Greenhouse repair / restoration..
wooden greenhouse repair and restoration for all types and styles
We specialise in timber garden buildings and particulraily greenhouses. Still popular these structures add character and charm to a garden and the natural material sits comfortably in most garden settings be it contemporary or traditional.
There are essentially two distinct groups of timber greenhouses that we come across.
- Custom built bespoke greenhouses designed specifically for a client. They can be all sorts of shapes and sizes or built for a very specic purpose such as a 'Vinery' or 'Orangery'.
- Timber greenhouses produced commercially in standard designs, purchased from a manufacturer either direct or perhaps via a retailer such as a garden centre. Makes such as Alton Greenhouses, C H Whitehouse and F Pratten and Co. are most common but we can repair or restore many types.
timber greenhouse will fail over time it is inevtable they need to be maintained and for older buildings they need to be restored. In these cases The Evergreen Workshop has a lot of experience of bringing both types of buildings back to full working order. One of the benefits of timber buildings is that they are infinately repairable and can be restored back to as near new condition. We have worked on some buildings that are almost 100 years old and still working hard.
Some timber greenhouse have metal components usually steel or iron but nowadays aluminium incorporated into their design sometmes as braces or brackets. We have worked with these structures as well and can repair and restore most of these items however we do not work on aluminium or metal framed greenhouses.
we do need direct access to the greenhouse and off street parking. We unfortunately do not work in the central London area or areas where additional extra travel charges are applied.
Although the principals are the same for clarity we have seperated off the two groups and this page is dedicated to the:
Bespoke or vintage greenhouse restoration work.
This category refers to buildings custom made for a property owner. It ofte includes dwarf all greenhouses where a structure has been individually made to suit a particular application,
As all greenhouse owner know there are maintenance issues that need to be addressed. Also new owners who have 'inherited' older buildings may find them is less than perfect condition,either needing repair or perhaps a full restoration.
The Evergreen Workshop can repair / restore most of these greenhouses and has many years experience in working with what can be quite fragile and often unique historic examples of the garden building craft. Based in Hampshire we cover the area around Hampshire normally within 50-60 miles as most of the work needs to be on site and travelling distance and time is therefore an important factor.
We always look to produce an accurate report and proposal for work that we feel should be undertaken and we provide a quotation after discussion, based on what you the client and we feel is the best solution. We are a workshop based company and look to take down and restore the frames of the structure inhouse before reinstallation.
Bsaic types of timber greenhouse structure.
A full length greenhouse is one in that the glazed wall frames go to ground level (often on a concrete base)
There are however greenhouse built on a low single skin brick wall called 'Dwarf wall greenhouses' Often built a top of walls to custom measurements and designs, dwarf wall greenhouses cannot easily be dismantled and almost always require specialist repair on site unless it is being replaced as examples below. Regarding restoration as this service is labour intensive and almost always 'on site' we have to limit the travelling range to which we can work
A third variant is the part timbered greenhouse, Still a full length frame but the lower section which would normally be normally is isntead clad in timber boards for winter insulation. We do restore
these greenhouses. and there are many examples shown Common makes are Whitehouse, Halls and Alton. The lower section is clad up to normally 600mm or so to provide a warm zone ideal for
over wintering plants.
We specialise in restoring full length timber greenhouses and have a wealth of experience with this sort of building. Most of the work involves repairing rotted frames which often need completely dismantling. Please note we are not a glazing company, we are essentially a joinery workshop and although as part fo our work we replace glass we do not undertake purely glazing work on any buildings. We also are workshop based company we do not undertake repairs on site.Some Dwarf wall greenhouses cannot be taken down without damage and so unforunately we cannot help with their restoration.
Below are a couple of examples of some that we have undertaken.
A rare and unique 1920s 'Vinery' in London that needed to be saved
This unique building was located in the front courtyard of an old stage house that previously was part of a large estate. Built when the stage house was sold off and converted to a residential property it dated to the 1920s and still had its original grape vine growing within. However the rot was so extensive it was on the verge of collapse. Restoration wasn't really an option but we could faithfully reproduce it.
