Need advice on how to fix my greenhouse

Jul 3, 2018 12:22 AM

My greenhouse has a row of four panels that are on a hinge and can be raised and lowered by a motor to control the temperature in the greenhouse. This mechanism is broken. The right side (pictured) has a bent piece (the mostly straight toothy bar in the lower middle towards the right) that caused the right side to stay stuck open while the left side closed. This broke the glass in the right two panes.

This is the unbroken left side. Both sides have been taken apart to disengage them from the motor so I could even them out.

A motor! The tubes sticking out on either side are coupled to the motor by screws that take shear stress when the motor is driving things. These screws were both sheared entirely off when we bought the house. I thought I had fixed it when I replaced the screws, but I didn’t address the actual root of the problem.

I’m comfortable with replacing the bent piece, but I don’t know how to go about replacing the panes of glass. The existing ones have been glued to the greenhouse frame with the glass on the outside of the frame. I expect I could acquire both glass of the right kind and size and appropriate glue. My main problem is access. The greenhouse is nestled between the garage and the house and the two broken panes are the least accessible.

I could get on the roof of the garage, but it seems slightly precarious to lean out over a bunch of glass on a slope.

The inside has a table built in that prevents me from getting right under it. I could take the table out, but it looks like it was built in place and is rotting, so moving it would mean completely disassembling it and making a new one. That’s on the to do list, but is more than I’d like to do at the moment.

Side question: the outside of the cinderblock base isn’t doing great. How would you fix this?

Carefully slide a 2x10 against the house up to the garage roof and then screw it to the house near the ground where you can reach it.

8 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

The last one is rising damp btw. even if you repaint it it'll happen again, you need a dampcourse material in there somewhere.

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

For starters almost none of that was green. You're gonna need paint and alot of it. Easily one of the least green houses I've seen

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 1

roof will support upper end. Attach joist hangers at an angle before putting it up. Build a support with 4x4s with an x-brace and place at

8 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

end of green house. Run some 2x6s from joists on house end to support at end. Use 3/4 plywood to make platform on 2x6s. Use ladder to get up

8 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

Fuck an engineer.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Pressure wash the cinder blocks. Then paint

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

FLEX TAPE

8 years ago | Likes 15 Dislikes 0

But wait! Theres more!!

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

NOW THATS A LOTTA DAMAGE

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

1/2 some good scaffold suggestions already. The cinder blocks are likely getting water ingress if the paint is bubbling. The cores are

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

2/2 Likely not filled. Strip and try an elastomeric paint rates for masonry. Then make sure theres not obvious openings for water to get in

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Anchor a beam to side of house ad build a platform above the bench to stand on. Then you can work through hole replace pane close2house1st

8 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

The lower second pane into place as you duck back inside. Suction cups make great handles for panes. Clean frames and bed pane in silicone

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0