Hey Connie,

Your project sound really fun. I am working on a retrofit of my sunroom right now & using some recycled glass & lots of other recycled materials.

The sliding glass door on the roof thing sounds really cool. I was trying to imagine how you would weather proof that system though . . . Rain would get caught against the doors because they are recessed relative to the frame. If the roof was steep enough most of the rain would run off quickly but I suspect there would still be some little drips inside. I don't think sliding doors are designed to be that weatherproof, though you could certainly improve on that with some good silicon caulk. I think it would also be neccesary to drill some holes in the frame so that the water that collected at the bottom could drain away quickly.

I do have a question about your conversion of the shed plans to a greenhouse though. Are you still planning to use some regular walls that are insulated with windowlike panels set into them or are you thinking of an all glass house??

Glad to have you join us.

Kate

Welcome to the forum Connie. I'm so glad you could use some of the ideas from my GH to plan your own. And I can see why you were taken with the BH&G one. It's just cute as a button!

I think you'll be able to modify your shed plans to make a GH and you'll be happy to have the larger size also. GH's can never be too big!
And the antique kitchen counter and sink sound perfect.

Sounds like we have similiar lives, since I am restoring the 1926 brick schoolhouse I live in.

We salvaged and saved materials for several years before designing the GH around the best of our collected material. The big score was 9 old sliding doors out of a friends barn. And also many windows that were storms off a local historic train station. All materials were donated by friends including the solid wood end doors and the wood deck that makes up 1/2 of the floor.
We had no commercial plans but we both have renovation/construction experience and used a book called "Building a Multi-Use Barn" by John Wagner for construction reference.

The sliding doors are fairly old and woodframed so we were able to screw them down, directly to the roof joists. A thick bead of caulking was laid under them before screwing down and more caulking used along the seams. They are flashed and the asphalt shingles of the north side of the roof come over the ridgeline and overlap the top edge of the sliding doors.

All walls and spaces that aren't glass are insulated with fiberglass batting and vapour barrier, as is the north side of the roof which is asphalt shingled.
The framing is new treated lumber but alot of the plywood sheathing is pieces left over from other projects or salvaged.
The building is sided with inexpensive barnboard and stained. (I'll never use paint again now I've discovered how much less labour intensive stain is!)
One issue we've dealt with since the GH was built 6 years ago is the the seal on a couple of the double glazed doors has gone. These were pretty old doors when we acquired them and the seal just doesn't last forever. A small amount of water was leaking to the inside of the window and just sitting there. We knew we had to get rid of it before winter temps set in and it froze, perhaps cracking the window. So we drilled several tiny holes from the outside to reach the middle space and allow the water to drain outdoors.
This spring we'll apply some more caulking to the glass.

Here are some photos of the construction to help you visualize how the GH was built....

Daisy the cat supervises the job.

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Those wood framed, double glazed doors were heavy! With just the two of us to do the lifting, we devised a scaffolding scheme that allowed us to lift the doors in steps. I lifted from the bottom and he pulled from the top of the GH and screwed them in.

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We started construction in Sept and as you can see from the photos we thru several stages of winter weather before it was done. Thankfully, we got it pretty much closed in before true winter weather hit and we were able to work on the indoors stuff after that.

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Right above the door, you can see a spot that was cut out but then filled in. We had another window to go there but then ummmm....somebody dropped it and we decided we could live without it. :)
I ended up shingling that whole entrance side and I think that looks so much better, don't you? LOL!

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Wow that is gorgeous Wyndy! I hope mine looks as nice at the end.
Thanks for sharing.

kate

ps cute cat

hartwood

Welcome to the Forum. :) I hope you do keep us updated as you go along. The more pics the better.

My really big mistake. a "knee wall" on the south side.

It was essential for the stability of my structure as I built it, but if I did it again I would have sunlight all the way down. To heat the floor and trash cans full of water.

Thanks for the warm welcome, guys. This place reminds me a lot of the old house board I belong to -- I don't think it's possible to have too many pictures. Pictures of my project will, of course, be forthcoming. Just tell me when to stop -- I have a million of 'em. I have photographed everything I've done here on the house and grounds so far (don't ya love digital photography?), and I expect to document greenhouse planning and construction the same way.

Kate, I'm thinking that same thing about water on the door frames used on the roof. I guess it depends on the door panels I'm able to scrounge -- it helps to have friends in the window-and-door business. Some of the panels can come out of their frames, and some are sealed to their frames. My one window friend has told me that I could use vinyl picture windows on my roof. He said they're cheap (but not as cheap as salvage, however) and they'd have a warranty. I'm not sure about how well the manufacturer would honor a warranty on a window used on a roof.

As my plans stand right now, the south wall will be mostly glass. Salvage window sash, some set fixed in the wall and others with hinges at the top to make awning windows. The east end will have a glass door and windows; the west end will be mostly windows. The north side will probably be more like a conventional shed. I'll have a door in the northwest corner, with the cabinets and sink on that wall too. More windows, but probably just so I can see out rather than to admit light for plants.

