Plastic greenhouse (2)

[peter]

My friend's parents, in their eighties, spend most of their not pottering time in a lean-to homemade conservatory with a wood burning stove fitted.
Rear brick wall, one end friends workshop shed, other end the bungalow via double-glazed patio door, front Wickes double-glazed windows & single door, roof one span double-wall polycarbonate sheets.

It is toasty and catches all available light. Creature comforts, a sofa, four comfy chairs, a coffee table and some cup & radio sized little tables.

It used to just be a bit of paving between house & workshed, now it is a comfortable refuge from the British weather that is virtually part of the garden.

[Ricard with an H]

Also an excellent place to dry laundry in the winter especially as the washing machine is nearby. Ooohh the possibilities......
Regards Sally Wright.

Oh-yes Sally, many possibilities.

We built the building as an investment when we first came to Wales, the problem is that if we change it's use from a large shed/workshop into an annexe to the barn we will still need a shed to service to tools and junk we need to deal with over an acre.

It's connected to the onion-in-the-ground, has electricity and water so all it needs now is money and a change of use.

Keeping expensive tools and machinery in a warm-dry building is much better than keeping them in a damp-windy shed and you do have to think about the consequences. For example, our ride-on mower bought second hand twelve years ago is still in the same condition as when we bought it, the same mower belonging to the local football club thats kept in a damp-windy shed has gone rusty together with always breaking down and needs replacing at just under £4000.

Your idea of a greenhouse/conservatory across the back/rear wall would be a sound investment if it were built tastefully, not only that but a sound working part of the whole property as either a greenhouse or conservatory. All visitors to us wow at the possibilities of this 6 X 8 metres shed with an upstairs and fabulous views but with only my partner keeping the wolf from the door and just me as the maintenance bloke it's all a balancing act.

I've just unearthed a problem that may just put-paid to this project, the water-supply for the adjacent farm-house runs under the chippings at the back. When we built this building we already had to move it around the foundations.

Oh-dear, you started something now. But I like it and I don't want to get it wrong.

[sally wright]

Dear Richard,
that is not an insurmountable problem. You will have to dig out the pipe to fix it though. What you need to do is put in a duct sleeve for the water pipe to run through under your building. Then if there is a problem with it in the future ie leak or replacment then the pipe can simply be withdrawn and a new one pushed through. Cost of ducting under £50, digging costs - anybodys guess though. I would make the effort to duct all the way across your land if finances allow but see what the water board and your neighbour has to say first though. We have done this with a lot of our irrigation pipes at work to futureproof the grass and pathways.
I know all about the benefits of keeping mowers warm and dry, at work we have a ransomes marquis which was purchased in 1978!
Regards Sally Wright.

[Ricard with an H]

Well Sally, it seems I should have ducted my neighbours water service when we exposed it going under our land 12 years ago but at the time the property was changing hands and the digger driver who is a local said not to bother because everyone round these parts has their water coming over/under someone else's land. The water-authority are only responsible as far as the distribution point which is about 1000 metres across another farmers field.

All this land used to belong to one farmer so my neighbours water crosses two other owners land. When I refer to, "Distribution point", it's a place where several water-meters are connected to blue pipes that mostly aren't even buried and go to water-troughs in fields maybe as much as half a mile away.

I get your point though, regardless of if I build a pygmy wall or put a slab down i'll need to expose this water service and either move it again or duct it.

You're a mine of information Sally, my unpaid consultant.

Wow, I just went into the greenhouse-tent to move some seedlings out and back indoors because of the bitter cold and was amazed at how warm it was in there. The seedling were dry as a bone and gasping for water. I didn't take the temperature in the tent but it's 1C to minus 1C outside in the wind.

The eventual greenhouse is going to need a lot of vents.

[Ricard with an H]

Oh-yes, and, our ride-on is also a Ransoms but a Westwood. It's all steel, not a bit of plastic in sight and powered by a B&S 14 horse twin.

The local Co-Operative calls me, "Mower-Man". Because I have three mowers.

A side-egect Klippo/Honda and a massive-wide-cut/collect Harry/B&S self-drive.

[Geoff]

I have chain hoisted my ride-on onto two workmates ready to wire brush and red lead (or what passes for red lead) the deck as I do every year. Mower kept in garage, car outside, not sure that's the most economical arrangement!

[Ricard with an H]

Hello Geoff.

Can't you drop the deck ? Mine comes off easily if you don't have a creaky back and knees. Two bolts undone at the front, a small car jack to lift the ride-on body then the deck slides out and forward.

I started using wax-oil, seems to work better than any rust curing rubbish and the grass doesn't stick.

In fact it's about time I did a bit of maintenance, it'll have to wait until the hedging plants are in because i'm ready for the knacker-yard.

[sally wright]

Dear Richard,
where I work has been in existence for over 7 centuries and we tend to take the long view on things as a consequence. So whenever we dig a hole we think what else might we need in the future that we can put in it whilst we are down there. Often we will put in an empty duct with a rope through it for 'ron. Water, drainage, alarms, telephone or electric. This long term view has paid off several times over the 22 years I have been working there.
If you have to hire a digger the most expensive part of the hire is often the delivery charge so having it on site for a few days extra is not that much more money. Just don't forget the warning tapes when you back fill.
Regards Sally Wright.
ps we have 7 mowers at work, 2 ride ons (stiga, john deere), 3 cylinders (1 marquis and 2 matadors), 1 back roller rotary and an allen hover mower.

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Sally, would it be too bold of me, to ask where you work?

[sally wright]

Dear OH,
I work at a Cambridge University college and as I use my real name here so that is as far as I go, contract to abide by y'know.
Regards Sally Wright.

[oldherbaceous]

Now i'm even more impressed.

[Ricard with an H]

The greenhouse tent has survived so far and I hadn't made any special provisions for windy weather like over-the-top straps.

To be honest, it's more by luck that it's still up. This is the sort of weather where I loose wheelbarrows and dustbins. Easily over 30 knots of wind and the vaccuum on the lee-sides of building is tremendous.

When the wind dies down i'm moving the tent to a different spot, a little more shelter but no early morning sun. In fact no direct sun until about ten o'clock during summer months.

Biggest problem is holding the edges of the fabric down and because my drive areas have very deep chipping's which are great for drainage the chipping's won't hold ground pegs.

[Ricard with an H]

An update about the plastic greenhouse that almost ended-up at the tip.

Absolutely hopeless, even if I strapped it down over the top the wind would get underneath and behave in the same way as if your legs are pulled from under you. I hastily took it down and gave the whole thing a coat of, 'looking-at'.

Determination set-in and the sewing machine came out. With some old rip-stop nylon I fitted a skirt all the way around. The skirt had a large hem sewn into it for lengths of 2 X 2 timber and sand-bags (Stones in this case) sat on the skirt which couldn't pull out because of the timber.

Fantastic, right now we have around 20 knots hitting the tent sideways and it's just wobbling a little but easily a massive improvement.

[oldherbaceous]

Afternoon Richard, i think a massive congratulations is in order.

[Ricard with an H]

Thank-you sir.

The shelves that are provided with this tent which are supported by the frame are useless when it's windy because everything gets shaken off. I suppose in an inner-city or a very sheltered suburban environment the tent greenhouse may be more suited, me buying it for even my most sheltered spot was daft.

I am using it to raise some seedling though quite frankly this type of tent is only useful if it isn't windy or for plantings like tomatoes where the pot or grow-bags sit on the floor with the plant supported by canes.