A greenhouse project, part 2

The weather in the Northeast has changed for the better, and I could finally resume work on the greenhouse project.

It's been a busy week.

First, I dug the holes for the posts foundation. I actually snowblowed all the snow away from the site a few weeks ago, so with the warmer weather the ground thawed nicely. I went with eight 4ft deep holes filled with concrete (block, dry stacked, and poured solid). While the concrete was still wet, I inserted sill bolts and waited two days for everything to cure nicely.

With the concrete set, I built a frame from pressure-treated lumber (4x4 beams), which was then bolted to the posts. This is the only PT lumber I'm using, as I do not want to chemicals in my soil or food.

With the foundation done, I moved my four framed walls from the garage to the site, and set them in place. These were first stained, and later screwed to the PT base with 5" long stainless steel screws (#10) every foot, and to each other at corners.

Originally, I planned on making a 12 pitch roof, centered on the greenhouse. But then I decided against it, as I would have to build a pretty substantial header above the door. So, the roof shifted off center, with the south side being an 8 pitch, and the north side being around 15. The south side receives sun from early morning on, so the larger roof area will help with heating the greenhouse.

The north side roof framed

The "purlins" to support the polycarbonate roof pannels"

With that done, I inserted the recycled windows. All the frames I made for the windows worked out fine, with just a little gap between the wood and the windows to allow for expansion. All these will be sealed with silicone. Here are pics of the different sides (the windows being recycled, I went with whatever sizes I could get - the font two large windows are actually inserts from French doors):

Next, I'll have to make some cross-ties between the rafters, which will not only make sure the roof stays solid, but also provide support for hanging baskets. Then it's sealing the windows to make them weather-tight, and start working on the roof. So far, I'm leaving the gables open. I'm looking for a few more windows to fill that space, but if I won't find any, I'll frame it and cover it with some cedar siding.

To be continued...