Wyndyacre, I am in awe. Thank you for the welcome and for your blessing with my project. It means a lot. It does sound like we lead similar lives -- I oohed and aahed over the view of your house in one of the photos of your plant sale. Old houses are the best. (BTW, we have a helper cat here too.)

We have so much stuff collected for this project. A bundle of Hardi-shingles left over from the garage construction, that will be super on the gable ends -- galvanized half-round gutters -- more windows than I almost know what to do with -- architectural elements (two PVC federal fan gable ornaments, for example) to add the 'cool' factor -- a barn door -- and an assortment of garden junk to use as accessories when construction is finished.

Here's my primitive mock-up of my greenhouse, that I made using Google SketchUp. (It's a free program you can download from Google. I can see where it could be very useful, but I'm still struggling to learn how to use it.)

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Connie

Hi Connie
Nice picture :)

I`m sure you`ve already thought of it but just in case you haven`t, try to get doors or windows that are fitted with safety glass for the roof panels.
In the worst imaginable scenerio, you`d be only be showered with very small cubes of glass instead of 3ft long jagged shards.

Connie,

Welcome to the forum. There are great people with a lot of experience here to help you. Good luck with your construction.

If you are looking for something a bit lighter than windows for your roof, you could always go with twinwall polycarbonate and frame them in to look like a window as I did with mine.

We often tend to have summer hail storms and I would rather not have broken glass everywhere in my greenhouse so I opted for the polycarbonate.

Good luck! It is so fun when you take the time to plan and then see your results once you start construction.

Tj

Your Google Sketchup drawing is pretty neat. The architectural windows will look great. I wish I had some when we were building but of course I didn't find any until we were done.

The sliding doors on my GH are all tempered glass and would break into crumbs if we were so unlucky for them to break. In fact, they've withstood a couple hailstorms a year since the GH was built but we stored away the extra doors "just in case" something happens in the future.

Do you have a website or blog of your house and grounds renovations?

We just acquired an Apple computer which has great templates for building websites and I've just begun one of my schoolhouse reno and gardens. I'm an absolute neophyte though so it's going to take some time.

Looking forward to seeing your dream GH come to life and viewing some photos eventually.

Connie,

I recycled the patio glass doors into the windows for the front of my sunroom and after a bit of work got them out of the frames. They are safety glass. I think all newish patio doors are safety glass. I know because I wanted them cut down a bit but ended up engineering the frames around the windows.

If you do use them for the roof they wouldn't really be openable unless you leave them in the frame. Is it critical that you get no drips from the ceiling if it will be a greenhouse. As long as the water doesn't pour in it might not be bad for the plants to get a bit more moisture. You could probably carefully route its path so it wouldn't damage the wood.

We have hail here too & I am need to build a trickle through solar panel that will go on the roof. I would love to use recycled glass since the clearer the better when you are doing solar panels but I may end up with something tougher.
Still debating on that.

Kate

"In the worst imaginable scenerio, you`d be only be showered with very small cubes of glass instead of 3ft long jagged shards."

I think safety glass doesn't break into small cubes. It shatters but will not fall out from the frame.

Only tempered glass break into little cubes.

dcarch

I think you`re right,
I`ll blame it on the xmas multi-tasking :)
The main thing is that it can`t injure you, if it goes while you`re inside the gh.

I am sooo glad I hit this particular thread! This is exactly what I was thinking of building!
The windows can be had from a salvage yard, probably...as I think someone else asked...perhaps I missed it....how did you seal the sliding door glass on the roof???

How is heating cost for you?

I'd like to build a grenhouse for around 2k-2500....the lumber will be pretty chea. Siding can be had pretty cheaplyalso. I plan to insulate the North wall and the unglazed areas of the roof, which will be a couple hundred $$....Anyone wanna send me the plans in PDF or png? Would greatly appreciate it...especially the roof glazing cross section to make sure I get the right materials to seal it in.

Mark-

Ladylotus,

Curious about the twinwall polycarb..where did you get yours? It seems pretty high priced compared to double glazed slider glass...I do like the concept of it though...and the lightness compared to glass.

You are all suggesting things regarding the roof panels that I have been struggling with.

Sliding door panels, if I can get them from one of my window-guys, would definitely be the most cost effective -- since they'd be free. The 'dangerous broken glass' aspect of putting them on the roof is definitely a consideration. We don't get hail storms here like they do in some parts of the country, so the material's resistance to hail damage is lower on my list of priorities. The BH&G greenhouse plan uses the twin-wall polycarb. That's also a contender . . . but I'd rather have some sort of glass so I can look at the sky.

