Life lessons, greenhouse construction and the under 3s

Life is all about the learning.

This weekend for example I learnt the following things:

1. If you’re dismantling a greenhouse, it’s worth labelling all the pieces rather than just a small and elite selection.  This way you can put it back together with ease rather than holding your head in your hands and repeating the phrases ‘but it should fit’ and ‘I don’t understand where I went wrong’ ad infinitum

2. When stacking oak sleepers for a greenhouse base, remove your fingers before the two inordinately heavy pieces of wood crush them

3. Greenhouses are like jigsaw puzzles, there is always a piece missing (but unlike jigsaw puzzles, there is no point looking for it behind the sofa)

4. Glazing clips can travel a very long distance and are trickier to spot amongst wood chips than you might imagine

5. You can never have enough glazing clips (see point 4)

And...

6. Leaning glass up against a greenhouse is a fairly certain way to ensure the immediate arrival of strong winds

Still with my father's determination, and the kind advice and help of the greenhouse's previous owner (who, rather confusingly goes my the names of Nobby, Arthur and Robin so henceforth shall simply be known as Glasshouse Guru or 'GG' for short') - the structure is up.

I still have one annoying pane that won't fit and two missing pieces, but I feel these problems can be overcome.

Also, the children are nearly as excited as I am and Ava and Oscar kept running out to check on progress.  Archie, more worryingly, walked towards me with a slow but determined air, carrying a football, and then threw it directly at a pane of glass.

7. Always ensure you have spare glass for your greenhouse or...

8. Never again allow under 3s into your garden.

You see, the learning never ends.

Comments

[Kay Sexton]

Ha! Doesn't just apply to children - terriers have an intense desire to test the bouncability of greenhouse panels. Falco's score was Falco 1 glass 0, and Falco v polycarbonate a no score draw in that he knocked the panel out in one mad run but failed to even dent it so we just shoved it back in.

[VP]

I bet if you dismantled it and started again (heaven forbid), the laws of IKEA would come into play and you'd have 3 completely random bits left over

[Helen]

It is very exciting getting a greenhouse, all the possibilities that it opens. Mine is packed all year round and I wish it was as big as yours. Putting the panes in the roof was one of the scariest things I've done - I was convinced I was going through.
Hide the footballs and have fun

[Damo]

The greenhouse looks great and agree with you on under 3s in the garden!

[Thursday]

I have a vague memory of Joe Brown having to hack in to my computer to view the few and randon pictures I took of the dismantling of The Weirdest Constructed Greenhouse We Had Ever Seen as he tried to reassemble it.

[Janet/Plantaliscious]

Ah yes, greenhouse construction. Far scarier than IKEA furniture assembly due to the glass. You are very right about glazing clips. Hope your fingers recover soon, at least the sacrifice was worth it, lovely looking base. Lovely looking greenhouse! Enjoy :-)

[Joanne Roach]

My other half also took photos of the greenhouse as we took it to pieces, but then inexplicably refused to refer to them when rebuilding it...
I also managed to ping my neighbour on the head with a glazing clip. They moved not long after. Not sure if those two facts are connected.
Being ina frankly football obsessive household (both adults and children) our glass greenhouse is now encased in a frame of wire and wood which ended up costing us more than the second hand greenhouse. Ho hum.
Yours looks ACE - nice one!

[Dawn]

Kay - And no video camera to hand? Surely that's a guaranteed £250 on 'You've Been Framed' or indeed any show fronted by Harry Hill?

VP - you may be right, but would you mind awfully if I didn't test that particular theory?

Helen - I seriously hope I use it as much as you do (and I should) - at least for a while before the kids trash it.

Damo - I suspect the 'no under 3s in the garden' would get near universal support.

Thursday - I am now incredibly curious to see the WCGWHES (is that trademarked by the way?)

Janet - Thank you. Sadly the finger is still showing grenhouse distress, but it was worth it.

Joanne - That is almost the definition of being male isn't it? I might have to come back to you on the 'caged greenhouse' construction as Archie's kicks get stronger.

[ella]

Oh I would love a greenhouse like that. I have four footballing sons though so it isn't going to happen!

[Esther Montgomery]

Someone reckons greenhouses take too much attention.

Fingers sound sore.

We have a semi-circular metal structure for plant pots. My husband was pleased when he put it together because he had 'spare bits' left over. It's wonky.

I've just seen Plantalicious' Dormabile. I want it. I've now seen your greenhouse. I want that too. I'm going blog-window-shopping.

Esther

[Metropolitan Mum]

Ooooh, that's gorgeous! I want one of those!!! I have no idea where to put it, but I desperately want one of those! xx

[Troutie]

Hope you had a glass of bubbly in your new 'home'.X

[Horticultblog]

Ha - thanks for the words of wisdom and another great blog post :)

It's a great ideas to sit the greenhouse on sleepers. Can I ask where you sourced them from?

Thanks x

[Dawn]

Ella - you may be right. With just two of that species I think my greenhouse may have a short life.

Esther - Window shopping for glasshouses; there's an irony there somewhere.

MM - Surely just another reason to sort out this house move.

Troutie - I think we may have been separated at birth. My first thought was indeed a 'topping out ceremoney' complete with bubbly, but as it was freezing cold, glass panes were missing and there was no floor in the structure, I have, so to speak, put the champagne on ice.

Horticultblog - I got the sleepers from Bannolds - my local landscape supplier. You should be able to buy new oak sleepers from a similar source for between £30-40 each and they are a perfect base.