Lean-to Greenhouse - Slope or Tiers?

[Uncle Gizmo]

I just posted the following question on a gardening Forum, but then I thought, there's some sensible people an AWF with a wide range of knowledge, and I would welcome your input!

I want to install a lean-to greenhouse against a wall. The wall itself is nice and vertical, but the land it is on has a gentle slope. So I'm trying to decide whether to just install the lean-to and follow the slope and have a sloping greenhouse, or should I build it with level tiers, staggered at different heights. Any observations welcome!

 

[Isaac]

Depending on the grade, navigating that physically and structurally might be endlessly difficult. I would "lean" towards the tiers (pun intended).

Hey - i just noticed i get 5 minutes of fame!

dbGuy must have ran into some traffic this morning!

 

[AccessBlaster]

That's rarefied air.

 

[CJ_London]

this feels like one of those newbie questions - not enough information to provide a concise answer. level tiers is better - but depends on size/shape and how steep the slope plus where the greenhouse door is - on the front (wall in front of you when you enter) or to the side.

I have a greenhouse on a sloping site (slopes down to wall). The internal pathway runs along the wall with (tiered) raised beds to one side.

 

[Uncle Gizmo]

this feels like one of those newbie questions -

Yes, I am a newbie greenhouse builder!

I'm trying to find the correct questions.

I would say the slope is the same as yours Chris, In that it looks like your garden slopes from the left of the picture to the right. My wall follows approximately the same slope as your apparent slope, possibility slightly steeper.

The lean-to will be 8ft wide and 90ft long continuous, but with two partitions, making it three 30ft sections.

 

[CJ_London]

not small then!

yes my garden is higher to the left than the right.

So depends on what you are growing as to how you want to set it out. You need to allow a minimum of 600mm for the path - at least wide enough for a wheelbarrow. And sounds like you would run the path along the length, so door at one or both ends. With that size, might be quite nice to have different sections - say a section with 800 wide beds to each side, another perhaps a 1200 bed in the middle with path either side, a wider bed and path and maybe a seating and/or potting bench area with no beds to either side.

If the slope is along the length of the wall and that long, you will definitely want to tier it. Just need to think how you would join the 30' sections

 

[Uncle Gizmo]

This is it. I got it at a good price because the only access is across a Field, so it will be labour intensive to disassemble and move...

 

[CJ_London]

make sure you take the glass out first - will be expensive to replace. Presumably you will do new brickwork

 

[Uncle Gizmo]

make sure you take the glass out first - will be expensive to replace.

Yes, that was the attraction, but also the difficulty, moving it. The groundsman (it's on a big estate) has offered the use of a 4x4 buggy to move it across the field. The rest is aluminium, and should be man handleable.

There's currently only one broken pane if glass!

 

[Uncle Gizmo]

I'm thinking, put the greenhouse in level, (the roof level) and increase the height of the foundation wall to compensate.

On the other hand I think the existing wall follows the slope of the ground so the wall is a constant height and sloping, so putting the greenhouse up against it level, might look funny.

Don't know. I'll have a look in the morning when it's light....

 

[Uncle Gizmo]

I don't really want to stagger it, height wise because it will mean altering the existing structure. It would be much better to put it in as is in one continuous run.

So the choice would be to:-

Put it in level, as in level to the horizon.

Put it in at an angle and follow the slope of the wall.

Put it in staggered so the greenhouse is level to the horizon, in sections and also follows the slope of the wall with the staggered stages.

Writing that out like that makes me realise that the third option is the only really sensible one. I'm not looking forward to that!

I've got the solution. Instead of trying to add something to the aluminium structure to facilitate the staggered sections, I need to build walls to delineate the different sections and just bolt the greenhouse to that both sides of the wall no need to try and make anything fancy to stagger the existing greenhouse just divide the existing greenhouse up into three smaller greenhouses linked by the dividing walls.

What have I missed?

 

[Uncle Gizmo]

not small then!

I've measured it again, no idea where I got 90 foot from, its more like 45ft, that is 15 strides.

Mind you I did make my notes on the measurements on a scrappy piece of paper with a large carpenters pencil!