Date: Thu, 28 Dec 2000 19:38:50 -0800 From: "Joseph Kinyon" <corusc8@hotmail.com> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg3747$foo@default> Subject: Recycled Materials
Yes I've seen the affirmations of greenhouses and housmates, and
thought I'd add my .02$ to Chris and Barry's comments.
Greenhouses and housemates, both seem to be inversely proportional
to the other. Like Barry, I've been down the big D road myself and
I am now blessed with a partner that will drive miles to see a bog
and is infectiously enthusiastic about darlingtonia. A green house
can help some folks, the rest of you are surely damned.
One of the best things I ever did for myself was not to get a full
size greenhouse, since I move around (due to the SF housing circus)
from place to place. However, my solution to build a half sized
house/cold-frame with recycled materials worked well enough.
In many towns there are buildings, hotels, homes being torn down
(not fast enough some might argue) and they produce usable and
inexpensive building materials. In San Francisco Bay Area there are
approximately 4 places to by salvaged building materials. I scored
10 identical redwood/cedar cased sash windows. The glass and the
frames are intact and look great. I framed it up using salvaged
2x4's from a remodel, and floored it with a fiberglass impregnated
concrete board used for ceramic tile bathrooms. A good paint job
and some artful trimming turned this pile of junk into a "green
house" with a 4 foot by 8 foot base, standing 5 feet tall. $50 for
my materials. This smaller solution has worked out well for me
considering my most recent move to Point Bonita Lightstation in the
Marin Headlands. Salt Spray , constant wind, and foggy summers made
getting the plants outside into the light also a task for staying
out of the elements. Being smaller means I can set it in front of
the house without blocking th e view and not be blown away --a real
concern.(FYI, I live in the most recent light house keepers
residence located in a clump of trees next to the cliff, visible in
the exact center of this photorgraph of San Francisco taken with a
kite by Charles Benton .
http://www.arch.ced.berkeley.edu/kap/images/mhnovb2.jpg )
Does your greenhouse need to be big? Try 4 identical sliding glass
doors removed from a motel/hotel remodel, frame it up with a roof.
Sliding access on all sides. (Take note to make your door threshold
ground level, I hate stubbing my toe or tripping.) . Does your
greenhouse need to remain small? I find countless shower doors
waiting cheaply to be used again. Identical sizes make modular
construction easier, and aluminum is often a durable material on
modern windows and glass. Sometimes an old factory window can be
found that is big enough to create a lean-to style greenhouse with
only one or two panes of glass needing replacement. If drip runs
for condensation are needed, then add them in with clean metal or
fiberglass rods. For quick cleaning and space management, I keep
all my plants inside of clear plastic tubs with holes drilled
approximately one inch from the bottom so I can't overwater/flood
them. I can house about 12 contico clear plasic storage bins with
hinged lids full of plants in this house . The finish work and care
you take can produce something that doesn't look hacked together,
even rather nice on the eyes. It is also nice on your plants and
pocketbook. If you aren't handy with a drill or a saw, consult
someone who is before you take on this project on--especially if an
ugly excuse for an overgrown terrarium in the yard will piss your
mate off worse than pitcher plants full of rotting bug-meat
throughout the house.
If this is not your skill, then get a kit. The models available are
as infinite as your budget. Good Luck.
Joseph Kinyon
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