Grow Your Own Magazine

A friend has salvaged some old double glazed window units, some still whole, some just the glass (I think). He's offered them to me and I'm popping over next week to have a look. I'm thinking I might be able to patch up the 'greenhouse' (aka old shack) on my lottie and perhaps make some cold frames. Is there anything I should look for in particular? Or try to avoid? Any other uses I could put them to?

Any advice much appreciated!

Cloches, cold frames, renovate the greenhouse. Just make sure you only take what you will use or you will be left with them stacked in the "shack". My first ever greenhouse was a lean-to made out of glazed window frames from a house down the road which was having double glazing installed. Worked really well.

Thanks RL Good to know odds & ends worked for you. My only real criteria at the mo is to pick ones I can lift easily - no point in having a fabulously huge picture window to lump around when you're 'part troll'!

Try and get one or two that will open? You might be glad of a bit of ventilation - especially if they have those latch thingies so that they can be open a crack but still won't open from outside. The ones with frames will prob work best as part of your greenhouse/shed, and the ones without could be used to make a cold-frame/cloche?

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Sarah

“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

I hadn't even thought of ones that would open! I was imagining 'all or nothing' with the whole frame being on some sort of (basic!) mechanism. Thanks ever so much Sarah!

Basically, you need to go and have a look at them, see how many there are and come home and design a greenhouse from them. It would be handy if they were similar sizes!
You would usually use the units around the sides, but only use flat units on the top, Put some wooden 3"X2" roof spars in to utilise panes or panels of glass you have scrounged.
A single sloped roof is easier to fabricate than a double pitched roof. On the high side you may need to build a low retaining wall, which by using the same height of glasing panels all round will give you the slope of the roof!

It's a bit like riding a bike or driving a car, pretty easy to do, but bl**dy hard to explain how to do!

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

About 25 years ago i built a greenhouse using double glazing panels i bought 35 panels @£2 each 70 sheets of glass the panels were 3 ft by 3ft 6 inches ideal for the job in hand ( i only use imperial measure dont get mixed up that way)the wood was perchased from a second hand wood place for £ 22. and a lot of work but it is still standing so i did something right .
To split the panels i used a hacksaw across the corners once i got a road in i used a jigsaw a bit tricky but with care possible so things can be done with double glazing panels .
The Greenhouse finished up 19 feet long 10 feet wide and 10 foot to the ridge Jacob

Thanks chaps. I should have said that it's just the sides and door I need sorting in my 'greenhouse'. Here's a pic of what I inherited:



Two sides are relatively ok but as you can see, there's a fair amount of ventilation in the other two The door is pretty ropey and I would think replacing it is my best option, though I might be able to cobble a repair together.

Soweto springs to mind!

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

Well, I am a very happy bunny! By great good fortune, the larger units are exactly the right size to fit the 'greenhouse' walls with a one brick's height base and I also got several small units to make into easily liftable cold frames!

We had some larks getting my mate's car out of the quagmire that is currently the end of my lottie (thank goodness for odd bod old chaps with vans and ropes!) but all in all a super day!

Well done! Looking forward to seeing the piccies!

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Hazel
www.hazelandjanesallotment.blogspot.com
update Sat 04/10/2008......sorry, Keats......