I've built 2 glass houses. Not really to use as greenhouses but just cause I like the way they look. I collected windows and doors on craigslist.

The 2nd one shown was left behind at my old house.

{{gwi:293076}}

I need to get updated pics of the first one listed since I've been painting it and am almost done.

rafor,
I love the 2nd one!

A big welcome to you oklahomarose!'

I think I can tell you right now everybody else that posts after me is going to say "I want one" that doesn't have one now ;-)

I lust after a greenhouse each and every time I see one of those ads in the mags. I'd want the real thing- glass greenhouse with brick sides. And naturally it would need to be big enough for me to loaf around in on a wintery day. And maybe tall enough to have a small citrus tree or two.

I'm afraid the kind I want are way to $$$ for me, but it IS fun to dream! Plus where would I put such a big greenhouse? Wonder if any of the neighbrs would notice a big greenhouse suddenly erected in their bare backyards? LOL.
CMK

My dad made one for my Mom last year. They live in a relatively new subdivision (well, 24 years old) and everyone was just replacing their sliding doors. He got 2 5' and a 6' slider off the neighbours, built a frame, made the greenhouse 5x6' approximately with a backer up against the fence.....It's typically around 15C warmer in there during the winter than during the summer. She was able to overwinter all of her herbs, which never happens!!! Total cost for the project was around $150. He's even hooked up solar lighting so that he didn't have to hook it up to the house...

I LOVE those glass houses!
I too want a greenhouse very badly. I have some friends who can help me build it, and I've been collecting windows and glass for a few years. One friend gave me about 10 double hung new wood windows a client had removed from their home. BRAND NEW, and someone else gave me a dozen paynes of thick vintage 20's greenhouse glass and they are 8x3. I figure the solid glass can be the sides and the windows can be the roof. Another friend is keeping an old door for me that has glass in it. I would like a nice screen door to go with that (open in the heat for ventilation but keep the creatures out). I just need more windows. We have the spot picked out for it. As soon as more work is done in the back I think it can be built, maybe in a year or so.

I have drooled over Rafor's since she posted hers, and have been collecting windows and sliding glass patio doors!

rafor you gave got to STOP posting these pics ! Don't tell me you made that with no electric tools....please. Can you post a pic of what you do have in the way of power tools...I am trying to convince DH I won't amputate any important parts LOL> c

That is awesome rafor!!!!!
CMK

Rafor, great job, I want one :).

Food for thought when building a greenhouse, you might want to think about putting a door in both ends, great for ventilation in the summer, if you want to use this end for plants/bench, maybe make it a slider if space is a problem.

I'm wishing I had thought of putting a second door in mine if just for easy access. My greenhouse has polycarbonate panels which so far (15yr+) are holding up well. If I ever have to replace the panels in the back end I'll definitely put another door in. Another thought, build as big as you have room for, you'll find your greenhouse no matter how big you build it won't be big enough :).

Annette

I love your glass house, rafor.

I want to be 20 years younger so I can start collecting windows/doors and have one of my own. At this point in my life I don't know if we will be here much longer and I don't have the time/energy to put into a new building. I'm concentrating on winnowing my garden beds to make my gardens more manageable and attractive to a less serious gardener.

In the 2nd glasshouse with the metal roof, there are doors on 3 sides. The side that doesn't have a door has 2 sets of french windows. Love those!! Amazing the difference in temp when the doors/windows are open and the sun is shining. With everything closed up (and just so you know it's not quite finished, so there are still plenty of air holes for ventilation!!!) it can get pretty toasty on a bright, sunny day. Now I'm going back out to paint the back side and one of the doors.

Hi oklahomarose! It's good to see another Okie on here. Yes I want a greenhouse! I want one of those real glass ones you see in the gardening magazines, but since they are thousands of dollars, I'll never get one. So I've been collecting wooden windows and doors. Luckily we have a friend who tears down houses. I need to know how to attach the windows together. Are they screwed or nailed to 2x4s or what? I need to save rafor's pictures. I like those. And do you put it on a slab or brick floor or what? Also my husband won't let me use the power tools for fear I'll cut my hand off or something. I don't really think I would. If I build one I'd like to put some pretty frou frou brackets on it. I can see it in my mind, how I want it to look. And if I had one maybe my plumbago wouldn't die over winter.

