Greenhouse project finally started

[svalli]

I may get the greenhouse built for next season after all. Last week DH drilled holes on the big rocks on the yard and we poured rock splitting mortar to the holes. Couples of days later when we returned from our lake cabin, the rocks were in pieces. Our neighbor is getting major landscaping done and we spoke with the foreman of the crew, that they can come and dig up the bigger rocks and a tree stump and then fill the area with gravel.

On Monday they had a contractor with a boom lift truck removing some trees next to the house and that inspired us to ask, if these guys could take down four big trees next to our house. They promised to come on Tuesday morning to do that. Monday evening we decided to cut two tall birches and a spruce ourselves and let the guys take down the pine, which was leaning towards our house and also the tall pines in the middle of our backyard. When the day was done we had all together six tall pines taken down and another neighbor had two pines and two birches cut. Best of all is that the one neighbor having their yard done had the shading ugly spruces cut down. The landscape architect had planned that the trees should be saved, but he had asked half of the roots taken away when the top soil was changed, so the house owner started to be worried that the trees can fall down in heavy wind. There was a big storm in another part of the country last week, which caused huge damage and that made us all look at the trees around our houses differently.

It would have taken too long to use the chipper to cut all the branches, so today even it was pouring most of the day we loaded the branches into a roll-off dumpster. It was busy couple of days, but our yard gets now much more light, which will be great for the greenhouse.



I know there is still a lot of work before the greenhouse is built, but these were the biggest obstacles in the way.

I'm tired but very happy!

Sari

[amideutch]

Good stuff Sari. Will be looking forward to seeing pictures of the finished greenhouse. Ami

[ddsack]

Please continue to show pictures and updates on your greenhouse construction. I can't imagine having to deal with removing rock like what you have. Sounds like the tree removal will help lots too. It's always interesting to see how people fit different types of greenhouses into their yards.

[GunnarSK]

Originally Posted by svalli

I may get the greenhouse built for next season after all.


Sari

Good for you, as it may be challenging to grow tomatoes and peppers so far North, even if there is nothing wrong with windowsills and balconies. Vaasa/Vasa is even North of the Finnish "tomato capital", the heavily Swedish speaking Närpes/Närpiö, where it seems that every other house (or more) has a greenhouse. With my current location in Warsaw, I might also try to get a greenhouse, as peppers don't grow well in open air.

[svalli]

We are moving forward with the project. Yesterday when we got home we found this on our backyard.


This morning the crew started working and when we got home from the office the yard looked like this.


The greenhouse will be built on that level gravel area and there is room for something else too. Maybe an area for outdoor furniture and small raised beds for growing herbs and some veggies. Three treestumps were removed from the middle of the yard and some new topsoil spread there. My flowerbeds got a bit damaged, but they have to be redone to match the other parts anyway. Part of the gravel is much higher than rest of the yard, so we have to build a wall to support it.

Sari

[svalli]

The project of building our 10x12 greenhouse is finally moving ahead. The foundation is made out of LECA blocks and a pressure treated plank attached on the top. We put extra care to make it level and square.
HFGH10x12foundation.jpg

When attaching the steel base, which came in the Harbor Freight box, we noticed that the paint on it is blistering in many places. I scratched on it and it came off and the metal underneath has rusted.
hfghbase.jpg

We have decided not to use the original base and make it out of pressure treated lumber instead. The project is now halted for a week, because DH flew to sunny CA this morning.

Sari

[Worth1]

Sari I have noticed for a few years now that a lot of painted metal is not primed, they just paint over bare metal with no prep at all.

This ticks me off to no end as you can see how you stuff was new and already peeling.

On the other hand I really like your place it looks a lot cooler there than it is here in Texas.
'Now tell me (rock splitting mortar) what the devil is that.


Worth

[svalli]

Rock splitting mortar is great in places where you can not use dynamite to break rocks. We used it also to break and remove a big rock next to our garage. It is mixture of calcium oxide and some kind of cement. You mix the dry powder with water and quickly pour it in the drilled holes. It will expand and break the rocks in about 24 hours.

