Dismantling and moving a greenhouse - any pointers

[Jitterbug]

I wonder whether anyone could give me any tips about dismantling a greenhouse and moving it.  I have purchased a sedond hand greenhouse and need to move it from a private home to my allotment.  Is it important to keep the glass in some kind or order or is it one size fits all?

Any ideas, pointers would be most welcome.

Thanks

Jitterbug

[Jitterbug]

[Palustris]

Assuming there is no construction manual with it.
If you have a digital camera, take photos of all the joints, showing how they fitted together, if not then draw them.
Usually the glass is one width, but different lengths, but it is easy to write on one with marker pen where it came from.
Separate the panes of glass with sheets of newspaper, it stops them bouncing when you move them and makes it easier to separate them when you rebuild.
Buy new spring clips when you come to glaze. the old ones have often loat their springiness and do not hold the glass firmly.

[growmore]

I think you will find alot of the panes are uniform in size usually 2ftX2ft For the rest of the glass I use a permanent marker  pen to mark especially the triangular shaped panes  ..As in TLF (top left front)etc...   You may find 1 smaller pane in each section of roof ridge too .. Same in opening light in window, door too ...If in doubt mark em saves a lot of time sorting glass when you come to put it up .
Even though it's called permanent you can clean it off  :)  cheers ..Jim

[dtw]

Before you start, make sure you can move the base it is attached to, or at least
get a replacement. As they are normally concreted in.

Get somebody to help you. Use an electric screwdriver. Wear gloves.
Don't pick up more than one piece of glass at a time.
Draw a diagram and number the glass pieces if they are different sizes.
Number the structural bits too, as you won't feel like putting it back
together on the same day.  ;)

[growmore]

I once moved what I considered a non standard frame I used 3 different colours of elctrical tape on the joints ..Made it easier to erect again ...

[mc55]

once you've got the frame back together make sure that it is securely weighted down until its been fixed to its base.  Even without glass it will fly (speaks a lady with experience ...)

[mokanoo]

I moved a greenhouse from next door into my garden last weekend. It went great, only one pane broken during transit...be careful of the W clips flying out though. Stacked the glass up against a fence in order early on Saturday morning without realising the nasty wind that was due to arrive that night. 5 panes broken but could have been worse. The greenhouse was attached to movable foundations, just needed to unclip the greenhouse and move. Was quite easy. Have to put it all back together again this weekend.

So the moral of the story is to lay the panes flat on the ground or protect quite well with something....anything.

[Jitterbug]

Thanks for the pointers guys.  I will be moving it on 14th April as its the first time DH is not working.

The green house has no permanent base but is only standing directly on some paving stones.  Maybe they will throw in the paving stones??  I want to move it directly onto sand at the allotment and then make a middle path of paving stones with beds on either side and at the top - kinda like a U shape. 

I will definitely mark the glass up with permanent marker and take picutes and make drawings if possible.  Also the tip about new clips is a good one - wil go and stock up on those.  Non Gardening husband and son will be helping me so there should be quite a bit of blue smoke around by the end of the project.  The only problem is that I need them to get it all done in one swoop or else they will loose interest and who knows when it will get done.  My window sills are heaving with all the seedlings and I have not even started my tomatoes yet.

Regards

Jitterbug

[flytrapman]

spray the joints & nuts with WD40 or something similar a few times before you start if possible

[Melbourne12]

Even if you use penetrating oil, you'll inevitably break or lose some nuts and bolts.  If the greenhouse has been standing a few years, some of the bolts will shear.  Personally I'd replace the lot.  I use these guys: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Greenhouse-Warehouse

The other very handy tool is a suction grip to put the glass in position.  It's especially useful for the roof panels.  I bought a couple of these: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/4-POWER-GRIP-SUCTION-CUP-LIFTING-DENT-PULLING-ECT_W0QQitemZ230095583204QQcategoryZ30923QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

[mellor]

I moved one not to long ago and we kept the frame inone piece and lashed it on the trailer. Made life loads easier!!!

[mc55]

Jitterbug will it be fastened to anything, or have I read right that you are going to sit it on sand ?  I think that could be risky - the wind can move fully glazed gh's too .... mine will be bolted to paving slabs once OH visits lottie.

[SMP1704]

I dismantled a 8x6 greenhouse with my 13 yr old son.  I took some tools, but the guy I bought it from was an RAC man and so his tools had tools.  The most useful item was a ratchet spanner (I think) that had a jointed head, which made it really useful to get to the bolts at the corners.

Good luck on the 14th ;D

[Jeannine]

The most useful info we got from the old timers on the lottie was,don't transport the glass laid flat,if you go over a bump it will break. Travel it  upright with a layer of paper in between every few , we did just that and transported 2 houses, we never cracked 1 pane. Just make sure the stack can't fall down. We stuffed cushions round it.  It does make sense as glaciers travel glass upright and even china packers put plates on their edge. XX Jeannine