Measurements and frustration Thursday May 28th

Measurements and frustration

It appears my local Atkinsons is going to be best value for money when buying the wood for the greenhouse window frames. Unfortunately, they didn’t have everything I needed in stock, so I have to order it. On the positive side, I can get (when they have some), wood that measures 4.2m, so I don’t have to make two frames after all; I can do it all in one. However, they don’t have 25mm thick pieces, they have 19mm; and they don’t have 12 mm, they have 14mm. Their ‘2 x 4inch’ wood is actually 95mm x 44mm. So it’s back to the drawing board to ensure all the pieces are the right size when cut. I will be getting them to do the cutting as they have the proper cutting gear, whereas I would have to use a hand saw.

It's not a brilliant photo, but this is the basic shape:

Each of the spaces will have another frame inside it, not as deep, against which the glass will rest.

Basically, the frame is two long pieces, one at the top and one at the bottom. These measure 44 x 95 x 4085mm. At each end and in the middle will be a total of three uprights, also 44 x 95mm, but only 892mm high. Between each end and the centre will be four (two each side of the centre) further uprights, each measuring 19 x 95 x 892mm.

That will make the basic frame, leaving six holes where the glass will eventually fit.

There are (at least) two ways of making something firm for the glass to butt up against (otherwise it would just fall straight through!!). One is to rebate the uprights, using a router; the other (and simpler for me) way is to add a further frame inside each window space. For this I am using wood that measures 70 x 14mm. It is actually round edged skirting and I will use it to form a basic box, which will be attached to the uprights. The glass will then sit against that (and a layer of silicon sealant) and have putty or beading on the outside to hold the glass in place.

They did give me some samples so I could see what it looks like.

The largest bit will form the top, base and three uprights; the middle sized bit will form the four other uprights; the slimmest bit will form the inner frame.

I hope that makes sense! To me, if not to you!!

Compost bin

I costed the wood for the compost bin while I was at it. It seems that a bin 8’ x 4’ (2.4m x 1.2m x 1.2m) with a central divider (making it two bins next to each other) will cost about £90. And that cost does not include the corner posts, as I already have those. £90 seems excessive for something that is really only going to hold rotting garden rubbish! So instead, I have checked prices for corrugated bitumenised sheets. Wickes is the place to go for those apparently and even though my nearest Wickes is 12 miles away, it is still cheaper than buying the wood AND it will last longer – so winners all round, really. It will cost me about £65 which is a much better option. Each bin will measure 2m x 1m x 1.2m, so slightly smaller, but should give plenty of compost; I might even have a hard job filling it.

Just as an aside, I was sent to ask about corrugated sheets to Screwfix, which surprised me. If, like me, you thought Screwfix sold, well, screws and fixings, you would be in for a real eye opener if you visited one – they seem to do just about everything, including the kitchen sink!!

Gardening

So I finished off the day by planting more seeds – carrots and beetroot; cutting back an overhanging tree branch; and planting my peas. 

Before I could plant them however, I had to cut back a branch of an overhanging tree, which was hanging so low, the support for the peas and beans would not fit in place. Well, yes, I admit it, OH actually wielded the chain saw!

Before:

After:

I have a knocked-together-in-a-hurry structure, comprising uprights, cross bars and wire netting, for the peas to grow up. It’s in poor condition and the wood is not really sturdy enough, but I hope it will last out this season, then when there is less to do outside, I can set about making a replacement. Maybe next autumn/winter. 

It's Gone!

It’s Gone!

(No, not the greenhouse)

In some of the previous photos, you might have noticed that the old shed had one wall still standing – if you can call it that – more like hanging on by a thread, if the truth be told. Anyway, it was pretty dangerous – being old and heavy, it could have done some serious damage if it had landed on someone. In case you missed it, here's a reminder:

So despite this being the greenhouse project and not the shed project ;) I decided (with a lot of help from OH) to take it down. In addition, I wanted to keep the back panel in place if at all possible. The old shed was an add-on. The garden wall that extends from the front of the garage was not actually high enough, so when some previous owner decided to build the shed, they had to create a panel to raise the height of the wall to a suitable roof height. Anyway, it is now less likely that the wall will fall down and less likely that the panel will collapse with the weight of the wall hanging off it.

Inside the shed there are two brick pillars. They used to hold up a sink (yes, there is a drain beneath the debris between the pillars).

The sink is now in pieces on the floor. This happened some time ago – local youths ‘having fun’ as usual L

So we are about ready to have that bonfire – the pile is quite….erm…..high!

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The Greenhouse Project_Monday May 25th

Tidying up

I had thought about starting to make the window frames for the greenhouse today. But instead, I watched the three Queens (Victoria, Elizabeth and Mary 2) celebrate the 175^th anniversary of the start of Cunard, on the Mersey, so afterwards, I thought I would clear up the mess that was accumulating outside the door to the greenhouse.

