Greenhouse From Old Windows

Step 9 Caulk and Paint

Use a good outdoor caulk and seal all the cracks and holes between windows. Paint the wood to protect it from the weather.

Comments

[jmccallen]

nice touch with the dutch door...easy to convert from any existing door you might have around..

[trish330]

this is exactly what i have been saving those windows for in my garage. I will be clearing some area near my compost pile.... what a great idea and thanks for the step by step!. I live outside of Chicago...

[jojojovich]

That is SO cool, cheft!! I've been passing by windows in my alley that someone's painted and has been abandoning, knowing, too, that I should've been picking them up, and now I see what I've have been using them for! I'm in Chicago too, so love your idea, wish I'd pass it by and say"Ah hah there it is!". I'd love to see more photos, if you took more, of how exactly you held the 4x4s in place with the cinder block, and also the roof, how it's hinged, and what material the old shed pieces are made from. Thanks so much, this is awesome!

[cheft]

I'm afraid I post the best pics I can. For the foundation, I cleared the area I planned to build on. I carefully measured the area to determine where my posts would be. I then dug a very large hole and sunk an 8x8x16 cinder block. I had already built the frames for the two longer sides, and merely fit them into the cinder blocks. I propped then in place and level using braces. I then back filled around the cinder block and inside it to snug the post. I compacted it by using a small piece of wood and hitting it with a hammer. The original roof, which was made from recycled siding from a shed, did not have hinges. I merely slid back the panels to vent to the roof in sections that opened. They where made of a tan poly material. they where old and brittle. This spring I changed to a glass roof and use door hinges. See those pics in the last steps I recently added.

[brodiemac]

Am now kicking myself for disposing of the dozens of old windows I had in my garage.

[doublejnyc]

What about the door? If there is a door, please explain how you built it in the frame and if you used hinges.

[doublejnyc]

Oh, I see the door now. It was easy to miss. Still, please explain how you built the door. Also, if you can post a few extra photos too that would be cool.

[cheft]

I used two pair of hinges to hang two windows "barn" style. That way I can have the top open to allow for effective cross-breeze while keeping animals out. I simply screwed the hinges into the frame with a gap to allow for the window to close. A simple latch keeps them open or closed. I'll post more photos this spring when I finish work on the roof.

[DanteDante]

At first, I was like, "Well this will look terrible. But NO!!! Just look at it, it's awesome! Extraordinary, even! I'm so pleased that my rush to judgement was so far off the mark as to be slightly embarrassing. Really, really nice work! I've always wanted a greenhouse, and this seems like the perfect idea! And an interesting project to make, too, no doubt. I especially like the way you circumvent building codes. I have only one question: Any problems with the cinder blocks through the freeze/thaw? (Assuming you HAVE freeze/thaw)

[cheft]

Oh yeah, this winter was terrible with freeze/thaw in Chicago. The greenhouse weathered better than my driveway which heaved up. The foundation looks fine. Under the cinder is earth, which drains well.

[w8znx]

been thinking along this line, about a scrap build green house, for a few years, nice to see one build, thank you dit dit