Building A Greenhouse

doc henderson · May 20, 2020, 07:56:07 AM

Great greenhouse, but I would find some shades and move in. could just mow once a week, instead of vacuuming. :D

DFILER2 · May 20, 2020, 08:07:18 AM

That is a really nice looking building, you did a great job, thanks for sharing it with us.

Planman1954 · May 20, 2020, 04:12:35 PM

Thanks. I'm sort of using this thread as a journal for myself too so I can remember what I did. I finally finished the outside wood...it's a great day. Tomorrow I'll start caulking again.

Planman1954 · May 23, 2020, 06:04:23 AM

The outside is basically finished!

caveman · May 23, 2020, 06:09:33 AM

That is the nicest greenhouse I have seen. I hope you will continue sharing this project with the FF as you start growing plants inside.

Planman1954 · June 08, 2020, 06:57:08 PM

Now that the exterior is done, I've begun work on finishing the interior. First, the electrical wiring was roughed in.
Today, I started work on some ceiling boards. In an earlier post, I showed the cypress being milled and then dried in my kiln. I made enough boards (hopefully) to use for the ceiling areas along the back half of the greenhouse. I cut them 12" wide x 1/2" thick... so the finished product is a bit smaller due to blade width and drying.
I began prepping them for installation by first ripping each board on my table saw to a more consistent width of 11 1/4". This will make them fit together snugly on the ceiling. Next, I ran the best side through my old planer to get one smooth and consistent surface to paint:

Next, I brushed on one coat of polyshades stain/varnish. I really like this product since it saves a ton of time and effort applying a quick and durable finish.

Tomorrow I hope to begin installing them into the rear storage area ceiling. I'll be installing them alone, and weight was a BIG factor in the thickness of the boards.....1/2" (3/8" finished) I'll hold the board up with one hand and staple gun in the other...fun! I'm using a cheap harbor freight staple gun with 1 3/8" staples. It does a great job even though it is cheap! I'll post more photos later.

Planman1954 · June 09, 2020, 02:17:59 PM

The rear storage ceiling begins.....

Planman1954 · June 11, 2020, 10:53:58 AM

Ceiling is DONE! Hurrah!

Planman1954 · June 15, 2020, 07:36:58 PM

Worked on the walls this weekend. I ran out of siding though, so started sawing my last two cypress logs...got about 50 pieces plus a lot of miscellaneous 1" stock. I'll be using almost every little piece of the last logs. Here's a photo of the rear wall ready to caulk and paint:

DFILER2 · June 17, 2020, 01:34:11 PM

That is amazing, I'm assuming cypress will stand up well to the high moisture content? We don't have much cypress in our swamps around here so I'm not familiar with how it does as siding.

I come back to look every time there is a post on this thread, mainly because it is such a great looking building.

Planman1954 · June 19, 2020, 09:38:22 PM

Thanks! Glad you are interested. It's been a long haul, but I hope to finish by the end of next month. The storage area is done except for paint, which I'll start Monday.

farmfromkansas · June 19, 2020, 10:11:52 PM

Very nice, like the clear finish on the ceiling boards, was hoping for the same on the walls.

Planman1954 · June 23, 2020, 07:51:54 PM

I know man. A clear finish would look great, and even be much easier to do. But I used white so that I could see stuff in the storage room more easily. I did the same on my barn storage area I built a few years ago.

Planman1954 · June 30, 2020, 05:15:50 PM

Happy, happy, happy! Storage room is DONE. I had to take those heavy doors off one by one and cut them for a good fit before installing the hardware. Makes me remember why I needed help to tote them out there from my shop. Also installed the electrical plugs, switch, and lights. Tomorrow I plan on building a ramp so I can ride my mower in there, and build a rack for implements such as shovels and rakes. Later...

Magicman · June 30, 2020, 08:41:31 PM

Thumbs up for you Sir!!

farmfromkansas · June 30, 2020, 09:16:56 PM

I like it. Would like to build one like it, but if I did, the taxes would go up so much I would have to put it up for sale.

Planman1954 · July 01, 2020, 07:23:39 PM

Ha! Wish you COULD build one too! It's definitely been a long haul, labor of love. I set mini goals to accomplish each time I go out. I persevere until my old body gives out. It was unbelievably humid and hot, even though I started at 6:30 am and worked until 11:00. Then I went inside and worked on my day job...drawing house plans.
Anyway, I got two things done today with leftover boards. First I made a ramp so I can ride my mower into the area, as well as roll different push mowers, etc. inside. Next I made a vertical storage bin for shovels, rakes, etc. I made it 18" above the floor so I can also put stuff below it. It was made literally from cutoff cypress waste boards! I use almost every piece that I cut and dry on my mill. I always save small bark edge cuts that many folks trash, making sure to square at least one edge for table saw accuracy later. For instance, all the little 1 1/2" slats were from scraps left over from squaring up cypress fascia and corner boards done a few weeks back.
Here's photos of today's work:

thecfarm · July 01, 2020, 09:27:25 PM

Like the rack!!!!!
Tools go in upside down so you can see what you have and they don't get all tangled up.

Tacotodd · July 05, 2020, 08:35:21 PM

Planman, good looking shelf/rack!

farmfromkansas · July 06, 2020, 09:23:42 PM

You are a whiz, Planman!

Planman1954 · July 18, 2020, 08:07:25 PM

I had to call a plumber for some home plumbing issues, and he is also going to dig a trench and connect the greenhouse to the house waterline. I plan on having a sink in the greenhouse, and I found a deep one for $35 on Craigslist which I bought. Since he is coming sooner than expected, I've had to switch gears and quickly build a cabinet for it and get it set in place.
I decided to use eastern red cedar for it since I have a lot in my lumber shed. I guess I'll use it for all the tables in there since it will last a lifetime for me. Here is a progress photo. It's 11' long and 2' deep and 3' tall:

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BTW, the bark on the top will all be hidden under the finished top, which will hold the sink and a slatted area which will allow trash to fall down to a trash bin on the lower shelf....Will come in handy which potting things or cleaning vegetables!
Here is a photo of it with a couple coats of exterior varnish. (The lower shelf boards are removed until I put it in place...it's heavy)

Magicman · July 19, 2020, 08:44:22 AM

You are progressing very nicely. 8)

Planman1954 · August 08, 2020, 05:22:28 PM

Been working on the inside area where the sink cabinet goes so I can install it...siding and ceiling boards. I'll start painting it next, and then work on the dirt floor.
I'll level it up and apply landscape fabric. Then I'll place concrete precast stepping stones in walking areas and pea gravel in other areas where benches will be. This also allows me to be able to plant trees in high ceiling areas anywhere they will work in the future.
Here are a couple of pictures that are over the cabinet area.