Designing and building my own home had always been a dream, but at age 70, I realized that my dream had to be down-sized in order to make it a reality. After six years of planning and collecting materials, I finally managed to build a greenhouse in my garden during the summer of 2017.
I did have to purchase four 4"x4"s to serve as corner beams. Tim, a wood-working friend, gave me valuable advice about constructing the frame.
...the reality of fitting the odd-sized windows into place caused my careful plans to undergo constant modification. Esthetics frequently gave way to achieving level-osity.
I had already collected all the tile, sand, and gravel necessary for the floor. This was another jig-saw puzzle task.
A few decorative touches...
...and the first plants were ready to move in.
Oh, happy, happy little garden house!
The greenhouse has been in use for a year now, and it has been the delight of my gardening experience. It allowed me to start vegetables and herbs earlier this Spring, and last winter, it protected strawberries and a grapevine from the cold and snow.
Nearly all of the building materials were salvaged. It took me a couple of years to collect enough wood-framed windows to form the four walls, and most of the hardware was repurposed hinges and hasps...
...not to mention the cinder blocks that were used for the foundation.
Each 4"x4" stood upright in a partially-buried cinder block. With a level, and the help of my friend Sherrod, we attached horizontal support beams to the uprights.
All of the measuring, cutting and prepping of the windows took place on a make-shift work table set up in the backyard, where I scraped, washed with vinegar, and re-caulked each window.
Although I planned carefully for the placement of each window (sort of like putting a jigsaw puzzle together)...
Because there is no electricity in the greenhouse (so only natural cooling and heating), I added a drop-down panel and screen on the "wind" side, opposite the screen door entrance.
Panel up...
...panel down.
Once the walls were up, I taped and painted the frames with left-over exterior paint.
The biggest expense (and the biggest challenge) was designing, constructing, and installing the roof. I bought panels of clear, corrugated roofing and connected them with PVC pipe. But how was I to get this cumbersome roof onto the top of the greenhouse? I'm 5'3" tall, and the greenhouse is 7' tall.
Friend Maggie to the rescue! She brought her tall son and grandson to lift the finished roof, set it on the greenhouse, and anchor it with zip ties that I had looped around the PVC pipe at intervals.
Yay! The roof is on! I was so happy that I hugged everyone and did a little dance in my backyard.
I even cried a little.
A few decorative touches...
...including a chicken-chalkboard...
