Grow Your Own Magazine

Hi All,

I am planning to build a base for my freecycle greenhouse this weekend.

It is a good size 4x2.5m I was thinking of making a frame out of wood for the base and filling it with concrete for the greenhouse to sit on.

Question is, is this ok or is there a better way????

Mandy

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No mater when time you set out, you always get there at the same time

The only problem I would think with wood is that it will eventually rot. Bricks or breezeblocks were recommended to me but I have yet to get round to doing the deed! Good luck and quite sure someone more experienced will be along shortly!

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

hi mandy
glad you screamed loud enough to get your greenhouse
a concrete base is fine make it about 6in high by4in wide and put some threaded bar [bent L shaped every 2ft] then you can drill the wood base and bolt it in position when your ready
snuffy

Hi Mandy
I have recently had a greenhouse so I looked into this. The info I received from the supplier was not to have a solid base. The reason being that water will tend to pool on the floor making it slippy. They suggested using large heavy paving slabs and sitting them on sharp sand but not concreting them in. That way the water seeps through the gaps. Anyway, I did this and I am really pleased with the results. Also I managed to pick up the slabs for £25 so a good result!
Jools

Good advice there Jools but how is the greenhouse secured to stop it blowing away?

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

I did exactly as Mandy intends to do and I've had no problems, I think the base must be on a little bit of a slope (not noticeable) because water does drain away. its not bolted down although I intend to do this a some point

My greenhouse is bolted down to the slabs. Don't think it's going anywhere fast!
Jools

How do you bolt it to slabs? Sorry for being thick but this sounds like the ideal way for me to do mine as I want soil in there and have some slabs sitting looking lonely!

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

Mine greenhouse is a brick base, but I've gone for a gravel floor on membrane and sand. I was worried about pooling water but this works fine.

Shirley,
I didn't do it as I had a man come in to do it for me. But there is an instructions booklet and I'm sure there were some gizmos left to do the job. I'll have a look and get back to you.
Jools

Hi All,

Lots of good advice, I had not thought about pools of water though!!

Slab sound good but the ground is uneven and on a bit of a slope, so I thought concrete might level it a bit?

I can probably get slabs cheap from the builders yard by me, concrete could be very expensiive...................

Let you know how I get on, Mandy

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No mater when time you set out, you always get there at the same time

I used old sleepers off t'railway.

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Mandy,

My GH base is slabs. OH dug out the ground to near level, had to use bricks as a retaining wall at one end as our ground slopes away. Filled in with soil topped off with sand and laid the slabs as a base. Our GH is bolted on with special bolts bought from B&Q. We have had some horrendous gales but no movement of the greenhouse. Also used this in our last house on the GH and never had any trouble.

Hope this helps
Janice

Both of mine are on breeze block bases with soil borders & I don't have any problems. My old greednhouse was on slabs and i found that to be a real problem as it was constantly damp in there as it couldn't drain away, thats why I went for soil this time the soil wicks it away.

Also I top my blocks off with some 4"x2" tanalised and fix this with frame fixings about 6" long and then just fasten the greenhouse doen to the wood. This acts as a thermal break and gices me a bit ogf extra headroom but it means I have a step in to the house.

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ntg

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Hi Mandy
Sorry I haven't got back to you on the thingies you use to fix the greenhouse to the floor. I have had sick kids in the house since last Tuesday. I now have sick kids and a sick husband. Aaaaagh! Have you managed to sort it out?
Jools

Hi Jools,

Getting started next weekend hopefully, the ground has been frozen solid.

I have tracked down the peg things and they should do the trick.

Sorry to hear your family are unwell, hope they get better soon and that you don't catch it too

Thanks for your help, Mandy

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No mater when time you set out, you always get there at the same time

Please bolt it down. You'd be surprised how far a seemingly solid greenhouse can move when the wind really gets up as it did here middle of January. I have a plastic glazed house, which lost panes but as they're flexible I managed to re-fit them. The whole house moved about 2 feet towards the wall though. I was advertising greenhouse glass on Freecycle at the time, and a lovely couple came and collected all I had in the lottie shed, as their glasshouse had lifted into the air and come down again with a thump, shattering most of their panes.

Yes, I have to agree with you Rustylady. the guy who put up my greenhouse told me that he knew of some commercial greenhouses which were put up - really huge things. They weren't bolted down and a storm took them into the air and then crashing down again. The only thing they could do was bulldozer the site and start again!!!
Jools

Has anyone ever bolted the greenhouse to 4" breezeblocks? I am thinking of concreteing these into trenches in the ground and bolting the g/h to them. A slab walkway would go down the middle and the soil at the sides would allow for drainage.

What is this 4"x2" tanalised stuff Nick? Treated wood?

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My greenhouse is screwed onto some 4" x4" timbers I had acquired, which in turn are attached to 4" concrete blocks with hammer fixings. I dug the floor out and filled it to a depth of 6" with 20mm washed gravel - had easy access to the stuff at the time. The soil I dug out was beautiful and black and went to help create my raised beds

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Thanks SW. Good point about the gravel. We have 1/2 ton of the stuff in a Jewsons bag on the back patio. Been there for the last 3 years. I think the cat has been using it though...

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Big silver bird, come land low and slow
Cut your engines, cool your wings,
You've taken me home...

www.honeyjukes.co.uk

No he hasn't, but I have (not like that) - it goes in the bottom of every bucket of spuds/beans/whatever. Haven't found any cat stuff yet but did find a toad one day!

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk