Kitchen Garden Forum

I have managed to obtain a greenhouse from Freecycle but we have to dismantle it has anyone any tips ? I have not seen it yet we are going over on Wednesday to see what we are up against, it has a sliding door and 2 louvre windows and I am told it is big ! I am so excited just hope it is not too big a challenge any tips much appreciated regards Gilly

Evening Gilly, i was given a 24foot by 10foot greenhouse a few years ago, and it wasn't to bad taking it down and putting it back together again.

The most important thing is to take a lot of photos and label everthing. And also take an exact mearsurement of he base.
I dont know what you will be transporting it with, but if you are using a van or truck you can take it down in sections.
Always strip all the glass out first, to save any accidents, the glass for a whole greenhouse is very heavy.
Years ago a freind and i moved a 12x8 without taking it to bits apart from the glass, the frames are very light and we put it straight on the back of a flat backed transit.

If you do have to strip it right out, try and put all parts into seperate bundles.
If you can find out what make it is you could always try and get a manual for it, thats what i did for mine, and it does make the job easier.

Hope this helps, and please let us know if you get it.

if the bolts are a problem to undo due to corroded threads , it may be easier to shear them off by doing them up tighter and using new bolts for reassembly. as oh said above u can save alot of time by moving the frame in one piece.

Thats a very good idea with the bolts Richard, forgot to mention it, exactly what i did with all the bottom bolts on mine, saved a lot of time.

Take:
2 Small Adjustable spanners
1 pair of mole grips
1 pair standard pliers
1 pair needle nosed pliers
1 stanley knife
1 old wood chisel
Assortment of screwdrivers, flat and phillips.
At least one friend or partner who can either do exactly as they are told or who is better qualified to tell you
what to do.

MOST IMPORTANT:
A digital camera with plenty of batteries, or a sketchpad pencils and indelible marker that can write on metal.

Take pictures BEFORE taking joints apart and label very clearly bits whose function is not abundantly clear, and label everything anyway.

You'll need several means of holding or turning nuts and bolts due to varying degrees of access and most important, some will have both ends free (instead of being bolt held in groove in frame with nut free to turn).

Needle noses are great for twisting glazing clips out.

Stanley knife allows you to safely seperate glazing mastic from glass.

Old wood chisel helps after the Stanley knife.

With great help from my friend Robert I managed to get a 16'x8' dismantled and transported over four miles in one day with zero breakages.

The longest bits will be the side horizontals, in my case it was 12' with a 4' extension, so had five 12' lengths with one end on the dash and the other end some feet beyond the end of the car with a red rag and dog-collar-light dangling off them.

Glass should be transported upright, as you see it on the sides of glaziers vehicles, so beg/borrow/steal appropriately sized boxes to hold it in. Hint normal panes are 2' square.

We used my largish trailer, 5'x3' wooden bed with another 2' to 3' to the hitch. That took two full loads with a follow up solo for the car with the long bits.

Oh and do not forget three more things in your excitement.

Safety Gloves for handling glass.
Safety Glasses for if you have to smash a determinedly stuck pane.
safety (steel toecaps) boot in case you drop anything.

Thank you both I had thought of taking wd40 with us on wed, but easier just to replace the bolts, we have a trailer but not huge maybe we could leave each side whole, will have more idea when I have seen it, the owner has just moved in an d being a cabby working 12 hour shifts they just want rid and I am only too happy to oblige my wooden one was to rickety to move 4 years ago be great to have a greenhouse again G

thankyou Peter too so many good tips !!! I had missed your post until I was showing Hubby the other 2, he is well impressed that I have got such good advice

Good luck Gilly, the task is simpler than you might think, more time consuming than anything else. But Peter has given you the lion's share of advice, howeer, here is a little more for you.

If you want spare clips, or nuts and bolts, B&Q do a good range, as do Wilko's and other gardening centres. Be aware that the nuts and bolts if they are the square type will shear if over tightened when you reassemble, alloy and not steel, you usually have to break a few to know how tight they should be done up.

If you are in windy area, take on board previous postings in this section about securing the frame, building a base etc........there would be nothing worse than having a gale spoil your newly erected growing place, consider using silicone to secure the most vulnerable panes, it helps against the wind

Good Luck

Compo

An electric screwdriver with a 6mm socket in makes undoing the nuts so much faster, and if they are corroded up it will shear them off for you.. Buy replacements from Ebay suppliers, they are much cheaper than B&Q, and you can use M6 stainless steel nuts from Screwfix, which are much cheaper than Al ones.

Thanks all tips welcome we did not manage to get to see it today as we had a power cut and being a residential centre needed to be on site to sort when the power came back on after 11 hours so we try again tomorrow

Been to see it 8' x 10 ' Eden complete with staging and plant pots etc.
1 Happy Bunny now the hard work begins Saturday

Dear Gilly C, i am really pleased for you, hope all goes well, i think the weather is meant to be nice saturday so that will help.
Please do keep us updated.

Dear GillyC, was so pleased to hear about your find
Just one small question - how on earth do you navigate round the freecycle site I ended up nearly signing to take part in surveys before I realised what it was and cancelled

I didn't have any problems with the local ones but they are all run independently the ones here you have to apply to join just ny saying you believe in recycling ! then to be able to put a bid in you must first donate something - anything at all it is totally up to the person making the offer who gets it so simply by being the first does not guarantee anything, though I have been amazingly lucky I do not get emails so I just check the 2 local sites daily by looking at messages but I don't think you can access that part until you join, good hunting !

How's the greenhouse?