So here we go!!
Monday I spent the day taking apart the 8 x 6 shed that was on the space where the greenhouse was going.
It was hard work, especially with lots of enormous spiders hindering things!!
The shed had been put on 12 x 2' square slabs, but they weren't particularly even so I spent the best part of Tuesday and Wednesday morning taking them up, trying to level the ground beneath with sand, putting a layer of weed guard, and laying the slabs back down. I had to take them back up 3 or 4 times to get it right which was exhausting!! Plus when I did start to get them level, I was 1" too far up so the last one wouldn't fit in the space... My fault, should have started the other way!! The greenhouse was duly delivered on Tuesday so I was excited about getting it up!
So Wednesday afternoon, I got the metal base out of the box and discovered to my horror that an 8 x 6 greenhouse is in fact 8'5" x 6'4"... So the base I had prepared was too small!!! (Due to the layout of the garden, the base with the slabs on is about 4" high as there is a step up half way up the garden...)
My Dad popped over to have a look at my 'problem' and we decided together that the best option was to add an 'extension' to the base. (I work with my Dad so we can't take time off together, otherwise he would have helped!)
One thing always inevitably leads to another, and by adding another 30 cm to the long side of the base meant that I had to remove a trellis with a rampant clematis and two vicious pyracanthus bushes... That took most of yesterday afternoon and this morning!! (The trellis [erected by the previous occupants] was held by two 18" metal spikes with wooden posts in. It took me best part of an hour just to get those out!!!)
Anyway, that done, I realised that the hole left by the trellis and plants was equivalent to 2 slabs, (the rest is already covered in slabs) so I used more sand to pack the hole down and put two slabs down... It's actually now better as I can walk from the carport at the end of the garden to the house without having to go around the trellis!
I found plenty of bricks around the garden (They left a lot of junk behind although some of it is useful!!) and bought some ready mix concrete, and having never done anything like it before, have concreted in the bricks so that tomorrow I can fill the 'space' with rubble and sand. Once level, I'll put some 'half' slabs down and THEN start on the greenhouse...
The concrete takes 24hrs to set, but hopefully it will be hard enough in the morning for me to carry on!!
So that's where I'm at!! A very condensed version of events... My cacti will just have to hold out a little longer in the house!
Although I had hoped to have the GH up by now, I've had an excellent week weather wise and would rather spend extra time getting the base right.
One thing that I was really lucky with is the shed!! I had been a bit worried about how I was going to get rid of it as although it's 'ok', I didn't think it good enough to sell! BUT! The person who delivered my GH asked what I was doing with it, so he's now coming tomorrow after work to collect it!! He's quite prepared to 'do up' the bits that aren't perfect so he's happy and so am I!
Pictures will follow eventually!
