Demolishing a greenhouse ?

[andrewc]

Over 60 years ago my father bought a load of red cedar & molished it into a greenhouse, using glass photographic plates from the printing factory he worked at to glaze it. 


It's now a dangerous eyesore on the verge of collapse.  I've got most of the glass off one of the sides & half of one side of the pitched roof.   I can't get at the other side because it's hard up against the side of the house, if I try to physically shift it it might collapse.     I'm _very_ reluctant to go inside the thing to try & remove glass  in case it all comes down on my head. 


Can anyone suggest safe options to deal with this ?    The frame is going to be cut or broken up eventually, but I'd like to keep the volume of smashed glass to a minimum. 

[orraloon]

Can't say without seeing the problem. Pictures?

[andrewc]

I meant to take some earlier but forgot.  I won't be there again until next weekend.    Glass is held in by putty which is hard & breaks up easily.  It's quite thin glass & breaks into lovely sharp fragments.

[Feanor]

Hmm, I'd say destruct it from the outside.
Pull it over using ropes or whatever, let it fall on top of itself.
Then scoop up the remains.

[orraloon]

So not 'horticultural' glass, plus built with wooden frames and putty.  Right...

Without seeing the specifics I'd go with the above, stand clear, get your PPE on and pull it down from the outside.

Couple hours with a shovel and broom is better call than n hours in A&E.

Sez he who has been a gardener / landscaper these past 15 years...

[andrewc]

That may well be the only way to do it.   Annoyingly it's not on a concrete base, just soil & gravel so cleaning up splinters of glass will be a nightmare, and they have a dog which gets shoved into the back garden. 


I may see if I can get a heavy duty PVC groundsheet to put around the edges first.


It used to be in our old house.  When they moved to the current one, directly over the road from the old one a bunch of burly chaps physically picked it up, carried it over the road & then lifted it over a 6 ft wall!

[Phil W]

Before pulling it over lay down a tarpaulin for it to fall down onto. I would suggest sticky back plastic to secure the glass if you were able to get inside it. A frame to surround it and some ropes to hold up the frame?

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Wear disposable overalls in case of tiny glass particles flying about. Amazing how far it goes from minor impacts. Maybe eye protection, too? Tough gloves obviously.

[Andy W]

If you can't deglaze that part of the structure whilst it's close to anothe building, I'd lay a tarpaulin (£10 Screwfix) and attempt to lay it down. It my be a controlled "fall". Glass shards are very dangerous so I'd invest in the best goggles you can.
 Without seeing the structure it's difficult to suggest any other method
Good luck.

[chrisbainbridge]

This may be stupid but could you spray it from outside with bright orange paint or similar to help the general clagginess of the glass to try to stop it spreading and to help identification?

[Cudzoziemiec]

This may be stupid but could you spray it from outside with bright orange paint or similar to help the general clagginess of the glass to try to stop it spreading and to help identification?

That not only sounds like a good idea (henceforth SLAGI), it will also make for a great video of a hi-viz greenhouse!

Definitely, definitely eye protection. I can't imagine that you wouldn't.

[andrewc]

Spray it Bright Orange & then erect an SEP field !  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somebody_else%27s_problem#Fiction

[Cudzoziemiec]

That's when you discover that somebody else is you!

[PaulF]

May I be the first to suggest


https://youtu.be/aCbfMkh940Q

[Brucey]

if you have a spare roll of wallpaper (or similar) just paste it to the glass you plan to remove/ break a few days beforehand.

When/if you break it there will be far fewer loose fragments to deal with.

IIRC you can buy Kevlar reinforced gloves which may help you avoid cuts when handling the fragments.

If you can remove most of the putty you will probably find tiny brads (nails) which retain the glass prior to the putty being used.  Often in old windows these have rusted away, so don't obstruct the glass greatly.

If you make up a piece of laminated plywood (so the total thickness is two or three inches) of the correct size, you may find that you can make a 'pusher' which, when struck, stands some chance of pushing each piece of glass out of the framework wholesale. It may still fall down and break, but at least the wooden parts will have fewer bits of jaggy broken glass stuck in them, so will be easier to deal with.

cheers

[andyoxon]

May I be the first to suggest
...

Has to be done 

-------

Just to echo, watch out for that glass!  Even if wearing thick leather (/resistant material of choice) gloves.  A year or so ago I had a small glass shard buried in my palm (from a silly kitchen incident).  Took a hand surgeon & team longer than usual to extract it.

I've taken down an old greenhouse before to make way for shed, but t'was aluminium framed with clipped in glass.  Hope your's goes well.

[andrewc]

I've got a couple of those big suction discs used for moving glass sheet,  but I think the stuff in the frames would shatter if I use too much force when trying to remove it.    I've got some decent leather work gloves , goggles & may invest in a hard hat !

[Rowan]

I've got a couple of those big suction discs used for moving glass sheet,  but I think the stuff in the frames would shatter if I use too much force when trying to remove it.    I've got some decent leather work gloves , goggles & may invest in a hard hat !

welders gauntlets are better, you need to protect that very vulnerable wrist area. 

[andrewc]

All the expertise & advice on this thread I should organise a YACF demolition squad.  The opposite of a barn raising.   

[Cudzoziemiec]

Involving FIRE, crossbows and CAEK. Best find somewhere else for your parents to live cos we'd be unlikely to stop with the greenhouse...

[mrcharly-YHT]

You know those dumpy bags that sand etc get delivered in? Used to be that builders could return them for a small amount off the next load. No longer - so they are just waste.

Get some of those from a building site for gathering and carting this crap. Builders will be only too glad to give them to you (tell them what you need them for).

I'd suggest cutting some open and spreading under the greenhouse (or spreading cheap tarp) with cardboard on top. Then pull the difficult side down on top of that with a rope, from a distance.

[Cudzoziemiec]

YACF (Yet Another Crisis Fixed).

Very good! And sometimes even appropriate. 

[Kim]

There's always the Fred Dibnah approach: Set it on fire, wait for the collapse, and get the apprentices to clean up the rubble.

[HeltorChasca]

I have demolished a few. Either dismantled carefully or pushed in from a distance with a pole. Wear eye protection at the very least. I wore my chainsaw PPE and wore rose gloves.

And chewed gum in a menacing manner.

[Kim]

And chewed gum in a menacing manner.