This was what was waiting for me when I got back from Thailand. Fleeing the country for a few weeks didn't make all of this go away unfortunately.
As you can see from the pics above, the redwood sill plate that sits between the greenhouse frame and the block knee wall was rotting and needed to be replaced. In some sections, I could take my finger and scoop wood out. It was that far gone in places.
I'm certainly partially to blame here for choosing wood...which was a well researched choice at the time of building. But much of the blame goes to the manufacturer of the greenhouse. Too many joints and metal overlap created entryways for water and moisture. No amount of silicone will keep out moisture forever. I guarantee it. Add a lot of heat and moisture in the summer followed by even more moisture in the winter, you'll find that no kind of wood can stand up to this kind of punishment.
I've suspected this issue for several years now and could not build up the intestinal fortitude to tackle this distasteful project. I knew it was going to take a long time to complete. I knew it would be physically and mentally challenging. Why mentally? Well, I really had no clear idea at the time how I was going to go about this and not allow the structure to sag/shift resulting in shattering glass. But I had several friends I could bounce ideas off of and I eventually had a game plan.
I'm certainly partially to blame here for choosing wood...which was a well researched choice at the time of building. But much of the blame goes to the manufacturer of the greenhouse. Too many joints and metal overlap created entryways for water and moisture. No amount of silicone will keep out moisture forever. I guarantee it. Add a lot of heat and moisture in the summer followed by even more moisture in the winter, you'll find that no kind of wood can stand up to this kind of punishment.
I've suspected this issue for several years now and could not build up the intestinal fortitude to tackle this distasteful project. I knew it was going to take a long time to complete. I knew it would be physically and mentally challenging. Why mentally? Well, I really had no clear idea at the time how I was going to go about this and not allow the structure to sag/shift resulting in shattering glass. But I had several friends I could bounce ideas off of and I eventually had a game plan.
Working with improper tools
The plan? Remove the wooden sill in sections so that the greenhouse structure would not sag. But first...I had to get my 100% plastic lumber boards to replace the wood. Our local Menards showed 2x8 plastic lumber boards. I looked up the manufacturer: BestPlus Plastic Lumber. The specs showed the boards to be same as lumber which is actually 1.5" x 7.5". However, when the plastic lumber arrived, the actual thickness was 1.75". An entire 1/4" thicker than what I was removing! Remember...the structure is NOT going to move. This means that the boards would have to be planed down. So I buy a planer. Not the best of course. The website says the boards can be milled like any regular wood lumber. So planing shouldn't be a huge deal right?
Now it's time to remove my first section of the sill plate. How hard can this really be?
Now it's time to remove my first section of the sill plate. How hard can this really be?
I had all kinds of tools on hand for this: hammers, drills with all sorts of bits, chisels, and saws. I started off trying to drill out sections but the bit stopped about 1/2" before the outside of the board. I had 1.5" to work in and it was a bitch. It was uncomfortable, awkward, and other adjectives I just can't think of at the moment. To sum up...what I was doing was not working.
What I soon figured out was that I needed to get completely thru a section leaving a couple inches of gap. I then had these enormous anchor bolts that secured the wooden sill onto the block knee wall. It wasn't like I could just move the frame and unbolt them. Nope. I had to get the reciprocating saw blade between the board and block and then proceed to rip across the length of the board I was working on...having to cut off the bolts. I knew when I reached one because I would sit there trying to cut thru it...sometimes for 20 minutes or longer. I wore out a lot of expensive blades.
Once the cutting was done, I could pretty much pry the entire section out as you can see in the pic above. I got better and better at this, but cutting the bolts out never got any easier. That was the hardest and most physical part of this removal. It also aggravated my carpal tunnel to the point where my hands were not only burning and numb for the duration of the project, but for about a month after completion.
What I soon figured out was that I needed to get completely thru a section leaving a couple inches of gap. I then had these enormous anchor bolts that secured the wooden sill onto the block knee wall. It wasn't like I could just move the frame and unbolt them. Nope. I had to get the reciprocating saw blade between the board and block and then proceed to rip across the length of the board I was working on...having to cut off the bolts. I knew when I reached one because I would sit there trying to cut thru it...sometimes for 20 minutes or longer. I wore out a lot of expensive blades.
