What a bummer!! My greenhouse is a 10x30 frame with thick plastic, I'm turning it into a garden shed/storage area. Hotter than hades in there! I go with perenials and haven't tried the veggy thing yet....working my way up to it. Maybe you could build one outa thick mil plastic.

Hmm, o.k., maybe I wasn't clear enough.. :)

DH absolutely refuses to build me a greenhouse, even though I already HAVE the windows to do it...

... so I'm giving away my windows.. :)

I live close enough,but I don't know if I can get any more windows........Too bad your DH won't play right,hate when mine gets that way. I'm 15 minutes out of Gulfport...and boy is it HOT!

15 OLD wooden windows!!!??? I'd kill for them. Can you deliver to NJ???
Seriously, have you tried freecycle.com. They would be snatched up in a heartbeat.
15 old wooden windows. Sigh.

Dragoness: Can you try and build a greenhouse - our local high school has a program where the students build things, free of charge, to get the experience, you supply the material. I realize it's summer. We also have a program here called Youth Works - teenagers 16 or so, who have been, or not, in trouble and they place them with employers for the experience and something to do to keep them out of trouble. The program pays them, not the employer. We have two such youths at work - and right now they work harder than the regulars. I'm guessing they are told they better do good or else (??) The Youth Works program is either run through the court system (maybe Juvenile Court) or a local program. Check with your courts, or even the police station or call your town/city hall and see if there's such a program in your area. We also have a company in town called "Labor Ready." You just call them up and tell them what you want done, they will send out men (women) to do it. When my bro came back to town and needed instant work, he went there and within a couple of days he was working. He made $7 an hour (not much but it helped) and the employee paid like $12, $13, or $14 an hour. To build a simple greenhouse, maybe a day's work. I also know of a woman who used cheap 2" PVC pipe (check Home Depot) and the joints that they use with it and built a small frame with them, then covered it all in the thicker ml plastic. She mostly uses it in early spring to put her plants out or start new one. Don't give up just yet.

I know what it's like when the DH doesn't want to do it. I had an outside light that hung from the wires for 8 months, and he was an electrician. His idea to fix the basement leaky faucet was to shut it off for two years.

If you must, I'd put an ad in the local paper to sell the windows real cheap and/or give them away. Decorative painters who paint on glass love them windows.

Good luck,

Sal

My Hubby is so stubborn, he insists that we are not getting a carport for my car, well he did suggest a $300 one from costco, those metal ones that look bad after a few yrs, so I've been hourding lumber supplies and am hoping to get some one to help me build it , when hubby's away or something. I am so bad, I just don't get why he says no to me, he knows me well enough that he should know I get what I want!!! And I never poo poo his wants, soooo I am always in a power struggle with him over my projects, it sucks!

Don't give them all away yet! A very nice and serviceable cold frame can be built from old windows. Use one window per frame for the top. Use wood or what have you for the sides, be sure that the back of the frame is taller than the front so that the window roof is slanted to catch the sun and so that snow and rain will slide/drain off. Just to give you the idea here-make the front side say, 18" tall and the back 24" with the sides tapering to fit. Don't make it short! The plants will get tall!!! You can also mount it on a frame so that you don't have to bend over or so that a wheelchair can roll up to it.
Mount the window on the rear of the frame with hinges and put a simple catch on the front-something wind and bunny/deer proof, a hasp works well. Orient it to the south or southwest depending on your latitude. It also helps if you can shelter the north and possible the east side of the frame, snug it up next to the house or a shed. Hay or straw bales will also do the trick. Once you have it in place, put in a nice layer of good garden or potting soil and you're ready to go! Monitor for moisture and ventilation needs, on warm winter or Spring days you might need to prop the top open a bit so that the air can circulate. Just don't forget to close it at night!
You can be having fresh greens or start your garden for next year when everyone else is just wishin' they could!

dragoness- you don't need DH to build it for you- you can do it yourself. The library has great resources for teaching you how to build things. The book I got from the library taught me how to do everything I needed to gut and rebuild over 3000 sq. ft of my loft apartment, starting with framing in all the new walls. I had never done anything of the sort before jumping into this project. Some things of course can use an extra pair of hands so you don't hurt yourself. I messed my back up setting a long wall by myself- but a short break was all it took to get me up and going again. Believe me, it is very empowering to learn that you can actually do construction yourself! (And power tools are FUN!!!)

sometimes DHs feels a bit insecure about making things...we think they can do it all...but that does not make them confident. Did he refuse to build or maybe he did not want one on the property? I would just give it time and figure out other things to do with them all over the yard, lol. but I am often evil, lol.

he's pretty much refusing to build it... but I'm showing him pics of other people's greenhouses hoping he'll come around... I mean, would you want to get rid of these?

