Pics of glass greenhouse - What do you think of it?

Here is a link that might be useful: Glass greenhouse pics

Lynn,

The answer really depends on what condition it is in and how it will affect how you use your garden. Taking an old greenhouse apart can be a real challenge. Particularly one employing glass glazing. If the frames and fasteners are in good condition the take down and reassembly becomes easier but the removal, transport and reinstallation of the glazing can still be tricky and dangerous. That said it can be done and a 12 by 24 greenhouse is a very nice size. My advice is to take an honest look at what size will best suite you and your garden. If the 12 by 24 fits the bill take a critical look at its condition and the challenges you will face if you take it on. If it passes those litmus tests and fits your budget go for it.

SH

Hi Lynn- I answered your email before I saw your post here but I see you figured out how to post a photo :) Now you just have to change the privacy setting on your account that will allow the public to see it. Somewhere on your Kodak account there will be a place to click on Public Viewing as opposed to only allowing Friends with a Password to view it.
12x24 is a very nice size and will give you the room to have a potting and supplies area as well as room for all your plants. I have a 10x16 and I wish it were larger.
If some of the fasteners are damaged or rusted, you may be able to find replacements to put the greenhouse back together with, depending on what variety they are.
And you'll want to invest in a clear, solar pool cover to help insulate, if you're going to heat it. Glass is wonderful for allowing sunlight through but doesn't hold heat very well.

Okay everyone, here is (I think) the link to pics of my greenhouse, sorry for the mess up earlier.

Lynn
http://www.kodakgallery.com/soycandle/greenhouse_pics

Here is a link that might be useful: Greenhouse Pics

I bought a used glass gh, 8 x 12 a few years ago.

Mine had smaller glass panes than yours.

We didn't know it, but the owner had caulked the glass panels to the frame. It was a real "pain" to get them off, and broke almost a third of them trying.

It looks like this gh has thicker glass than mine. Try and find out if the glass is just set in or not.

We also only had to go 4 miles with it, so we just picked it up without the glass, one person in each corner, aluminum is light, put it on our flatbed, and drove it home. You have to think how much it will cost to move it if you can't do it yourself. Still, this gh would cost me over $3,000 today, so it was a bargain since I only paid $300 plus the broken glass.

I think it looks great! I wish mine was larger now. I don't think 24 ft. is too large...wanna trade? LOL

M

Oooohhhh! I want it! :)
How are you going to move it? Will you build a cement block foundation like the one it already has or something different. You could put some insulation in the new knee wall.
Butting it up to the south side of a shed would be nice to break the winter winds and provide a potting and storage area. Crushed gravel would work as a floor with perhaps a patio stone path down the middle. I had a gravel floor in my greenhouse at first and found I tracked a lot of gravel out the door in my boots. So eventually I bricked it with bricks I got cheap from a landscaping company at the end of the season. They sold me a bunch of small lots of colours that wouldn't match up with the new colours in the spring.

Here's the kicker - my husband already helped build this greenhouse once when he was in high school. It was donated and moved from another site back then (in 1994) hence we don't know how old it really is. Of course he just helped move it and did what adults told him to do. I have to wonder if the man slept through high school because he seems to remember very little about actually building it. He did say they placed the glass in the frame and caulked around the panes.

We live probably 2 miles from where it is now and can probably get a flatbed truck to move the frame. It would be awesome if we didn't have to take the whole thing apart. We're thinking it will be placed on a new foundation similar to what it has now, but don't have any other ideas, either. You may not see it in the pictures, but there's a small tree growing up through one side of it and some of the built in aluminum shelves are pretty bent up, but I'm hoping we'll be able to save the shelves and get them back into shape.

You can see that the heater looks rough, but it works. We have a corn burning stove to heat our home and are thinking about using one to heat this greenhouse. Any comments about that? As long as it's vented I don't think there's any harmful gases that would effect the plants. Of course, we've got lots to do before we get to heating it. I'm hoping to use it next spring or maybe this fall into winter to experiment with lettuce, other crops that can handle the cold. I guess I'm wondering what the possibilities are. I absolutely cannot wait to get it to our house. Of course I'm a bit obsessive compulsive at times when I really want something and this is a biggie.

Looks like instead of repairing tractors DANNY is going to be rebuilding a greenhouse this summer. If you break the glass panels you can replace them with twin-wall polycarbonate panels but buying the panels is expensive.
If you can get it cheap enough go for it but keep in mind that a new 10x12 HFGH with twin-wall polycarbonate panels is on sale for $599.
That one should cost much less if you have to dismantle it and move it and maybe have to buy several hundred dollars worth of panels to replace what is broken. That would be a nice GH after you get it home and up but you could very easily wind up with far too much invested.

Ahhhh, Gardenwantabe...always my voice of reason. You're right, I'll contact a glass company and see how much it would cost to replace all of the glass (just in case we do break all of the glass).

marquisella - thanks for the idea to move it by flatbed. We will if we can.

Wyndyacre - what kind of insulation in the knee walls?

Also, is my idea of attaching it to a potting/storage shed a bad oned bya door that should remain closed because the moisture would ruin the inside of the shed (wood), therefore I can't figure a way to get cross-ventilation, I was thinking I'd use a window in the shed since there's an exhaust fan on the opposite end of the GH.

Thanks,
Lynn

Lynn,

That's one nice greenhouse. If the large glass panels are n't glued/caulked in it won't take too long to remove and reinstall them. You may also find it splits into panels that can be transported with the glass in place.

SH

Lynn
With care you probably can remove the panels without breaking them. If you do need to replace any I would suggest that you use twin-wall polycarbonate instead of glass. You can buy it clear or frosted.
The advantages are if the kids throw a ball the PC won't break the glass will. If the mower throws a rock the PC won't beak the glass will. The PC will reduce heating cost it is much more efficient than glass.
I don't know what glass would cost but a 4'x10'twin-wall PC will cost $61.00 per sheet.
I would be tempted to try it but it all depends on the price. You should be able to buy it cheap because not many people are willing to tackle a job like that and so selling it would be difficult.
Like i said in my earlier post if the price is right go for it. But make sure you know what you are getting into.
Since you live in a farming area theirs got to be someone around their with a low flatbed trailer. A lot of farmers have those and are low. Like SH stated if it can be took apart in sections they could be hauled on a low trailer and put back together real easy. The problem will be removing and reinstalling the glass.

Lynn,

You might even find the installation manual on the web.

SH

I would not try to move it withthe glass in place.
The jolting will definitely break the glass.

Since the panels are larger than mine were, I would guess that they would be easier to take off. My panels were mostly 18 by 24 inches, and single pane.

I wouldn't chance moving it with the glass still on.

M