The Greenhouse

One early February Friday evening we turned into our Cutchogue driveway when the headlights swept over a massive pile on the front porch.  I said, "What is that!!!", to which Amy replied, "Happy Birthday".  There were three multi-strapped eight foot long cartons each weighing over 150 pounds labeled "Easy Grow Greenhouse".  She's always wanted one, finally found one with a major discounted sale price, had an excuse (my birthday) and had an available guy who sorta knows his way around a screw driver.  A fourth cartoon showed up the next day.


Saturday, eager to check out my new erector set project I opened a carton and started stacking "like" pieces called "profiles" together, for instance, each profile who's part number began with an L as in L104B, L278R, etc.  As there was snow on the ground this happened in the living room eventually spreading into the dining room making casual comfort no longer possible in those hazardous areas for nearly two months.  It did serve a purpose though.  On the first page of fifty-seven large pages of small instructions in English it said in Section 1 Part 1 Step 1 to make sure that I received all of the pieces listed below and yes, among other parts there were indeed 198 S02s which was one size of screw.  It also said that only a screwdriver and pliers were required for easy assembly, notably omitting hacksaw, band saw, exacto knives, table saw, hammer, channel locks, soft head mallet, duct tape, clamps, drill and drill bits of various sizes, aspirin, bandaids and contractor's glue to name a few off the top of my head.  These guys are funny!  So is the stated fact that two handy people could assemble the greenhouse in a day...  Hilarious!  I figure I spent a day's time simply removing the labels and their sticky gunk from each piece as it was assembled. That chore eventually became easier by discovering a solvent called KRUD KUTTER.  No home should be without it.

EASY GROW IS NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH EASY BUILD!

A few minor problems were encountered during assembly.  Some profiles were too long, some holes were too small, some profiles were mislabeled,  some of those were reverse labeled, R for Right only fitting on the left side, and visa versa for the Ls, proof positive that dyslexia occurs in China.  Some of the panels were too wide (table saw) and the one most important and complicated roof profile, the one to which both roof vents were to attach wouldn't accept the vent hinges when the time came. I found out the profile was incomplete as shipped and was supposed to be a factory preassembled piece according to instructions on page 51.  I thought and thought and could not figure this one out.  Humbled, I called a nice lady at customer service who had a pleasant voice and jolly disposition.  When asked where I was in the project I told her Section 17 Part 8 Step 3.  "WOW, you really got far without calling" she boomed excitedly into the phone.  She described the pieces that should have been attached and I located them both, very small pieces really, on the living room floor under the coffee table most definitely not preassembled.  She happily went on to tell me that there was a quick fix to get them where they belonged which started out, "Got a pencil?"  "OK, good." "First, remove the back wall..." etc., etc.

To make a very long story short, the greenhouse is complete enough for now with five S02s left over and a few other small shiny thingies.  Oh, I forgot to mention that I installed 111.5 meters (about the length of a football field) of weatherstripping one quarter inch at a time, by main force, cramming it in with a screw driver, only puncturing my opposing palm once by an accident type I like to call "slip through".  Always keep your tools clean, you'll heal faster!

I'm very happy with the base I added as a fore thought.  I don't have to duck at all to get inside.  I'm thinking one of these kits would nicely extend the growing season of our neighbors to the North.

6X6s cut for lap joints

Finding level

4' Rebar
Do not doubt that she wields a mean 5 lb. hammer

(the stake is where the new fence will be)

Pleasantly reminded of my erector set days

Back wall with panels, this is going to be easy!

Skeleton on base

Section 17 Part 8 Step 3  Can't be done!

Cedar mulch floor

Vent hinges secured finally

Starting seed in a warm cedary smelling place

THE REST OF THESE ITEMS WERE
NOT PART OF THE KIT.

Home made screens

Electric feed

Water feed

Faucets and riser

Misters

Spray, really

The End!

Thru-the-wall Cabinet

I finally eliminated the gaping hole in the wall between our kitchen and dining room.  This required finishing the cabinet, getting it in the hole, fixing it in place, wiring the light fixture, puting in the glass shelves, mounting the doors and adding trim.  All of this could have gone more smoothly with Bill and Stephen's help but they were a coast away and my goal was to get it in before Paul, Kay and Kara arrived for a cozy winter's visit.  Forgive me for showing so many views of it but is is different on both sides and looks kind of neat at night with only it's own illumination.  Glad it's almost over.  It still lacks door checks to keep the doors from opening too wide, some kind of door catches are needed too, either the magnetic or latching sort, then new paint on the wall where I've managed to scuff things up quite a bit.  This probably means painting the whole dining room... we'll see.

Click on photos to enlarge.

Two from the dining room side

 

  

At night

  

Two from the kitchen side

  

 

If you would like to see a few of the construction steps click here then scroll down.

Blank Slate

Regret Stage

The Set-up

The Happy Result

The Box & Door Frame Horizontals

Here's the box, the walls, ceiling and floor of the future cabinet. It's dimensions are approximately 46" by 34", I won't go into the sixteenths. After glueing and screwing I used wood-fill to "cheat" everything into looking as good as possible hiding minor flaws. It will be flipped 90 degrees when mounted making it longer than high.

I finished all the cutting and routing on the door frame verticals and horizontals and didn't like what I had. It was too complicated needing way too many tiny adjustments to properly marry the pieces and I started thinking that it might not be the strongest way to do it (Regret Stage II), hence, off to the lumber yard for more wood, all that routing and mess and cleaning up in vain.

The Ones I Didn't Like, aka Kindling

Remaking the Door Frames

The compound joints I attempted was a phenomenal waste of time though I did learn something from it.  KISS... Keep It Simple Stupid!  The experience did make my relationship with the table saw more intimate.  I keep thinking how much I could have learned if I'd spent a few days with Kay's Dad in his shop.  A lifetime opportunity missed.

I decided to go with lap joints, a very straight forward and strong joint, glued, then pinned with a dowel.  The wood is 5/4" thick (hardwood measure) so the structure should be very solid.  After cutting the horizontals to equal lengths I lined them up and taped them together four at a time so as to mass produce them and make them as near identical as possible.  I practiced with a waste piece of wood until the saw blade was exactly half the height of the lumber so that when one lap lay upon another it would equal an original piece.  That took some time, but when you've got it, you've got it and all the wood can be cut to fit.  Starting at the end of the wood I made a cut, moved the wood one blade width (the kerf) cut again and repeated 20 or so times until I had the length of lap needed.

Next was checking the fit and sanding the laps smooth so the glue wouldn't experience any voids however minuscule.

One by one I clamped each frame together,  measured, then drilled the holes for the dowels. I started with a fairly small bit, made the first hole, then used a larger bit and finally a larger bit, 21/64ths to accept a 5/16ths dowel without needing to force it with a hammer. Using graduating bits kept rip-out to a minimum.

Cutting Dowels to Length

The poplar is 5/4" lumber.  When milled it's 1 and 1/16th.  I cut the dowels just a hair longer so they could be sanded flush.

Lap Joint and Dowel Glued and In Place