Put rocks in glass house

So, we got this greenhouse. Rowan and Kristina gave it to us. It was attached to their house and they didn't want it. It was a kind and generous gift. The size and shape were exactly what we dreamed about for a greenhouse, but would likely never get on our own. Nice, solid aluminum frame and real glass. So, exciting.

So in November I went down and spent a day to take the greenhouse apart. I loaded up all of the frame and most of the glass. I unloaded it into the shop and waited for drier weather.

Oh...right. November 2009. I don't know...it just kept raining? And then, oop, baby Ellie? Plus, I don't really know what I'm doing most of the time.

I'm pretty sure I started and stopped this project about three times. Each time the project got a little better planned, a little better designed, and a little more frustrating and annoying.

There are several factors that made the greenhouse project difficult:

• The greenhouse attaches to a wall. It is like a half house-shape. This requires a nice square, plumb foundation and attach wall. My shop is neither square, nor plumb, nor nice. Well, it's kind of nice, for an old, old shop. But it's crooked and creaky, to be sure.
• The greenhouse is about eight feet tall at the peak. The wall it attached to on Rowan and KK's house was nice and big, with nothing but flat siding surrounding the greenhouse. The wall of my shop were we aimed to put the greenhouse is about eight feet tall, and the roof rafters and eaves come down. The pitch of the roof of the shed is not quite the same as the pitch of the greenhouse roof. This required that we dig out a rather largish pit so that the greenhouse could fit under the eaves of the shop. Side note: This created a very large amount of dirt. We was another thing which we took a very long time to decide what to do with.
• I don't really know what I'm doing most of the time.

This was before I really started digging it out. Because this? This wasn't even close to how deep and wide it needed to be.

So, things went very slowly. Really, it wasn't until Paul came over and helped me get everything square and plumb with the foundation and the wall. It really was a two-person job. And in terms of house projects, Paul is sort of like one-and-a-half people, and I'm like half a person, so together we got it figured out.

Then the frame went up easy.

Then things sat for a bit. We needed to get some pea gravel to fill in the pit. But we also wanted to get gravel for our driveway. So much gravel! Stalled out. Gravel overload. We got no gravel, and got nothing done.

So last week, we just went ahead and got some damn pea gravel. Last weekend, the whole family moved gravel. Then I put up the rest of the frame and put in the glass. Tada!

Of course, the longer it took to get this greenhouse together, the less glass seemed to survive. There was only a few broken pieces when we took it down. One or two broke when I brought them up to Bellingham. Some smaller pieces got damaged when Rowan and KK brought them up. But the worst was just a couple months ago. After I finished our bench in the play room, I was storing the extra plywood and shoving it behind a dresser in the shop. I had forgotten that the greenhouse glass was leaning against the other side of the dresser. Forgotten until I gave a stiff shove and heard a sickening crash. I'm pretty sure significant cursing followed. About eight panes broke. It sucked. A lot.

So part of that "put in the glass. Tada!" involved an unpleasantly priced trip to Lowe's for plexiglass. The top is all plexiglass, which I figured would be good for defense from flying things, but it sags a bit. But it's fine.

One thing that didn't work is the roof window. The original had a window that would open to vent the greenhouse, but it attaches right at the wall and sticks up higher than the I didn't plan that into the design. So the rafters get in the way. We just didn't put it in. I think it will be fine. We've got some built in vents because I didn't cut the plexiglass quite long enough, but we don't talk about that.

Anyway.

Now we have a greenhouse! It is awesome! Our peppers will be pepperful! Our starts will start!

The project was a pain in the ass, but now that it's done (mostly), we're all happy. Not because it's done (mostly), but because We Have A Greenhouse! It Is Awesome! Our Peppers Will Be Pepperful! Our Starts Will Start!

Thanks Corbin and Eliza for helping with the gravel.

Thanks Erin for nagging  silently judging "supporting" me on this project for three years.

Thanks especially Paul for helping me get through the hardest part.

Thanks especially Rowan and Kristina.

*Still to do:

• Razor blade the glass to clean off tape, gunk, and other stuff that's been on there for 30 years probably.
• Figure out something for around the outside of the greenhouse, between the gravel and the grass.
• Build some sort of bench/table/shelf inside for pots, etc.
• Get pots or something for peppers and other inside veggies.