Susie (in Sawyer, OK)

Here's our 6 x 8 cedar greenhouse with 6 ml plastic built from a kit I purchased off Craiglist for $300 after the person decided they weren't going to built it themselves. I've had it over a year now & though it's not as weather hardy as I had thought it does help extend the season for me. I love the dry laid brick floor inside & paver patio we added outside. Bricks & pavers were free off Craigslist & gathered over time the past 2 years in anticipation of the project.

Hubby installed a fan to keep the air moving. There are 2 vents near the ceiling on the ends & just one door that opens to the patio. We used a no-freeze heater thing for a boat & though it puts out a bit of warm air it didn't prevent the greenhouse from freezing temps when we had 13 degree lows. I lost several lavender & rosemary plants after all. It would probably be too much to heat with a heater, but I might use some bubble wrap to protect things better. I also have a freestanding shelf greenhouse with plastic zippered cover & have used that inside too for that double layer, but it limits air circulation too much & is only good for seedlings or very small plants.

I winter sowed in jugs on the deck as well as in the greenhouse & this spring used it for holding veggies & flowers until ready to plant out.

We put it in the backyard because I wanted it part of our landscape, but knew that our sunshine is limited with all the trees around. If I put it out front along the driveway garden there would be more sun, but also more wind & I wouldn't be able to go out in my pjs to check on plants.

We added a few portable fountains purchased at clearance or garage sales along with the seating off craiglist ($25 for the bistro set in the box & $40 for the bench as staging for a real estate property) so it's now a fun place to sit as long as it's not raining. I like the view at all times of the year.

This is the view from the back porch & hot tub this winter with the red chicken coops in the background & what I see from the kitchen sink window. At Christmas time my hubby added lights to iron oblesks to make mini trees & set them near the concrete deer. It was nice to have something light out there as we have short December days. I think we'll put some rope lights in the greenhouse this winter for fun.

I would but there's no room. I would even settle for a cold frame, but then again no room.

on the otherhand my young daughter wants a covered bridge/barn with windows to set up as her playhouse. Again no room in the backyard.

susie- don't let your husband stop you from using those power tools! i have used ours for years and my dh is the one who had to have major surgery from an accident with a hand-held sander; he sanded the tendons in his wrist apart! another guy i know has cut off some fingers, and another planed his hand!
i have logged hours with our metal and woodworking tools and they are a lot of fun. i think we women are much more careful, so insist on using them if you want to build fun things! min

Hey, everyone! Thank you for helping me dream! I want a gorgeous greenhouse, dammit, and I'm gonna get one!

Rafor, your pictures inspire me! Your greenhouse is so pretty.

Corrine1.......love it! Thank you for all the details and feedback. (I used an electric heater with auto shutoff in my plastic hobbyhouse last winter and did fine with minus 12 temps in Tulsa. The key for me is keeping plants from touching the walls; if that happens, they burn.)

Susie gardener: Hi, Okie!

Christinmk: I see that you live in eastern Washington. Howdy. (I grew up near Puget Sound but left for grad school and now live in Oklahoma.)

girlgroupgirl: One year is not long to wait. You are on your way. I'll be right behind you.

I'm drooling at everyone's amazing Craigslist finds. I have had NO LUCK finding good stuff on Craigslist in Oklahoma. Has anyone else done better?

Everyone: Thank you for the nice welcome and for all your sharing. You make me believe in possibilities.

Andrea

Hint Hint: try window replacement companies. I work for one and the installers bring back all the old wood windows and throw them in the dumpsters!! they should let you take what you want...
I'm sketching up plans for a GH now and hope to start building next week.

OMGosh! Those houses are awesome!