The door leads into what was originally a potting shed. It was wooden and, being almost as old as the rest of the buildings, it has more or less completely rotted away. 

There is a lovely tiled floor (more quarry tiles) underneath all the debris, but temporarily, it has become a dumping ground for rubbish from the greenhouse. It was time for another tidy up. This photo shows the lovely tiled floor after the junk had been removed:

Anything that could be burned was put on the bonfire pile, ready for burning at some stage; the rest was thrown in the bin or recycling. Very little was salvageable but I did manage to save a couple of strong (and long) boards and an old window frame. These are just two of the bags of rubbish ready for taking to the tip:

I've only cleared half of the old shed so far. The side of the building is falling over, which makes the other half of the floor unsafe to work on. Plus, it was my intention only to clear enough to be able to reach the door to the greenhouse. After all, this is the 'greenhouse project', not the shed project!

The Greenhouse Project_Sunday May 24th

Greenhouse Project: Sunday

The next job was to tackle the overgrown vine. It is probably 100 years old. A couple of years ago, I decided to cut it back; since then, it has grown lots of twiggy shoots and very little else. 

So I took the secateurs and loppers and set to, cutting back everything that was too thin, or dead, or in the wrong place. I was left with three shoots with leaves on that were more substantial than the others and placed so they could be tied conveniently to the cross beams of the roof. 

Some of the branches had grown out through the holes in the roof (in fact, they probably created some of the holes) and behind rafters and roof beams, pushing them out of place. It was hard work, but I managed (with a little help from my significant other) to remove them all and clear the roof. As the corrugated plastic panels are going to be replaced, I didn't clean off all the moss and other light debris, so the greenhouse is still a little dark, but from outside, it looks so much better. Pictures are of before and after:

Of course, when I had finished, I had to clear the floor again! But I forgot to take a photograph of the newly messed up floor, so you will have to use your imagination.

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The Greenhouse Project_Saturday May 23rd

The Greenhouse Project: Saturday

I was lying in bed this morning savouring the fact that it is a bank holiday weekend and musing about how everybody seems to do either DIY or gardening projects during bank holidays, when it hit me. I have an old greenhouse in dire need of some tlc. Why don’t I make that my weekend project? And so the ‘Greenhouse Project’ was born.

So, first things first, I ran outside with the camera, to capture just how much in need the poor place really was. It was a total disaster, and to be honest, I nearly caved in at the thought of how much work would be involved. Not only did the insides need clearing out, but it needed new benches, new windows (and frames – the old ones are completely rotten) and new roof panels as some of the corrugated plastic ones in place are broken and all of them are old and brittle. Not to mention the old grape vine, which has grown through the holes in the roof and behind the rafters!

The greenhouse itself is as old as the house, which makes it around 113 years old. At the front, which faces east, there is a low brick wall, with the windows on top of that. The north end is brick and there appears to have been a door in it (now bricked up) into the brick shed beyond. The south end is mostly wooden, but with a short section of brick, where it butts up to a chimney breast. There used to be a potting shed on the south end, but that fell down years ago (a future project, perhaps?) Entry to the greenhouse was through the shed.

The floor appears to have seen a few changes. Down the centre, there is a quarry tiled section. The edges I think used to be soil, but now it is concrete. 

There is a little sliding door in the brick part of the south end, about 4 or 5 feet from the ground. Inside, there is a lead lined flue, into the chimney breast. 

Between the chimney and the north end, pipes used to run along the wall, then turned through 90 degrees and went into the garage which is behind the greenhouse. These pipes have long gone, but the remains of them still stick out through the garage wall. They have now been stuffed with old plant pots, to prevent any potential wildlife from using them as a convenient entry point. 

Two of the roof beams are held up by huge metal brackets – another indication of its Edwardian/Victorian past. 

The roof is now corrugated plastic, but I think originally it was all metal frames and glass. There are hinges at the back edge of the roof, but nothing on them any more. On the chimney wall, there are a couple of brackets that once housed the mechanism for opening and closing the roof lights.

The Hard Work Begins

This afternoon, the work started in earnest - and,boy, did it need some work!

I thought I would at least get the bit in front of the door cleared, so it is possible to step inside without standing on things.

There were two old wooden benches that were completely rotten and would need to be disposed of. 

Under the window is a metal frame, with wooden slats on top, forming another bench. Many of the slats have disappeared entirely and most of those that are left are rotten in varying degrees. I managed to salvage enough to begin the process of tidying up.

Plant pots and seed trays were put on the bench under the window. I was conscious that these old wooden slats might not take the weight, but having nowhere else to put things I wanted to keep, I kept going. Fortunately the bench held. Green netting was folded and placed on the back of an old chair.

Once I started, I couldn't stop and four hours later, I had a tidy greenhouse, with a swept floor. There is still a long way to go, but for now, I am pleased with the progress.

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