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In October 2021 my mum was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. She was given an estimated 12 months of time left with us. My mum loves orchids. When I was little she used to always say that before she died she wanted to have a beautiful white glasshouse and fill it with hundreds of orchids that would all bloom at once and fill the space with beauty.
So what started as a small idea evolved into something special. I did a lot of drawing, planning, scavenging and LOTS of research. The greenhouse is almost finished but it has been a truly amazing d.i.y. project.
The frame was made using 70 x 35mm framing MGP10 H2 blue pine. The base is covered with H3 treated pine CCA fence palings with Earthwool R4.0 insulation ceiling batts on the inside.
I sourced all recycled (approx. 1920’s) Queenslander casement windows and French doors. Due to my time constraints I decided to restore each window individually in situ after the greenhouse was built instead of before. This involves removing each pane of glass and scraping out the old putty and replacing with Selleys Natural Linseed Oil Special putty. I used Hume 18x18mm H3 treated pine FJ primed DAR moulding cut to size around the inside of each window to create a frame and cover any large gaps. Then I sealed it all up with Selleys No More Gaps to make sure there were no draughty winter breezes coming inside.
Everything has had quite a few coats of British Paints white water based 4 in 1 Prep primer sealer and undercoat paint.
For the roofing I used Suntuf clear corrugated polycarbonate roofing and the matching Suntuf ridge capping and Suntuf clearfix roofing screws. The guttering is Colorbond surfmist quad guttering attached using a Fielders zinc quad gutter strap.
I installed a solar panel light attached to an old recycled chandelier for free nighttime lighting and made some space heaters using Northcote terracotta pots, nuts bolts and Hobson M12 Hot Dipped galvanised threaded rod heated by 9 hour tea light candles.
It is still a work in progress but my mum loves it, spends a lot of time tinkering around in it and has filled it with many beautiful orchids (thanks Bunnings Keperra 😁).
What a special project. It's obvious so much love and effort has been invested in the build. Many thanks for sharing it with us @JackiN. I'm sure your Mum really appreciates what you have done for her and it will also serve as a great inspiration for others.
Let me also extend a very warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. We're really pleased to have you join us and look forward to reading more about all your projects and plans for around the house and garden. We're here to help so don't hesitate to ask if you ever need a hand with anything. And I'm sure you'll find that our clever and creative members are constantly sharing inspiring ideas for new projects.
Thanks again for sharing.
Jason
ternoon @JackiN
Now that is a dream greenhouse! I really like how you have reused a whole bunch of products and also lifted it into todays time! 
Love the windows! And the way you have repaired them insitu
Dave
