old windows and doors greenhouse

hey all,
Over the years I have collected lots of materials to build a greenhouse. I have 9 or 11 glass cooler doors like the ones you see in any gas station filled with soda etc... I also have about 100 old windows in various sizes. These are all the single pane style with lead paint still on most of them. I have no idea where to begin on planning to build with these materials. I have more than enough to make two structures. I was thinking of using the cooler doors as the walls of one of them.

Should i start laying out the walls on the ground to get a pattern that fits and is square??? How do you frame all the old windows and still have them look good. I love the look of the antique looking window greenhouses. they are so charming.

Also, have any of you had to deal with removing lead paint. What are the best methods for removing it and containing the lead mess?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
michelle

Hello Michelle,

I have a couple of thoughts here. My personal preference would be for one big greenhouse over two smaller ones. I say this because I have two smaller ones.

I would first separate out all the windows and doors and make a list of how many of each you have and plan the studs around those. You may be able to use 2-3 small windows for one panel section to possibly be close in size to one of the cooler doors.

Also, you don't necessarily need glass on the north side of the structure so you could save all the glass for the south side.

As for removing paint-you have a few options-chipping, sanding, heat gun or a liquid stripper. If you have lead paint, I'd avoid anything that causes dust and use a good mask if you can't. If it's windy, you'll have a mess on your hands and lead dust flying everywhere. My suggestion would be a liquid stripper since you can control it and not make dust.

You might look up some posts from notmartha. I believe her greenhouse is built from the same.

thanks badseed. im not looking forward to removing the lead paint. i will ask notmartha. i think your correct about her having a glass greenhouse.

I don't think anyone ever looks forward to stripping paint. LOL

I don't know that I'd strip it. I think I'd remove the panes from the frames, and discard the frames. One, new, solid frame holding the windows would be stronger and have many less air leaks. =)

I agree: get a complete, accurate inventory of each piece you have to work with, then design from there.

FWIW, I don't think I'd use window glass as a roof of a greenhouse. Something overhead, I'd prefer either lighter-weight or safety glass. I know there's plenty that will disagree with that, from their own experience. I'm just sayin' that's how I feel about heavy, breakable glass above my head. =P

Yeah, i wont be putting the old glass up top. Too dangerous. I will use some sort of plexi or other light transmitting material. I dont want to get rid of the old frames because to me, thats the charm in them. I love old windows.

this is what we did-my hubby went out and measured all the windows and wrote them down then he drew a blue print of it using all the windows and wood for in between.

here are some pics
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/572295/#new

Flowr, my DH and I have just built the exact type of GH you are describing. Here is a recap:

We live in a very windy (BIG wind) area of zone 4a. The original part of our house was built in 1912, so there was no way that a shiny modern GH would 'fit' our rural, farmhouse setting. I saw a very neat small greenhouse from recycled windows on GW, but knew it would never stand up to our climate. We decided to make the north wall a solid wood wall. In our cold zone, we felt that we would a lot more strength and that it would be most efficient to be able to insulate that wall. We have 2 smaller windows to install in that wall yet. The north part of the roof is also plywood sheething with metal roofing over top. There is a single door on one end and double doors on the other (east and west). We hinged the upper windows on these ends also so that we can get some passive ventilation in summer. I have screen over the openings to keep pests out.

We collected windows and farmhouse style doors all last summer. Then spent a lot of time drawing out plans and deciding how best to use the windows. In the end, we went with 2 window styles and sizes that were pretty consistent. None of the interior is furnished - that is our spring project. I only have a few pics, and it has not been painted yet - too cold once we got it built. Forgive the construction mess in this pic of the east side......

Here is a link to the smaller greenhouse that I saw that I loved so much. I wanted to try to keep that charm factor, but have something a bit larger and a *lot* sturdier!

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/junk/msg051641444416.html?12226&pp_user=jennie_in_mt&pp_ticket=ivnD.kwDQG2No

thanks for the info! YOurs looks like a very cool one. I also loved the link greenhouse. Both photos have helped me a lot. Cant wait to get planning this summer
michelle