Caution: Some parts of the greenhouse can be extremely sharp so please use caution – and gloves – when handling the sheet metal.
Tools Needed:
- Step Ladder (can be done with one but two will make it easier)
- Drill – electric or cordless
- #2 Phillips and #2 Robertson bits
- Tape measure & Sharpie (if you are installing the optional shelf or hanging rod)
- Helper (optional but, ummm, helpful. Obviously.)
Base:
We build our bases out of 2 laminated 2×6 boards. Dimensions are in this video for a 7×8′ greenhouse.
Ensure your base is square before you begin to build on it.
Panels:
You may want a helper for this part.
Start with the gable end panel (NOT the door end) and one of the wall panel. Place them on the base if you are using one. The bottom edge of the wall is flat and the top edge of the wall is angled.
Connect them in the corner and use the short screws to screw them together every 12-16″. Next, attach the door end to the other end of the wall and screw the frame together using the short screws.
Lastly, place the last wall section in place. If the bottoms of the panels don’t line up, you can simply use your foot to press one down while you screw the top in place (as in the video below). NOTE: Be sure to have your helper unlatch the top of the door before you screw the final wall in place otherwise you will be locked into the greenhouse.
Main Beam:
Carry one end of the steel main beam into the greenhouse and up the ladder. Lift the opposite end up onto the door end and then place the end you’re holding up onto the top point of the gable end.
Screw it into the corresponding metal lip of the gable peak using the short screws.
Then move your ladder to the door end and screw it into place using the short screws. If you have a helper, they can stand outside the door end and gently press the upper area of the panel inward to ensure the main beam rests on both peaks simultaneously.
Roof:
Place the roof panels on the wall panels so that the flat edge rests on the main beam and the angled edge rests on the wall edge (which is also angled). Together, the two angles form a straight edge.
If you have a helper, they can pass you the roof panel from outside. Otherwise, you can carry it in through the door and put it in place using the ladder. Put the panel in place and use the short screws to secure it.
Screw roof to wall panels, end panels and to main beam every 12 to 16 inches using the short screws.
Once attached to the main beam, screw the roof panel on to the wall panels.
After the roof is in place, you can secure the structure to the base if you are using one.
Trim:
Attaching the eave trim on the greenhouse where the roof meets the wall. Slip the trim under the lexan on the roof panel and over top the lexan on the wall panel.
Screw at each wall stud using the long trim screws.
Now you should arrange the corner trim pieces and attach the four complete corner trim pieces (without cuts) on the bottom four corners of the greenhouse. You only need to screw on the bottom of the trim for now.
You will notice the remaining trim has notches cut out of the metal – bend with the straight cut underneath the angled cut. You should now have two left-hand, two right-hand, and two peak trim pieces.
Secure the left and right pieces using the trim screws. Left-hand pieces have a short run then bend from left to right. They go on the left side of the end walls. Right-hand pieces have a short vertical run then bend upwards and toward the left. These go on the right side of the end walls.
The left and right pieces should overlap the corner trim and the eave trim that you have already installed. Use the long trim screws.
Using the ladder, place the remaining two peak trim parts on with the long trim screws.
Now place the ridge beam trim on the top and screw at all the roof studs and at the two ends using the long trim screws.
Lastly, install the door latch on the corner of the greenhouse to hold the door open and make any other door adjustments needed.
OPTIONS
Shelf:
Decide which side of the greenhouse you would like the shelf to be on as well as the height you want it to be at.
Measuring from the bottom of the metal frame, mark your height MINUS 1.5″ which is the depth of the shelf. For example, if you want your shelf work surface to be at 35.5″, mark out 34″ on the stud closest to the door, both corner studs and the studs along the wall to which you will mount it.
Install the L bracket to the studs on the door end so that one side faces down and the other faces inside the greenhouse, creating a ledge. The top of the bracket should align with the marks you made. This will form a ledge for one end of your shelf to rest on.
Position the shelf on the newly installed ledge and then move to the other end of the shelf and align the bottom of the shelf with the mark you made. Screw the bottom of the shelf into the metal frame of the greenhouse corner. Then screw the bottom of the shelf to the metal stud along the back wall of the greenhouse. Continue moving along underneath the shelf, using the short screws to attach it to the metal studs of the wall. Lastly, screw it to the ledge you installed earlier.
You will have 3 shelf braces. Place the rod underneath the shelf and slide it into the horizontal metal brace for the shelf and screw the two pieces together using a short screw. Place the other end into the vertical metal stud of the wall and, making sure the shelf is level, screw the brace to the wall stud using a short screw. Do the same with the remaining 2 braces.
Hanging Rail:
Decide where you would like the rod to hang on the ceiling, using the horizontal lines of the lexan to help ensure level measurement. Use a sharpie to make a mark on the roof stud closest to the door and at the same distance on the roof stud closest to the gable end.
Screw the metal U-brackets to the roof stud at one end using the short screws. Insert the metal hanging rod into the bracket. Move to the other end of the greenhouse and gather the metal rod up using the U-bracket than screw it into place using the short screws. Place the remaining U-brackets over the metal rod aligned with the remaining roof studs and screw them into place.
NOTE: You may have to angle the screws so that they will grip into the frame of the greenhouse.
Happy gardening!
If you have any questions or problems, please give us a call.
