Anchoring a Greenhouse

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Anchoring a Greenhouse

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Behemoth

Joined: 01 Dec 2004
Posts: 19023
Location: Leeds

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 07 10:16 am Post subject: Anchoring a Greenhouse
I'll be putting up my 6x4 greenhouse in a few weeks (hopefully) up at the al;ltoment. It's the standard aluminium frame. It's got no base. What's the best way to anchor it? Paving slabs, how big? Breeze blocks? Is buying a ready made base quicker and more convenient? How do they actually work? All comments and suggestions welcome. Cheers

supersprout

Joined: 07 Jan 2007
Posts: 66

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 07 10:29 am Post subject:

I was lucky enough to get a second hand greenhouse last year. We didn't want to put anything permanent down, so we mounted it on a frame attached to the ground with piles. First we bought stout scaffolding planks from Jewson and some 2 ft long 2"x2" stakes (they cut the stakes for free) for piles. We slapped on organic preservative, pounded the stakes in at corners and along the length, drilled and screwed the planks into them, using spirit level to make sure they were level. With hindsight, 4"x4" would have been better.

We centred the planks on the actual dimensions of the greenhouse. Then we screwed the greenhouse to the foundations.

Once the whole thing was screwed down, we laid black plastic on the ground. It's more than a one person job, company makes the job go faster!

LynneA

Joined: 25 Oct 2006
Posts: 4893
Location: London N21

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 07 11:59 am Post subject:

When we put our shed up, nearly six years ago, Howard dug a 8' x 6' pit and half filled it with gravel. He then amde a "raft" of the same dimensions and wedged it in the pit, and secure the shed on top.

It's still securely in place. We used a bottle of fireproofing liquid we had leftover from painting backdrops to coat the inside, which proved useful when we had a spate of shed arson attacks a year or so back.

nettie

Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 5888
Location: Suffolk

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 07 2:16 pm Post subject:
We levelled the area, covered it in deep sand, and put 6 giant paving slabs on top. It's still standing 3 years later so I guess we did OK!

hacky

Joined: 31 Aug 2006
Posts: 43

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 07 2:47 pm Post subject:
2" angle iron 2 foot long was driven into the ground inside the green house around the edges in the four corners, this was then screwed to the GH frame. its still standing, even after last thursday, but the front panel has bowed in 1/2"

oldish chris

Joined: 14 Jun 2006
Posts: 4148
Location: Comfortably Wet Southport

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 07 3:55 pm Post subject:

I had an 8x8 greenhouse on an allotment, in an exposed position. Ally frame on (homemade) base made from 2"x4" joists. Internal path of 2'x3' slabs. First winter it move 5'! No glass was lost. On inside of g'house, I fixed rope from one side of base to other, across the middle and crucially under a 2x3 slab. The following winter it only move 1'! Easily levered back into position with a spade.

Hope this helps!

Chris

James

Joined: 11 Jan 2006
Posts: 2866
Location: York

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 07 4:57 pm Post subject:

6 x 8 greenhouse:

dug a trench a bit deeper than the depth of a breeze-block (not the width or the length, the middle dimmension).

filled base of trench with sharp sand & cement to form a level (not perfectly level, just "good enough")

put breeze-blocks in, bang into place with hammer & wood (some ended up at different levels after this, but hey...)

backfilled trench with soil & cement around breeze-blocks

secured aluminium greenhouse to breeze blocks with wall bolts.

used expanding foam filler to fill gaps.

I've got no settlement so far, its been up two years.

Last edited by James on Wed Jan 24, 07 4:59 pm; edited 1 time in total

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 07 4:58 pm Post subject:
Our small aluminium frame green house is sat on a galvanised steel base. This is a [ shape and the bottom of the greenhouse is screwed into this base. The 4 corners have an anchor of about a foot that is cemented in. The greenhouse has been in place for 5 years without moving at all and the base was quite easy to fix in place.

Nanny

Joined: 17 Feb 2005
Posts: 4520
Location: carms in wales

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 07 9:15 pm Post subject:
we did the same thing as supersprout planks were free i think and it was still standing when we left 6 years later we stood the planks on end and fixed the greenhouse on that which also gave it extra height in the eaves which i quite appreciated

Dunc

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 134
Location: Lancashire

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 07 10:30 pm Post subject:
It was a big effort by one of my predecessors on my old plot but he'd built a low brick wall and build his timber frame on the top of that, using brackets and bolts to secure. The frame stood up to pretty much anything, and the walls formed a raised bed inside.

2steps

Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 5349
Location: Surrey

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 07 10:43 pm Post subject:

Treacodactyl wrote:

Our small aluminium frame green house is sat on a galvanised steel base. This is a [ shape and the bottom of the greenhouse is screwed into this base. The 4 corners have an anchor of about a foot that is cemented in. The greenhouse has been in place for 5 years without moving at all and the base was quite easy to fix in place.

mine's the same, though I have yet to actually fix it down

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