The Greenhouse - Part 1

Next steps... We had a brief cold snap a couple of weeks ago. We had overnight temps in the mid-30s which put the greenhouse project on the fast track. Of course overnight temps are back in the high-50s to low-60s, which means the daytime temps, for doing the build of the greenhouse are in the low to mid 80s. That may sound nice to our more northern friends, but trust me, it feels hot, especially in the more direct sun.

Refreshing your memory from the last blog post. We started out with this:

Before

And we left you with this:

In Between

The first steps were laying the "foundation" which consisted of leveling 4x4 beams along the bottom and securing them to the posts on the two exposed sides. Each span was approximately 10 feet.

Leveling up the "foundation"

Once the beams were in place, it was time to start building the upright structure. I wanted to create the first level to approximately "counter height" (around 36 inches) so I'll be able to build my interior shelf for plants to that level. It will also provide the base to my window frames. All framing was also going to be built on 24 inch centers (24 inches between the center of each stud or upright support). Houses are typically built on 16 inch centers, but, a) this is only a greenhouse, and; b) I'm not supporting a lot of weight or a second floor.

The first section (lower structure)

Second section

All lowers complete

Once the lower, counter height structure was finished, it was time to build out the next level and frame out my windows. We removed as many windows (10) as we could salvage from the original farmhouse and this was the perfect project for them. After measuring the windows we determined we had enough room for 3 in each exposed section and one for the door end. We also decided to hinge them at the top. We're still figuring out what we're going to use to hold them open. We'll probably use a metal hook to hold them closed against the weather stripping we intend to use to help keep the cold air out.

First set installed

All windows framed and some upper structure in place

Once all of the window frames were built and the upper structure was in place on one full side, I decided to jump to installing the clear plastic panels along the east wall of the greenhouse. I was eager to see how it would look from an aesthetic perspective.

First two panels

Installing the panels was pretty simple as I made sure all of my measurements were on and my upright structure was plumb. I used a utility knife to cut out around the windows.

One side complete

Interior view

Getting the first side done was a mostly all day job, though that day also included caulking all of the loose panes in the old windows and finishing installing the last 3 windows on that side. The next day I finished the upper framing of the south end. Today I finished the panels on that end as well.

Two sides complete* (*still have to cover gaps at the very top, between and up to the rafters)

Interior view

I'm at the halfway point, so to speak. I still have two walls to go. The north end (closest to you in the above picture) will have a door (French door, also salvaged from the old house) and a single window. The other side (right side of picture above) will be covered with plastic panels as well. I plan to remove every other plank that you see on that wall and move them up to create larger openings. This will give me structure to attach my plastic panels, and also allow more light into the area where I keep my mower, tractor and other equipment.

The remaining work also includes: scraping/raking the area smooth, putting down heavy weed-stop cloth and bringing in a load of gravel about 3 inches deep for the floor (we'll also do the same for the tractor/mower area), filling any panel gaps with spray foam, weather-stripping the windows...oh yeah...and getting electricity run to the barn so we can heat the place this winter.  I envision it looking like this:

A guy can dream, can't he?

Depending on how well the remaining work goes will determine whether we replace the roof with heavier duty clear plastic panels this year, or wait until later. This is plenty of light inside the "greenhouse" for now, so we're pretty sure any tender plants we put in there will get plenty of sun.

I hope to have the place built and sealed up (reasonably) tight in the next couple of weeks so I can write about Part 2. We'll keep you posted.