{{gwi:167567}}

NO, NO, NO - don't give them away. Keep them. Do you have friends, or just one friend who might help YOU start to build it as "Lovesjunk" suggested? Once you start the project on your own, I have a feeling DH w/see "your mistakes" and w/want to step in and "correct" them. I'll bet he won't be able to keep from showing you HOW to do it RIGHT.

If those were mine, I'd take my old, ugly, kitchen cabinet doors off and use those old windows for cabinet doors. Too bad I'm way down here in TX or you and I would have that greenhouse built by the time DH got back from the barbershop! Please...Don't throw them away,just put them aside for now & wait. Read back over these messages, some are really clever & useful ideas. Girlfriend, I was married for 37 years to the laziest man on earth & after the divorce I had to learn how to do everything for myself. Guess what? It's not as hard as it looks, it's not mysterious, and I found talents I didn't know I had. The only thing I had to contract out was electrical work & then I had to keep an eye on those yahoos. While you're saving (hiding) the windows, watch for wooden pallets (shelves), old fence posts & pickets, a door(unless you want to climb thru the windows)...just keep piling up the stuff to use & get on the web and find some simple drawings of greenhouses that even a man can build. You go girl!

Keep the windows and put your husband on Freecycle! ;-)

Seriously, my husband is not handy and does no yard work but I've flipped that into the benefit that I have learned to be handy (as best I can) and I get full control over the garden.

I bet you can get your greenhouse without it involving your husband. Maybe? Possibly? I hope so.

Where there's a will there's a woman.

~Melissa in Canada
[my garden blog] [my garden art/junk]

You can find other uses for them also...like painting on them...screw hooks and hang one in a tree..better paint a design so birds won't kill themselves...build a small little house......MEN.....arrrrggggg.......hopefully you can find a handyman to help you build your dream greenhouse....beg and barter with someone! And yes, check your local school! Never say never.......!!! Good luck!

hi, i just wanted to add i built my greenhouse.it is not of old windows but it is the same concept.building a 2x4 frame.i used corigated fiber glass i bought from wal mart that had been laying behind the plant area for 3 years.
they had bought the wrong size when they put up the first greenhouse.i watched it for 3 years and every year i asked the manager if it was for sale.
i really stole it at the price i got it for but they finally decided it had been laying around long enough.so if you want this bad enough get a book and go for it.that is how i did it.dh came around in the end and did the electricity for me.it is attached to the family room and i use it year round.it is not big 8x17 but i can sure get a lot of stuff in there.there is a picture in the patio album where u can see the greenhouse at the side of the house.
judy
http://community.webshots.com/user/nana5111

I would call the nearest place that sold greenhouses, find out what the price was of the one that is the size that I wanted. Order it, and have them bring it out and set it up. Be certain to put it on a credit card, or take out a loan for which he WILL be responsible.

Remeber, as Dr. Phil says "He can kill you but he can't eat you"

OMG! Love those windows! Don't let them go, if not a green house you can use them for other projects! husbands sure can mess up our junk dreams!
Star

I agree with melissaincanada, freecycle him. Just kidding, maybe, sometimes. I also agree with everyone telling you that you can do more yourself than you think you can. I hope it works out for you.

Once on a garden tour out in Portland, Or., I saw a green house that was so wonderful made of the old windows. They had just put up the frame structure and used heavy duty hooks on the underside of the top frame all around and then put hooks on the top of the window frames and hooked them together. It was not absolutely airtight, but kept it warm enough in the winter and the windows could be randomly removed in the summer for air circulation. There were also hooks on the underside of the frames that hooked to the top support.

It was like a jigsaw puzzle actually, with windows hanging from the support and then from one another. If I'm not explaining this right, let me know and I'll try again.