Once the cutting was done, I could pretty much pry the entire section out as you can see in the pic above. I got better and better at this, but cutting the bolts out never got any easier. That was the hardest and most physical part of this removal. It also aggravated my carpal tunnel to the point where my hands were not only burning and numb for the duration of the project, but for about a month after completion.
That's one of the boards and my planer. So how difficult can planing a 1/4" off the board be? Damn difficult and unbelievably time consuming. The first three foot section took me close to two hours to plane down. I could only plane the thinnest bit at a time or the planer would trip the breaker. This particular model just didn't have the balls to get thru it very fast. But after working a few sections, I doubt if a better planer would have handled this any faster or more efficient. I had over 60 feet of board to plane. This sucked.
The very first section is complete! See how I stopped at a frame in the structure? I wanted to make sure there was plenty of wood to handle the load when the other section was removed. So it wasn't just a matter of cut and rip. I had to plan my sections not only considering the load, but also how the drip edge on the outside was put together and overlapped. I had to make sure the section I put in held up the drip edge before replacing a section...or I wouldn't have gotten the new piece in.
The next section was the front corner. Heavy load there. Can also see how I secured the plastic lumber to the knee wall. I used big, 1/2" x 6" concrete lag bolts that went deep into the block. Unfortunately most of the places in the block I needed to put the damn bolts were void of any concrete. I had to knock out the section of block and fill with concrete filler. Just more fun and consuming precious time...not to mention more heavy, vibrating equipment to destroy my hands even further. The frame itself was held down with 2" lag bolts that held the frame to the boards. Not trusting the plastic lumber holding abilities, I opted to also use larger, 4" concrete lag bolts that went thru the board into the block as well. There were much better grades of plastic lumber I could have used...but after discussing with the manufacturer, felt I didn't need to go for them.
In the last pic you can see the buildup from all of the plastic I've been planing off the boards. I've only replaced a few boards and the idea of planing the remainder was giving me nightmares. This was not working. We even rented a big table saw and tried to rip some of the thickness from the boards. This was an even bigger failure than the planer. The blade would start melting the plastic and start binding. Thought we were going to blow the motor. I needed an alternative.
After several emails, the manufacturer stepped up and made good on the boards. They had 2x10" boards that were the same thickness as normal lumber. They not only offered to replace all of the boards needed, but would rip the 2x10's into 2x8's for me as well...and ship them directly to me. Now this is customer service.
In the last pic you can see the buildup from all of the plastic I've been planing off the boards. I've only replaced a few boards and the idea of planing the remainder was giving me nightmares. This was not working. We even rented a big table saw and tried to rip some of the thickness from the boards. This was an even bigger failure than the planer. The blade would start melting the plastic and start binding. Thought we were going to blow the motor. I needed an alternative.
After several emails, the manufacturer stepped up and made good on the boards. They had 2x10" boards that were the same thickness as normal lumber. They not only offered to replace all of the boards needed, but would rip the 2x10's into 2x8's for me as well...and ship them directly to me. Now this is customer service.
The woes expand
The corners were a complete mess...again. The electrical wires ran under the metal frame straight into the basement. Water and moisture followed along with a lot of the wood on the house rotting.
After removing a bunch of the vinyl siding on the house, I removed OSB and used the drill to bore out any bad sections of wood from the frame of the home and its sill plate as well. I then used an epoxy resin system that was designed to penetrate the wood...moist or not...and make it rock hard. It also sealed the wood hopefully preventing any more moisture from getting in. As you can see in the pics, I had to remove one of the knee wall blocks from each end to give myself room to work and repair. Inside and outside had to be repaired since the damage was extensive.
After removing a bunch of the vinyl siding on the house, I removed OSB and used the drill to bore out any bad sections of wood from the frame of the home and its sill plate as well. I then used an epoxy resin system that was designed to penetrate the wood...moist or not...and make it rock hard. It also sealed the wood hopefully preventing any more moisture from getting in. As you can see in the pics, I had to remove one of the knee wall blocks from each end to give myself room to work and repair. Inside and outside had to be repaired since the damage was extensive.
Getting into these corners, I knew there would be some work on the outside as I showed in the previous pics. But what I was NOT prepared for was the damage further down the outside wall of the home beneath a window! The OSB had almost completely disintigrated! This was not a result of my greenhouse issue but from the siding being put on incorrectly around the window.
