv »

Thanks for the feedback everyone. That porch is going to soon be covered on the sides - so it will be a greenhouse. I have the epis here in town on the old wash line. The yard is shaded by large oak trees so it is perfect for them.

I really need to move a lot of my plants into larger pots. So this will make it a lot easier to find a place for them.

Darryl - two more? That is awesome. Your build projects are a bit more serious than mine!
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Re: Greenhouse Move and Expansion

Post by cactushobbyman »

Daiv, how were able to retrieve those pictures? I went back on an old post of my greenhouse and the pictures are gone.
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John C
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Re: Greenhouse Move and Expansion

Post by John C »

Great looking addition Daiv! More space is always good! That's something I'm running out of in my greenhouse. Nevermind, I ran out a long time ago :lol:
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daiv
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Re: Greenhouse Move and Expansion

Post by daiv »

cactushobbyman wrote:Daiv, how were able to retrieve those pictures? I went back on an old post of my greenhouse and the pictures are gone.
That's because not all the old pics are gone - only about a one-year gap. I say only, but I admit that is a lot missing. I just have to keep thinking it is good it wasn't all.

OK, next up I'll post pics of the final results...
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daiv
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Re: Greenhouse Move and Expansion

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I was able to use the bucket of the loader on the tractor to get out over the top of the roof and fasten it that way. The alternative would have been to do one panel at a time. This way I could place all the sheets and then just fasten them.
gh08_loader.jpg
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In the original, I made it all clear down to the bottom. I realized later that this wasn't really necessary. In fact, the entire north side could be opaque. However, since it is portable, I do have the option of putting any side north and any side south. On the new addition, I put plywood 4 feet up on the north side, 18inches up on the west, and 12inches high on the south side. The biggest benefit of this is that the plywood wall adds a lot of strength to the structure.
gh09_plywood.jpg
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Here it is from the back. I will paint the plywood eventually. I had just enough plastic leftover from the first build to cover the area above the plywood on the north and south. It worked out perfectly
gh10_final_back.jpg
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Again, the addition is a completely stand-alone structure and does not depend on the original structure at all. So if I ever wanted, I could split them and have two greenhouses instead of one. I did use a piece of leftover roof polycarbonate to cover the gap between the two in front and back. Not sure if you can make that out since it is clear.
gh11_final_front.jpg
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daiv
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Re: Greenhouse Move and Expansion

Post by daiv »

Here are some interior shots...
gh12_interior.jpg
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Rather than making a new outside door, I just made an opening to go between the two
gh13_interior.jpg
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Those gray tubs and buckets have all my pumice, soil, fertilizer, etc. They can go under the benches when the time comes to make more places for new plants.
gh14_interior.jpg
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Here is a shot of the eaves. I made it with a near 4inch gap for airflow. In the spring and fall, I will have to put something up in the space to seal it off to keep more heat in, but this time of year, I need the greenhouse to be nice and drafty.
gh15_eave.jpg
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