The new project

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussion' started by Loofah, Oct 4, 2019.

  1. Loofah

    Loofah Admin Staff Member

    Joined:
    Feb 20, 2008
    Messages:
    12,392
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Guildford
    Ratings:
    +21,171
    Extra pics of the sunken greenhouse...

    IMAG1699.jpg IMAG1698.jpg IMAG1697.jpg IMAG1696.jpg IMAG1695.jpg IMAG1694.jpg IMAG1693.jpg IMAG1692.jpg IMAG1691.jpg IMAG1690.jpg IMAG1689.jpg
     
    • Like Like x 9
    • andrews

      andrews Super Gardener

      Joined:
      Aug 28, 2018
      Messages:
      900
      Gender:
      Male
      Occupation:
      Waste Management and Consultancy
      Location:
      South Yorkshire
      Ratings:
      +2,369
      It would be great to get the greenhouse back in shape. Looking at that and the fruit cages, it looks like someone once loved the garden. There could be some nice surprises under the weeds.
       
      • Agree Agree x 2
      • Loofah

        Loofah Admin Staff Member

        Joined:
        Feb 20, 2008
        Messages:
        12,392
        Gender:
        Male
        Location:
        Guildford
        Ratings:
        +21,171
        Oh upon a time this would have been a glorious garden! Fingers crossed for some hidden gems on the plant front but really not sure on this greenhouse and it doesn’t have the growing height I’d like either
         
        • Like Like x 2
        • shiney

          shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

          Joined:
          Jul 3, 2006
          Messages:
          61,003
          Gender:
          Male
          Occupation:
          Retired - Last Century!!!
          Location:
          Herts/Essex border. Zone 8b
          Ratings:
          +117,307
          Is there a boiler house attached? Those heating pipes look pretty hefty.

          The raised beds reminds me of the layout of alpine greenhouses.
           
          • Agree Agree x 2
          • Loofah

            Loofah Admin Staff Member

            Joined:
            Feb 20, 2008
            Messages:
            12,392
            Gender:
            Male
            Location:
            Guildford
            Ratings:
            +21,171
            I think the boiler house has disappeared but might be hidden in all the junk. I assumed there should be something but not sure how these pit greenhouses work. Definitely more than a passing resemblance to alpines isn’t there...
             
            • Agree Agree x 1
            • Friendly Friendly x 1
              Last edited: Oct 6, 2019
            • lolimac

              lolimac Total Gardener

              Joined:
              Feb 4, 2019
              Messages:
              1,479
              Gender:
              Female
              Location:
              East Riding of Yorkshire
              Ratings:
              +4,927
              Cor that GH is begging to be restored,make a lovely Fern house/house plant house..I can see it now,terracotta tiled floor,surrounded by greenery and a nice seating area...

              Apologies..getting carried away:rolleyespink:
               
              • Like Like x 3
              • Funny Funny x 1
              • Loofah

                Loofah Admin Staff Member

                Joined:
                Feb 20, 2008
                Messages:
                12,392
                Gender:
                Male
                Location:
                Guildford
                Ratings:
                +21,171
                Oh don't let me stop you! Plenty of other people happy to spend my cash too so design away :)

                The architect has done a full survey of the site now so once I have that I might start to ponder a garden layout...
                 
                • Like Like x 3
                  Last edited: Oct 6, 2019
                • Loofah

                  Loofah Admin Staff Member

                  Joined:
                  Feb 20, 2008
                  Messages:
                  12,392
                  Gender:
                  Male
                  Location:
                  Guildford
                  Ratings:
                  +21,171
                  Have been doing some more reading around sunken greenhouses (aka pit greenhouses or malapini) and came across this video of a chap in Arizona building one from scratch. Lots of top tips throughout although I think there's 7 or so videos to the project

                   
                  • Like Like x 1
                  • Loofah

                    Loofah Admin Staff Member

                    Joined:
                    Feb 20, 2008
                    Messages:
                    12,392
                    Gender:
                    Male
                    Location:
                    Guildford
                    Ratings:
                    +21,171
                    I'm going to try and consider as many eco-friendly aspects as possible within this new project (money permitting!) and have started with solar panels as a part of the new roof - New build solar energy.

                    What other things should be on the list? Some form of underwater storage? Some form of sustainable drainage system (SUDS)? I'm sure there's a long list but that's about as far as I've got
                     
                  • Jimcub

                    Jimcub Gardener

                    Joined:
                    Sep 19, 2015
                    Messages:
                    339
                    Gender:
                    Male
                    Occupation:
                    Retired
                    Location:
                    Cheshire
                    Ratings:
                    +614
                    How about ground source heat pump for heating, either a trench or bore hole type.
                     
                  • Loofah

                    Loofah Admin Staff Member

                    Joined:
                    Feb 20, 2008
                    Messages:
                    12,392
                    Gender:
                    Male
                    Location:
                    Guildford
                    Ratings:
                    +21,171
                    Any ideas on costs for those?
                     
                  • Jimcub

                    Jimcub Gardener

                    Joined:
                    Sep 19, 2015
                    Messages:
                    339
                    Gender:
                    Male
                    Occupation:
                    Retired
                    Location:
                    Cheshire
                    Ratings:
                    +614
                    No idea really, £15,000?

                    if you did it yourself a lot cheaper, but it’s either hire a digger or get a drill company in.

                    I fitted underfloor heating in a large conservatory saved me a few £‘S, just read up on the subject when thinking of a project for the pros and cons
                     
                  • Loofah

                    Loofah Admin Staff Member

                    Joined:
                    Feb 20, 2008
                    Messages:
                    12,392
                    Gender:
                    Male
                    Location:
                    Guildford
                    Ratings:
                    +21,171
                    Well we'll have heavy machinery on site so it might be an option. I'll have a read up :)
                     
                  • Loofah

                    Loofah Admin Staff Member

                    Joined:
                    Feb 20, 2008
                    Messages:
                    12,392
                    Gender:
                    Male
                    Location:
                    Guildford
                    Ratings:
                    +21,171
                    Good news. The greenhouse timbers seem to be mostly OK. They're damp without doubt but the worst of the bad bits are the verticals between the panes where they have nailed them on to separate the strips of panes -

                    [​IMG]
                    The more solid rafter underneath is is surprising condition. Lots of work but definitely fixable!

                    Also paced it out and it's about 8m x 3m (about 26' x 10' in old money)
                     
                    • Like Like x 2
                    • NigelJ

                      NigelJ Total Gardener

                      Joined:
                      Jan 31, 2012
                      Messages:
                      6,042
                      Gender:
                      Male
                      Occupation:
                      Mad Scientist
                      Location:
                      Paignton Devon
                      Ratings:
                      +20,951
                      Like the greenhouse, doesn't look like an Alpine house not enough ventilation and alpines don't need heating.
                      Good news that the timbers are reasonable. I remember helping my father move and restore a wooden greenhouse, the worst part was removing the glazing brads and the old hardened putty.
                       
                    Loading...

                    Share This Page

                    1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
                      By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
                      Dismiss Notice