Wyndyacre, the idea of renovating and living in an old school is so cool. How much of the old school stuff was still in the building when you bought it? We don't have a web site . . . yet. Like you, I would love to do it one day -- soon, I hope. I'm not dedicated enough to document things in a blog -- tried it briefly, and I discovered it's just not my thing. I have hundreds (maybe thousands) of photos of the place and all the projects at various stages of completion. If it's not too off topic, here's a few for you:

A good view of the front of the house -- built in 1848.:
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What it looked like in 1954, before the previous owners removed the dormer and the original gingerbread trim:
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This is the view to the rear of the property. I plan to put the greenhouse in the area at the lower right -- approximately in line with the other two buildings. The cedar tree will be limbed up a bit, and I think it will make a great backdrop for the new building. (I think this photo brings us back on topic.)
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zengeos, if you go to a salvage yard for windows, you have to actually pay for them. Contact some replacement window companies in your area and ask them if they'll save some of the ones they remove for you. That's where a lot of mine have come from. In fact, the ones I plan to use for the south wall of my greenhouse are brand new -- the contractor measured the openings wrong and the windows were the wrong size . . . so they gave them to me instead of throwing them out. Sliding glass door panels are throw-away items. You're probably not going to find them anywhere sold as salvage. To use them on a roof, you would have to do like installing a skylight and use flashing around them before you put on the shingles.

I know it's a greenhouse and a little leak shouldn't be a big deal . . . but I'd rather try to avoid leaks if I can. I volunteered with Christmas in April (now 'Rebuilding Together') for many years, and I have seen the carnage that a little leak can create in a wood structure.

I'm having so much fun scheming this project. I know my husband loves the idea of my emptying the outbuildings of my salvaged treasures and using them for something worthwhile. I'm very thankful I could use wyndyacre's photos of her greenhouse to show him approximately what I'm trying to do. I know, by my descriptions alone, that he was probably picturing something that looked like it belonged on 'Sanford and Son'.

Connie

Connie, one nice thing about the polycarb is that it will diffuse the light much better than glass. Diffused light improves photosynthetic efficiency and plant growth. You won't look up that much. You will look out the walls. Consider PC on the roof and glass on the walls.

zengeos,

I purchased my polycarbonate from Farmtek. They have 4, 8 & 10 mm polycarbonate in different sizes.

http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10052&storeId=10001&langId=-1&division=FarmTek&productId=33814

I did have the sliding glass doors for the roof, but changed my mind after trying to heft those heavy buggers up on the building and worrying about having one of them break and trying to find one that would fit that exact same size frame.

I framed the polycarbonate sheets in and they look similar to windows. In addition, when I framed them in and placed them in their channels, I kept the bottom of the poly open without the channel so that if I had to replace them all I would have to do is take out the screws, pull the poly down. To install a new one I would just need to slide it up in the channels and resecure with screws.

I used quite a bit of caulking as I don't want leaking at all. If anything leaks it would not take long for it to ruin the framework and insulation of my building.

Tj

"------but I'd rather have some sort of glass so I can look at the sky. "

Nice looking house.

1. Go with glass roof, it's more in keeping with the look of the house.
2. Keep the pitch the same as the house roof.
3. Sliding door most likely has tempered glass, so breakage is not a big problem.
4. Get an extra panel for future replacement, in case one breaks.

dcarch

I have plenty of room, so will stick with a row garden for a few years yet, until I have gradually added enough compost and other matter to raise the entire garden about 6" I do wide rows though, nearly 3' wide in some cases, and pile the soil up onto the garden rows which raises each of those beds about 6".

I want to cloche or cone some rows for earlier planting of things like garlic, radish, carrots, beets, etc as I might be able to get double plantings of some of these, as well as several crops of lettuces and spinach. We'll see I guess. Wish me luck all!

Just curious..for the roof window portion...can a double layer be made? Say...sliding glass door panels, and, over those a layer of clear polycarbonate? That should effectively make a triple glazed roof and improve insulation qualities.....

Does that sound realistic/doable?

Zengeos-I don't know anything about the logistics of doing such a thing, but putting a sheet or sheets of polycarbonate over the sliding door panels sure sounds like an idea to consider.

1) You would get some additional insulation effect from it because of the air space.
2) Would provide bright, diffused light but might not get so hot in summer months.
3) Would protect the glass from hail, fallen branches etc.

You could make it easily removable if you wanted by putting in a lightweight wooden frame and screwing it down. Or just screw it directly to the roof with large washers and caulk around it.

If it was one large sheet, you could make it slightly larger than the roof, so that it hung over each of the sides a little and it would provide waterproofing to the sliding door panels.

This is a great idea and I'm really thinking on this now!

So I need to find some old glass door panels for the inside and some polycarb to go overtop, plus the various gaskets and fasteners. Basic lumber should be pretty cheap. I have some old vinyl siding pieces I can reuse on the backside, I think....so this may come together this coming year IF i CAN SALVAGE ENOUGH MATERIALS.

oops sorry for caps

On the Google Sketchup-get the fairly new Sketchup for Dummies book if you haven't yet...the software can be pretty frustrating.