Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Greenhouse ...The Final Push Toward Winter

We have been really fortunate here in Virginia during November, enjoying above average temperatures for most of the month.  This has helped a bit to ease my stress over the delays I have faced in getting the windows in my greenhouse installed, so I can have the building reasonably sealed against the cold (and the plants tucked safely inside) before winter REALLY arrives. 

It's been almost two weeks since I have had a chance to work on this.  Our Greyhounds Rock canine cancer benefit was two weeks ago, and I was in Key West on vacation last week.  Yesterday was a beautiful day ... perfect for trying to get the east wall of the greenhouse finished. 



I left this wall for last because it's the one that requires the most ingenuity, head scratching, and time.  The large spaces in the framing on this wall are sized to use windows that I already have, but it leaves a narrow, odd-sized space at each corner to fill.  I don't have windows for these spaces yet, but I will ... I know I will find something.  In the meantime, the openings have to be sealed and for now I'm using pieces of greenhouse plastic.  I will also put plastic in the space over the door.

These screw holes will all be filled and sanded before the greenhouse is painted next spring.


With the plastic stapled in place, and the trim boards installed, I made fairly quick work of installing the first two pairs of windows on this wall.  



.... and then the third pair.  Windows, finished!



With the windows in place, I set to work installing some 2x4 framing below them to hold the plywood sheathing that gets installed on the bottom of the wall.  By the time the sun was setting, I had finished the sheathing on wall to the left of the door ... removing the ventilation shutters in that space and reinstalling them over the plywood.  I also stapled the plastic into the space above the door, and installed a piece of trim to form the door header.  (No photos of these steps, because it was too dark by the time I finished for the day ... damn these short winter days!)

If the rain that the weatherman has predicted for today holds off till this afternoon, I hope to get the sheathing installed on the wall to the right side of the door, and then I'll see if The Husband can give me a hand reinstalling the door itself.  (It's really heavy.)  If the rain comes too soon, there is plenty to do inside the greenhouse ... I can start to clean up my mess, organize my tools, and maybe get some of my shelves reinstalled on the walls.

I have to get all of this cleared out and cleaned up. 
(I found that a trash can makes a pretty good stand for my miter saw.)

I think I have two more days of work before I can finally close the door on a greenhouse that is ready to keep out the winter cold.  Even then, there will be a LOT of work left to do in springtime, with trim and caulk and paint, to make this the showpiece that I see in my imagination.

If you are visiting from one of the link parties and haven't seen what it took to get the greenhouse to this point, click the 'Greenhouse Windows' label below to get all the posts in this series.

Edited at 8:06am to add:  The rain is here, and the map on weather.com makes it look as if it will continue for most of the day, so I will be working on the inside.  I'm almost glad that the weather has forced me to take time to make order out of the mess.  It doesn't hurt that a nice, dry greenhouse is a great place to spend a rainy day.

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14 comments:

  1. Thanks for the update, have a great day!

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  2. This is totally amazing!! What a lot of work, too. Great Job!♥♫

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  3. It's looking great! It's nice that you can still work on it in the rain.

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  4. Once it's cleaned out, be sure to save room, a corner for you to set a sweet place for you to sit and enjoy! Love this greenhouse.

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  5. Connie.. you are truly amazing, woman. Really.

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  6. Been raining here for 3 days now. Ugh.
    I sure hope my Princess Cottage is ready Christmas. I have big, fluffy dreams for her :)
    xo, misha

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  7. I have no doubts you'll get 'er done, at the first available opportunity and that you'll stay busy with other things, until that time. Now, could I please borrow a little of your energy and know how? Mine is sorely lacking. Actually, mine is nonexistent!

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  8. It's amazing to me that you know how to do this.

    I'm awed and inspired all at once.

    xo Jane

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  9. You are making great progress. I know you will be glad to get the door hung! hugs, Linda

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  10. WOW!! Its looking amazing Connie! How fun to see it coming together...so very excited for you!

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  11. Your greenhouse is looking spectacular! And lucky you that yours can be permanent and PRETTY--unlike my temp-g.h.
    Catherine

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  12. Great greenhouse. I wouldn't want to muck it up with plants, I'd want to live in it all summer. Now I want something with tons of windows. (I hope my architect reads this.) Jo @ Let's Face the Music

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  13. This is just fab! I've started gathering materials to do something similar...hopefully by next summer I'll have enough!

    Love!!!

    ~Mikey @ Shabby French Cottage
    www.shabbyfrenchcottage.com

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  14. It's coming along, isn't it? Rainy day projects are good :)

    I'm having a brain fog here, but I was thinking of those narrow, long windows that border front doors? Would they fit in those narrow corners?

    We're getting ready for a cold front and rain over the next weekend to cloud our big bedlam game this weekend!!! Go Pokes...that's OSU in case you didn't know. LOL

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