Hi, I have been lurking on this site for a while and decided to jump in and tell you I would love to get the windows if you decide for sure to get rid of them. I have painted a couple with gallery glass paint and they turned out pretty neat. I hung one on my pump house, I would love to post a pic but I haven't figured that out yet. I have tried several of the projects listed, I really enjoy the site, we lost our new home to Hurricane Katrina and only got back in seven months later, we are busy trying to make this house a home...........Nancy

Was wondering if you'd gotten rid of your windows yet? I was looking for 4-5 to use for putting on my shed for decorations to make the thing look a little nicer. I live an hours drive from Gulfport.
I have a few bowling balls on hand and we might could make a trade or something if you want bowling balls. lol

dragoness,

girl, I gotta chip in and tell u not to toss 'em! My DH also grumbled and groused about me wanting a shed. I tried everything I could think of and the answer was NO!

So, I went ahead one day and built one myself out of old windows I had saved! Understand I am a real klutz with tools, so it was a bit scary to think about building a shed myself but I finally got so fed up that I decided to go for it!

I did lots and lots of research at the library and went down to the hardware store and asked lots of questions. What I did was get into my best meetin' clothes and then walk up to one of the men working there, and say "I have a couple of stupid questions". (trust me, this line works on male egos everytime).

Did you know? These days, they sell these metal plates in different sizes that have holes at each end. You put that plate over two separate pieces of wood, pound nails through the holes and voila! you have a pretty sturdy connection. They also sell L shaped brackets that you can use the same way to make corners. I got lucky, I was able to raid DH's stash of metal wazzits and come up with enough plates and brackets for my secret project.

So I assembled my stash, and hightailed it out to the backyard as soon as DH left. It took me longer than I expected and DH came home to find me struggling to try to put the roof on. He took one look at my "plan", decided he could do better (ok, maybe I nudged him a little in this general line of thinking), and went ahead finished it off.

True my little shed is not fancy or very big, but I built that darn thing and now its built, DH is kinda proud that the little woman actually built something substantial. Course he leaves off the fact he refused to build it for me for many years!

I actually took photos of the process, if you want to see them. I think you can see some of those metal plates which made it so much easier to do, in some of the pix:

http://s60.photobucket.com/albums/h33/manxomecorvus/Garden%20Shed/

Dragoness, I've been a lurker here for a while myself and had to chime in with the rest here.... please don't give up! Those windows are beautiful and I'm sure you'll regret getting rid of them. After all, old windows like that are hard to come by these days. I've also wanted a greenhouse made out of old windows and have seen some beautiful ones. They have sooo much more character than those factory made ones. Don't give up on your dream... Remember: "Where there's a will, there's a way!"

Blessings,
Beth

By no means give them up! My DH is hard to move also, but I have found if I start something he is right in the middle of it. My back porch was falling in and tried my darndest to get him to tear it off and redo, took three years and no progress, so I went out started tearing it off, he asked what I was doing told him I was going to replace it, and he jumped right in and now I have a new porch! Just have to out smart them. LOL

I know it's been a while, but I'd love to know what happened with your windows. Too bad DH wouldn't do it. I was going to suggest hiring a handy man, and a good lookin one at that. Make DH jelous.

Here is a link that might be useful: My old window projects

Hey gals, this is a big yahoo for those of you who love to do garden junk...im the hubby here and my wife does not like gardening or landscaping or anything outside...sooooooo i do as i wish and i am always up for new ideas.....please keep posting all the pics and ideas........Al ps ill have some pics posted of my rock gardens and footbridge i built and some of my yardwork.

OH MY GOODNESS!!! I would give anything for those windows. I paint on them , for people. I love those with the differant panes in them. DARN!!!! I wish you were coming to OHIO.
I paint everything from beach scenes to sports team logos, and primitive homes and farms. Its alot of fun, and you can place the berries, or a curtin around the top. They really make a nice gift for someone.

I agree , don't get rid of them , ck internet, and find one you can work with, and I also agree about DH will jump in, Thats how I get a lot of my projects done, I start and he can't stand it , he thinks I can't do it without his help(heehee) works everytime.

LOL....Finally another woman who thinks DH isn't dear hubby, but damn hubby.....Mine never helps do anything....but loves to criticize when I do it myself..