I can not find it anymore, but I think that it read somewhere that the GH base should have been galvanized. The paint on it is about the color of zinc, but it certainly is not galvanized. Problem with industrial manufacturing today is that everything gets done by subsuppliers. If you do not specify exactly what you want, things get done so that they look good on the surface, but the supplier did not do the preparations correctly, if not separately demanded or documented. At work we are learning the things hard way, when starting up production in other locations, where we do not have the same suppliers, which we have used before and can trust.

Worth, you should move here for summers and live winters in Texas. That's what I would like to do...

Sari

[svalli]

Dad helped me today by getting me some treated 2x4s and also aluminum pipe for strengthening the frame. In the evening him and mom came over and we removed the steel base and did one from the lumber.

I have a bit of a problem with the next phase. The first aluminum parts are attached to the original foundation with metal clips, which go behind the bend on the steel base and are not screwed to the steel base at all. These will not work with 2x4 base.
Can anyone with the HFGH 10x12 check, if there is any reason why I should not drill a hole on the aluminum parts and screw them to the 2x4 from the top. The instructions do not really well show how the panels are on top of the lowes aluminum pieces. Whould the screw heads somehow make the assembly difficult later?

Sari

[hill60]

Sari

We have two HFGH 10x12 my husband put together. He says as long as you keep the screws away from the upright stud supports there should be no problem.

Denice

[svalli]

The greenhouse frame is now built. The self made foundation was exactly correct size. We put strips of asphalt roofing type material between the treated wood and the aluminum. This prevents the copper in the treated wood from corroding the aluminum. I purchased special delta coated screws with sealing washers for screwing the frame to the lumber, since normal galvanized screws should not be used with the treated wood and stainless steel can cause corrosion in the aluminum. I know that doing all that may be too much, but I have seen some horrible looking pictures, how different fasteners and metals corrode in humid environment. Luckily I got the screws with discount from the industrial supplier, who fills our shelves at work.
Here is how the foundation looks (screws are not yet in place).
GH foundation.jpg

Building the frame was not too complicated. I had expexcted big problems, but everything fit quite nicely. We followed the latest instructions printed from Harbor Freight website and mudhouse's blog, which is a really great help.
GH frame.jpg

Sari

[svalli]

It was rainy day today, so I could not work outside. I carried the panels indoors and started taping the ends with aluminum tape. I used a serrated tracing wheel to pierce small holes on the lower side tape for drainage. The wheel worked pretty well for this.

I would like to hurry and get the greenhouse built quicly, but I do not think that cutting corners is wise, when I have waited this so long time.

[ddsack]

Your greenhouse is coming along nicely! You're wise not to cut corners. That's usually my downfall and I have to struggle to keep from doing it. But often it's a matter of well, if I do it quick, I can use it now, otherwise I'll not have time to do it right and won't get to it for 6 months! I am amazed at how many nice modifications the man with the website has done to his greenhouse. Wish I had his skills.

How did you get your HFGH to Finland? Did you buy it while you were still in Wisconsin, somehow I can't imagine HF stores in Finland? Shipping something that big, must have been expensive.

Keep posting pictures as you go along, and the extra bracing tips are so helpful. HF sent out a Mother's Day offer email with a 25% off coupon -- if I didn't have to drive over 200 miles to the nearest store, I probably would have gone and bought one (or two??) at that price.

[svalli]

The greenhouse is now built!
GH built.jpg

The additional horizontal braces are really must for this thing. When we measured the length for them, we noticed that the structure was already bending outwards and the crown was concaved, even there was just the weight of the roof beams. When we had the braces in place, the crown became straight. Here is how we attached the aluminum pipes to the wall beams.
GH braces.jpg

The panels are secured with screws and some of them have also been caulked with clear polymer adhesive.

The door needs still some tweaking and some more caulking has to be done.

I'm happy there was no parts missing or broken, since ordering them could have been difficult.
We purchased this kit from the store in Wisconsin in end of 2007 and it was transported to Finland with rest our our earthly possessions in an ocean container.

Sari

[svalli]

The greenhouse is now stuffed with plants. and I have spent two last nights potting tomatoes to SWCs. I have 44 tomato plants cucumbers and a lot of peppers,which I try to fit there. It will be quite full, when everything grows bigger, so heavy pruning (which I do not like) will be needed. I do also have tomato plants, which I can move outdoors, if the summer is this nice as it is now. This week we have relatively warm (low 80s), but next week we will be back on the normal which is just below 70°F.