🌿 Refreshing Our Greenhouse: The Great Demolition (Part 1)
When we moved into our new home last year, the backyard came with something I had always dreamed of: a greenhouse. It was one of the biggest reasons I fell in love with the property! I filled it up immediately with plants and spent that first spring and summer harvesting more cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers than I knew what to do with.
But then came the harsh Minnesota winter.
By the time the snow melted, the poor greenhouse was completely shredded. It turns out the previous owner hadn’t used true greenhouse plastic, and between the cave-ins, a rotting workbench, and an old wood-burning stove that had rusted through with a giant, unsafe hole, we knew a quick patch job wasn’t going to cut it.
We had a vision to make the space more efficient and weather-tight, which was a huge leap for us. My husband and I are not big DIY project people – we are more the “hire it out” or “build some IKEA furniture” people. But taking on this renovation together, step-by-step, has been incredibly rewarding. We even began using power tools, which is a huge achievement for us!
Here is what we tackled in Part 1 of the remodel:
- The Big Tear-Down: We spent days removing the shredded plastic, rotting wood, and what felt like 12 million screws and 6 million staples. Not to mention cleaning up a ton of dead bugs, cobwebs, and dead weeds.
- Wood Stove Removal: As much as I loved the idea of a heated winter greenhouse, the rusted stove was beyond repair and had to go.
- Upgrading the Structure: To make sure the new plastic actually survives the winter winds, we installed 1×4 weather-treated wood and upgraded to a spring lock channel system.
- Demolition took a lot out of us, and there is still astroturf to pull up, but watching this space slowly transform is giving us so much confidence. It is a true labor of love.
Grab a warm cup of tea and watch the full breakdown of our demolition process in the video below. And be sure to subscribe on Youtube so you don’t miss Part 2, where we actually start putting this beautiful space back together!
Let’s Grow Together
Have you ever taken on a project you had no experience in but just went for it? I’d love to hear about it.
Stay grounded,
Cinde | The Velveted Fern