After all of the bullshit inside the greenhouse and the corners, this was nearly the straw that broke the camel's back. It almost broke me. All of this shit on the house was stretching my abilities to the max and now having to dick around with a window, walls, more siding, and God knows what else? Fuck!
The funniest thing? I couldn't find anyone, professionally, to come out and tackle this for me. I really thought I just jumped into more than I could properly handle. Any company that actually called me back didn't have openings for at least six months! No way in hell could I wait that long. The greenhouse had to be buttoned up before fall. There was only one thing I could do. I had to do it myself.
After all of the bullshit inside the greenhouse and the corners, this was nearly the straw that broke the camel's back. It almost broke me. All of this shit on the house was stretching my abilities to the max and now having to dick around with a window, walls, more siding, and God knows what else? Fuck!
The funniest thing? I couldn't find anyone, professionally, to come out and tackle this for me. I really thought I just jumped into more than I could properly handle. Any company that actually called me back didn't have openings for at least six months! No way in hell could I wait that long. The greenhouse had to be buttoned up before fall. There was only one thing I could do. I had to do it myself.
It wasn't easy. I wasn't fast. I wasn't perfect. But I did do it all myself. I was thankful I purchased more plywood than what was called for and I am thankful for the epoxy systems I purchased to preserve and repair the damaged wood and to seal up the new wood.
It was time consuming and stressful, but in the end I was glad I did it. I knew how I wanted the end product to be and I doubt that anyone else would have gone to the lengths that I did. I pray that this is the end of my water/moisture nightmares.
It was time consuming and stressful, but in the end I was glad I did it. I knew how I wanted the end product to be and I doubt that anyone else would have gone to the lengths that I did. I pray that this is the end of my water/moisture nightmares.
Everything is all buttoned up in plenty of time before fall. The inside block has also been painted. The end result is a very clean look. Should not be bothered by moisture and insects any longer.
All that gravel you see? That's the next project. All of that is coming out. But first I have to take a several week break in order for my hands to heal a little bit. The burning and numbness is well past an annoyance.
All that gravel you see? That's the next project. All of that is coming out. But first I have to take a several week break in order for my hands to heal a little bit. The burning and numbness is well past an annoyance.
My own worst enemy.
I guess I didn't feel beat up enough after finishing up the repairs. I decided to continue the work by removing most of the remaining gravel in the greenhouse. This would give me more area to plant trees directly into the ground instead of having to continuously do container maintenance.
I rerouted the block to create a border for the center path. I then removed the gravel either building up the center path or wheel barrowing the load where my rain barrels were set up. A lot of loads and trips! Man is that shit heavy.
I rerouted the block to create a border for the center path. I then removed the gravel either building up the center path or wheel barrowing the load where my rain barrels were set up. A lot of loads and trips! Man is that shit heavy.
I then added a bunch of top soil, peat, sand, manure, and sulfur to the soil and then tilled it all together. The kaffir lime is in the front corner. The Coconut Cream is in front. The big sabara jaboticaba is to the mango's left. I eventually lost the mango for some reason...which really, really pisses me off. The sabara is loving it's new location and has pretty much flowered and fruited non-stop.
I next tackled the other side. I planted the big Redlands white sapote in this section. Got room for others but not sure what I want in there yet. Lot of work but it looks nice.
While I like putting these plants in the ground and like the finished look, it did create issues with the remaining plants in containers. Easier to move everything and position how you want them when in containers. Now with more stuff in the ground, it is like space is even more hard to come by. But I'll deal with it.
I'll wrap this up with the same warning as I gave in the last blog that covered repairs. If you are thinking of building a greenhouse, my warning/advice is this: do not attach it to your home and do not use any wood for any reason. These two things can/will only bring you heartache. Man...if I could just have those beginning days to do over!
While I like putting these plants in the ground and like the finished look, it did create issues with the remaining plants in containers. Easier to move everything and position how you want them when in containers. Now with more stuff in the ground, it is like space is even more hard to come by. But I'll deal with it.
I'll wrap this up with the same warning as I gave in the last blog that covered repairs. If you are thinking of building a greenhouse, my warning/advice is this: do not attach it to your home and do not use any wood for any reason. These two things can/will only bring you heartache. Man...if I could just have those beginning days to do over!
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