There was extensive damage from rot in the frame and insect damage. The glass which included inserts of coloured glass was heavily stained due to poluution. So much so that it had etched into the glass and could not be cleaned off.
Bodged repairs over the years mean't that rotted timber had been filled with concrete or cut out and never replaced. Many windows had been nailed shut and pieces of plastic stuck over broken glass.
There was a decided lean to the building as the right hand side started to fall in on itself. This mean't the door couldn't be opened properly and so the building and the grape vine had been left to its own devices. The rot was so severe it wasn't a difficult decision to completely replace so perhaps it shouldn't clasify as a restoration. However the original design and features were faithfully followed to reproduce the original greenhouse.
The client was keen to see it's 'spirit saved and restored.'
The building was carefully taken down so that the details could be replicated. As with all old dwarf brick wall strucures this was not easy as the fixings were corroded and the timber in contact with the brickwork crumbled when touched.
Parts were then transported back to the workshop and the restoration undertaken.
At this time a few changes such as the large single door to a set of double doors were incorporated
The restored/remade buiding is returned....
Once again the 'Vinery' nurtures its grapevine.
The client was away at time of install on a business trip. Her first sight of the greenhouse on her return saw her emailing us late at night with a simple message 'WOW'.......
An alternative Project : Greenhouse rebuild.
An old lean-to greenhouse urgently needing repair
.A fairly typical image of a lean-to greenhouse that has suffered over the 25+ years. The base is collapsig and the gkazing is slipping , in part due to poor installation. fo the owner looking to protect a peach tree it is priceless. Very humble looking but within the plants were treasured.
A complete tear down and rebuild replacing all the rotted elements and faulty installs means the greenhouse, largely as original is readt go again and at less than the cost of a NEW replacememt.
And just to sow the difference, here is that image agin from the front....
The side frames replaced and secure and the roof straight and level.. When we re-installed the peach tree already had new fruit developing....peaches in a garden greenhouse WOW.
We rarely work on dwarf wall greenhouses. Their removal is almost impossible without creating extensive damage to wall or frame. They require a carpenter / joiner on site painstakingly to work though cutting out damaged and rotted sections which often is simply not cost effective when viewwd against a replacement structure. We therefore do not offer this onsite repair service.
When an old dwarf wall greenhouse is in need of replacing.
This old greenhouse had sat for years at the bottom of a vegetable garden. It had seen numerous repairs, bodged glazing attempts and had started to become unstable. Dwarf wall greenhouses are difficult to rstore as the connections to the wall have often corroded and the sills are rotted and cannot be replaced. As such we do not offer a restoration service for these but we can replace them with a new structure. There are comercial companies however that will build new dwarf wall greenhouses to fit existing walls based on supplied dimensions but this is not a service we offer.
We were comisiioned to build a new replacement greenhouse that incorporated a higher ridge height, guttering and water collection as well as incorporating fold down staging to allow for larger plants to develop.
The completed greenhouse stood 1.9M tall at the eaves and included 4 side vents and 4 roof vents with automatic openers. The benches were set two on each side and can be folded down independently of each other.
Guttering either side was directed either two waterbutts tha were supplied or onto raised beds as the client instructed.
We even dug out an old galvanised water tank and converted it into a potting bench.
The client was delighted with the new greenhouse and invited nieghbours round to celebrate it's incorporation into the garden. Planting plans abound as ideas to utilise the space develop.
These are just a couple of examples of the work we have undertaken, we hope to show that what we do is sympathetic to the original structure but is also based on best practise and quality material and common sense where costing is concerned.
There are many companies that specialise in onsite restoration and glass replacement or very large structure including commercial greenhouses but this is not an area we cover.
These buildings deserve better than the bodged attention of a local handyman and when dealt with properly can give decades more service and add value to a property.
Address
The Evergreen Workshop
Liphook
Hampshire
We often work out on site during the day and cannot always get to the phone, Equally when in the workshop we cannot often hear the phone (there is no answerphone service provided)
For best results Always contact us by email with full address, postcode and details of work required. Or alternatively use the contact form.
Email: evergreenworkshop@yahoo.com
Tel 01428 722700 not manned
Or use our contact form, please note must include an address and postcode.
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