I have a small greenhouse. At one time I had a larger greenhouse and had a flower shop/greenhouse business. The larger greenhouse is now our family room. When I sold the business I knew I wanted to keep a small greenhouse for my own use. I built a lean to off the family room.

Hi rafor,

I like the look of your second greenhouse,..yep i would love a good sized greenhouse,..i have a walk in greenhouse,..small!,.. though i suspect what ever size i got or built i would be thinking of going bigger after a spell.
==============================================

Hi corrine1,

Love the appearance of yours and you have thought of everything plants would need as well very good.

=============================================

Hi jhosta,

You must have made a very good job of the larger greenhouse to convert it into a family room,..well done!,..the lean to is big enough for small plants and a seed starter plus a potting area.

Philip

Philip, When my husband built the big greenhouse he had plans to make it into a family room eventually. It was built between the main house and garage. You would be surprised at how much and how big the plants are in the smaller greenhouse. It is 17 feet buy 8 feet. The larger greenhouse was twice as long and much wider. It is just right for my needs. j

I would love a greenhouse, but I have very little flat land on my lot. Most of it is varying degrees of a sloping hillside. So a greenhouse stays on my dream list along with a fish pond, a waterfall, and a potting and tool shed that looks like a cute little cottage. I hope you can really get yours some day soon, and remember to post pictures of it when you get it. :-)

sandyslopes z5, We have lived in our home for 43 years. In that time we have done a lot of changes.I also dreamed of the green house the pond and the shed.
I have dug a small pond (twice) The first time it was to small so I took it apart and rebuilt it. We have enjoyed the pond for a very long time. We are at an age that we are going to down size our gardens and the pond will be filled in. It is a lot of work spring and fall to empty and clean it. I have gold fish that are over 15 years old. We will have a large above ground tank for them next year.
I love our little garden shed.j

Here is our pond before the last redo. there are now block in place of the limestone rock. I don't know how to post more than one picture. sorry

Sandyslopes, have you ever thought of digging into the slope, a semi pit greenhouse? Where there's a will there's always a way :).

Annette

Hi jhosta,

Gosh the picture of your smaller greenhouse is deceptive,..17 feet by 8 feet is big enough for everything and good planning in advance by your husband to change the big greenhouse into a family room,..love your shed and pond.

I found myself taking a measure tape to see could i fit a bigger greenhouse into my workspace today,..seems i have the greenhouse bug lol.

Philip

jhosta, that's it! You have the kind of shed I wish I had. Functional for the garden, but cute enough to add so much charm.

I also dream of a pond, but in reality it sounds like a lot more work than I want to make for myself. Yours looks really nice, and hostas always go well with water features. Lucky fish to have such good care. Do they overwinter in the tank somewhere warm? I had bad luck when I tried moving my aquarium fish to a new home and haven't gotten any more.

Annette, that never occurred to me to dig the greenhouse into the hillside, ....which happens to be the way my house is built. I guess if they can be up against a house, they can be partially built into a hillside. Hmm. But I have so much shade, I don't know that it would work out even if I had the muscle to do it. The closest I come is my winter sowing containers, kind of mini greenhouses.

Another way you could do it, is to build a frame into the slope then you'll have a level area to sit your greenhouse on, this way the end the door is in will be level with the ground and you'll have some added height in the greenhouse at the other end.
My greenhouse is sitting on a landscape log frame, this was done on purpose to give me some added height. The little patio in front of my greenhouse was built so it's level with the door, I step down into my greenhouse.
Does this make any sense LOL.

Annette

Annette, I had to read that a few times, but I think I can picture it. If you built that you're very ambitious and a hard worker. And making a patio in front of the greenhouse sounds practical and cute at the same time.

If you want pretty, this may not be for you, but here is a link to the quickie, but strong, greenhouse I built some years ago. Also check out the page Greenhouse Re-Do in the list on the right side for how it looks now.

ThinMan

Here is a link that might be useful: My greenhouse.

thinman: very cool construction!

I've enjoyed seeing everyone's very cool greenhouses! Hope to have a larger one in the future, now I just have a small 6x6. Something to plan for!