🖼️
The project:
Building a greenhouse made of old windows was my dream and I have finally completed it. Windows and timber were collected from marketplace. Besser blocks and pavers came from family. Polycarbonate sheets, roofing screws and paint purchased from Bunnings. Positioned at the end of my raised garden beds it is in the perfect spot to grow seedlings and keep some of my potted plants protected from possums and rabbits. Family assisted to move and hold up the four walls while I screwed it together. I am proud to say I completed the rest of this DIY on my own.
- Materials:
Windows - various sizes
Glass panelled door
Hardwood posts
Merbau timber decking
Besser blocks
Gravel and sand for fill
All of the above was sourced from marketplace at no cost.
Miscellaneous timber screws
Hinges for door
Polycarbonate roofing
Buildex roofing screws 12g by 35mm
Titan heavy duty bugle batten 14g by 75mm
Exterior white paint
- Tools:
Ryobi drill
Makita hammer drill
Ryobi angle grinder
Ryobi circular saw
XU1 planer
Level
Dropsaw
Jigsaw
Shovel
Karcher
- Step 1:
Site area was cleared and levelled. Besser blocks used to make back half wall and perimeter base. Sand fill added later.
- Step 2:
Back half wall made by framing windows with hardwood posts. Gap above centre window to be filled later. I was aiming for some symmetry so used the same windows each side in back wall as was used in the front wall. Hardwood was heavy and difficult to work with, I would recommend a light softer timber for ease of construction. This half wall of windows was to sit on top of the back half wall of besser blocks.
- Step 3:
Hinges added to front door. Framework for front wall made with Hardwood posts. Windows and front door laid into frame but removed again until framework was erected. This made the front wall lighter and easier to manage. I braced the framework with a temporary diagonal piece of timber to keep it square.
- Step 4:
Side walls were each made of one whole window with reveals so no additional framework was made for them. Family assisted to lift and hold walls while I screwed them together with bugles using Makita hammer drill. Level was used to check walls were upright.
- Step 5:
Front windows and door added. I used my XU1 planer to shave one of the windows so it would fit into the framework. Windows were tapped into place with a rubber mallet and secured in place by screwing through hardwood post into side of window frame. Screwing hinges into hardwood posts was difficult. I used slightly shorter screws than planned as the longer ones sometimes melted and broke.
- Step 6:
Beams and purlons added to roof. I only had two hardwood posts left so used them on the outside and merbau decking boards for two internal beams. The decking boards were also used for the purlons. Hardwood beams attached with bugles and merbau beams fixed with brackets. Purlons were fixed with timber screws.
- Step 7:
Roofing timbers were painted with British Paints Four Seasons Exterior paint. This paint did not require the raw timber to be primed.
Gaps above front door, middle back window and triangular area above side walls was filled with some offcuts of polycarbonate twin wall sheet I had in my shed.
- Step 8:
Polycarbonate roofing sheets were added using Buildex roofing screws 12gm by 35mm. I swapped the washers to a more waterproof style. Thanks to Chris at Bunnings Tuggerah for his help to select and load the sheeting plus the tip re the washers.
- Step 9:
Interior was painted and pavers added. I used a level and rubber mallet to lay pavers. Once laid these were cleaned off using a Karcher. Then remainder of outside was painted.
- Step 10:
Final touches included a bolt to secure the door. I drilled through the Hardwood post and used a bolt to slip into a notch in the door. I plan later to add a vintage door knob which was from the house where I grew up.
I added a bench made from an old BBQ trolley and an old wooden ladder from which I can add some hanging plants. Table and chairs for effect but these will most likely not stay as I plan to use the glasshouse for seedlings and some potted plants that will thrive in the protected space.
Overall I am very pleased with this DIY and am looking forward to using the space and seeing how my plants thrive.
