Glasshouse without base kit..Help please

[betula]

I have purchased a greenhouse from a friend ,brand new still in box,bargain price but no base kit.

Is it possible to fix it to slabs.If so how.

I lost my last one by not securing it down properly and do not want it happening again.

[betula]

[Lacelotte]

I lost my last one by not securing it down properly and do not want it happening again.

Ahhh that age old problem, you should always keep your greenhouse on a lead or keep the garden gate shut.

Sorry couldn't resist   ::)

Could you not put slabs down but dig in each corner and sink some cement with smallish poles coming up to secure greenhouse to?

[Carls3168]

Hiya,

If your laying it onto slabs would the bottom be wide enough to screw though and put some ancor bolts into?
Or how about screwing it to some sleepers?

If its a standard size maybe B&Q or somewhere might sell bases cheap?

Good Luck!  :)

[heyho]

Many a moon ago placed a greenhouse on high density blocks (breeze blocks or whatever they call them). You can then use those expanding bolts to secure into them. Did a good job, it lasted and raised the greenhouse a bit more as well.

[davyw1]

My oppinion is, if you are going to put up an a greenhouse think about what you want, what am i going to grow in there, will it be tall enough as it is, can i fit in benching that can drop down or be easily removed, how many shelves will i be able to put above the benching, so plants can be put on the shelves and the benches dropped or removed and tomato,s, cucumbers can be grown under neath. you only have one shot at it so do it properly at the begining then you wont be saying " wish i had done that " later.
My preference would be to raise it up on breeze block at least two high, this gives you more space for shelving above any benches you put in, it also gives you storage space under the benches.
Before you do anything think it out as only you know what you want.

[albacore1854]

Put up shuttering, pour a concrete base, three courses of brickwork, then mortar a ''plate'' of 4x2 all round, and then screw the greenhouse down on to that.Use a barrier between the screw and the allywork, or it will go manky through electrolysis.

[Gazfoz]

Or for people who are not master builders:-
Remove the turf if any and level with a slight slope towards the water butt if you want one.
Paving slabs layed in an area slightly smaller than the perimeter of your greenhouse. Then get some pressure treated timber and make a base to fit inside the lip of the bottom of the greenhouse.
There will already be holes in the greenhouse frame for you to drill through the wooden base and into the paving slab (you can drill straight through if you want)
using a masonry bit.
Get some heavy duty plastic plugs or rawlplugs and secure the greenhouse to the floor with big brass screws or the fastener of your choice.
I can only vouch for upto an 8x6 greenhouse with this method so if you have aquired a larger size than that you would probably need to go for a full concrete base.

[albacore1854]

If you are going to use a wooden base like that, why not just use 4' lengths of dexion on the corners, belt them into the ground then fix the base to that?

[cambourne7]

My greenhouse is 2nd hand and its going on an area with a slope so i have to build a level up.

I have built a wooden frame approx 2ft wider then the greenhouse and i am using this wooden frame to hold in imported compost and horse manure to plant into. The gap which i am going to plant with summer flowering bulbs. This gives me access to the back and side of the greenhouse as its almost next to a large fence.

Each corner of the greenhouse will have some angle iron boted to the corners and these will be cemented into place using post crete. Down the centre of the greenhouse i am putting membrane with sand and some wooden slats over the sand. This will allow me to plant the back and sides U shape.

Before the glass is put in i will hammer in some wooden posts in each corner which i will use as supports and plan on removing the glass in the winter and tieing the greenhouse to the wooden posts as a second line of defence.

What you might want to try also is to get on freexcycle and someone who has a greenhouse recently killed my the weather might have a base you can have.

Good luck and good weather.

[compo49]

I agree with gazfoz  on using paving as a base, i also put a 6x8 on my allotment which slopes so dug out and put sand under slabs to make it level . Then bought some tanalised roofing lats(they fitted under g/house bottom rails into the recesses perfect) as Gazfoz said their are holes in rails so you can drill through into slabs and secure with screws (i put stiff rubber washers on screws to stop the reaction caused by different metals) into rawlplugs. Lats are cheap wood yard suppliers . Washers/fasteners B+Q  etc or ironmongers, poss get s/hand slabs  free recycle sites. I used 18inch x18inch i got  off a local free recycle site. Had no problems and wood gives it some flexibility hope this helps. Compo  :)

[betula]

Thanks everybody for your help.

I will post a photo when it is up ;D

[kt.]

I was told a good easy tip but have not got round to doing my own as yet.   

1) Get some steel wire that is bendable at about 2ft lengths.   
2) Drill small holes in the corners of the greenhouse frame at ground level.
3) Dig a hole about 1ft deep at each corner.
4) Thread the wire through the hole and double it over so you have the 2 ends of the wire in the bottom of the dug hole.
5) 3/4 fill this hole with concrete post mix.
6) Once set, fill the rest of the hole with soil.

The weight of the post mix should hold the greenhouse securely to the ground.  I keep promising to get round to doing this to mine ::)