My ideal glasshouse is a near-free upcycled style utilising old wooden windows and building walls to support it. My planning was a decision process, what do I want to build, what do I want to grow in it, and where’s the best place for this in our yard?
The outcome really needed to be an improvement on our makeshift shed. I knew I had the skills to build and make a suitable space for growing plants. The needs were simple:
- Over 2 metres tall with a mono-pitch roof
- water catchment
- Reduce the wind, control the airflow
- Hedgehog proof non-muddy work area floor
- and able to catch the morning and all-day sun
Here’s the simple build list – building to my next-to-nothing budget, ideally under NZD 100. Although the actual build cost was $320, the most significant cost was the Clearlite and lumber to support the Clearlite.
- Design, plan, and measure
- Find and buy cheap old windows.
- Collect the windows ready for installation.
- Find and buy old wood for foundation and framing (< $60 total)
- Collect the wood and materials needed.
- Start planning the size and considering the windows
- Demolish the old shed & save the screws for reuse
- Create the foundation
- Create the first wall
- Finish all the walls and structure
- Put the roof on.
Tools required:
- Circular drop saw
- Screwdriver and plenty of various-sized screws (75mm to 100mm)
FINDING & BUYING
- I had seen before starting this project that old wooden windows were freely and readily available on TradeMe. It was easy to source old windows, and after a few bids for $1 (one dollar), I was on my way with a small collection of various-sized wooden windows.
- What I had not factored in was that the glass was weighty, and the wooden frames were solid wood, which meant that I needed help collecting the windows.
- I left buying the Clearlite roofing to the last task, as several other factors needed resolving.
DELIVERY
- Collecting all the windows was quite an ordeal. Travelling to many locations to pick up large and heavy old windows, some in poor condition, others in near-new condition.
DEMOLITION
- Already occupying the preferred location was a makeshift woodshed. The shed comprised pallets and other recycled building materials, some of which could be reused in the glasshouse build.
TIDY & FOUNDATION
- After the areas had been defined and cleared, the next task was to level and establish the foundation.
- The design that I had made used piles to keep the main frame away from the soil. However, fitting my limited budget, the piles I had access to included bricks and treated posts. I used the posts to make four corner piles, and supporting these were stacks of bricks.
WALLS
- The walls are 90% windows, which are very heavy.
ROOF
- Quite possibly the easiest part of the build.
- I purchased lumber and Clearlite (clear fibreglass corrugated sheets) and screwed these into place.
RESULTS
- In the first year, I recovered the total cost of the build from fresh produce.
- Fresh organic tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, and microgreens.