Calling all used awning windows, bay windows, storm doors, and clerestories back to service.
1) Recycled Window Greenhouse, Minnesota
Greenhouse made from recycled windows by Jan and Ed Vitse of New Look Floral (a garden and floral business) in Rochester, MN. This little gem, made from recycled windows was built in 2003. The structure is 12 feet long by 6 1/2 wide, and 10 1/2 feet tall.
2) Tinker House, Indiana
Donna Reyne of Indiana built Tinker House from reclaimed doors, windows and millwork from a home renovation. The doors are old pocketdoors on slides, slid open in this photo.
3) Recycled Window And Tile Greenhouse, Texas
Old window greenhouse by Karla and Steve Ritchey of McKinney, Texas. Used Mexican roofing tiles from a mansion in Fort Worth frame the hydrangea and variegated liriope-filled flower bed.
4) Recycled Windows And Doors Greenhouse, Texas
Re-purposed windows and doors. Linda J. of McKinney, Texas built this greenhouse using old windows and french doors. It has a chandelier inside and icicle lights that set it off at night. Originally found at “https://www.hometalk.com/455305/re-purposed-windows-and-doors”
5) Greenhouse With Materials From The Neighbors
Old window greenhouse, using recycled windows from one neighbor who was replacing all the windows on her house, and a couple of old doors from another neighbor who was getting new ones installed.
Must-Haves For Greenhouse Owners
Potting Soil
Seedling Heat Mats
- Hydrofarm 9″ x 19.5″ Seedling Heat Mat
- VIVOSUN 10″ x 20.75″ Durable Waterproof Seedling Heat Mat
- Garden Nova 10″ x 20.75″ Seedling Heat Mat
6) Montana Greenhouse
Greenhouse from recycled materials by Montana Wildlife Gardener. To see additional information on building a greenhouse, visit their site for pictures and information on each step of the process.
7) Greenhouse From The Piny Woods Of Texas
Built with reused materials, the owner also incorporated trellises for vining plants.
8) Old Window Greenhouse
Old window greenhouse by Lucy and Stephen Marr. Photos by Todd Selby at theselby.com.
9) Old Window Greenhouse, Asheville, NC
Kathy of Moss & Twigs in Asheville built this greenhouse from old windows she’d collected over the years.
10) Greenhouse From Donated Windows
Neighbors donated used windows for this greenhouse. It was built to fit the windows, without plans. It has 3 sliding windows for ventilation.
11) Salvaged Wood Greenhouse, San Francisco
Greenhouse by Jesse Schlesinger at The General Store, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
12) Old Window Greenhouse, Ohio
A mom in Northeast Ohio made this greenhouse from old windows.
13) 45-Window Greenhouse, North Carolina
Greenhouse built from 45 old windows from all different places. Some bought most donated. Wanted to keep the shabby chic, vintage look so added Mason jars lights with Edison bulbs inside. The owner/builders Eric and Elizabeth love garden veggies and wanted to be able to do it year-round, and threw in flowers for pops of color. No plan, just started building and this is what it became. Lincolnton, NC.
During construction of the above greenhouse in NC. Greenhouse turned out to be 10′ x 15′. Interior shelves were built from pallets. Gutters collect rainwater runoff. By Eric and Elizabeth.
14) Small Re-Used Window Greenhouse
This Instagram post is a great reminder of how a greenhouse doesn’t have to be large. A small greenhouse can be easily built with a few windows for herbs year-round.
15) Asian-Influenced Greenhouse
Tall greenhouse with an Asian influence, by www.fadedprairie.com.
16) Recycled Window Home In Copenhagen
Glass house Made from recycled windows in Copenhagen’s 40-year-old Freetown Christiania Commune. Considered “architecture without architects” there is a strong political will to tear the houses down—they are illegal, follow no building code, have no permit. Image by Seier + Seier via Flickr.
17) Salvaged Window And Door Greenhouse, Ontario
A gardener in Ontario built this 10×16 greenhouse. She used salvaged windows for the glass, and salvaged doors. Half of the floor is an old deck, the other half is discounted paving stone.
18) Garden Shed
Reclaimed window garden shed. Photo via downsizemyspace.com
19) Small Greenhouse From Old Windows
Old window cold frame. Photo via downsizemyspace.com
20) Cold Frame From Old Windows, South Carolina
Adina and Walter of Campobello, South Carolina designed and built this cold frame using an old window.
21) Small Greenhouse
Small greenhouse from 3 storm windows exactly the same size. Love this! Instead of using her find of 3 old storm windows for a low cold frame, Anne decided to go upward.
22) Greenhouse From Salvaged Doors
Old door greenhouse by Tara Dillard. Love this. Just attach old doors to a side of your home.
23) Lloyd Kahn Greenhouse, With Adobe Walls
Greenhouse built by Lloyd Kahn with used windows. Says Lloyd: “The rear wall consists of stabilized adobe bricks made with a CinvaRam, a compression tool I learned about in the ’60s from the Whole Earth Catalog. There’s a solar-powered fan for cooling and a small solar-powered trickling fountain inside. Note: using old windows like this requires a lot of time puttying and/or painting.” Lloyd’s latest book is Tiny Homes: Simple Shelter. For more info, see: www.shelterpub.com
24) Greenhouse Made From Leftover Building Materials
Recycled window greenhouse by Holly Willgress and Fraser Koroluk of Bella Coola, B.C.. In the process of renovations with a new roof and third floor added onto their lodge, they had a lot of old and leftover building materials. They maintain a “no new stuff” theme to their backyard. Originally found at bcmountainlodge.com
25) Greenhouse In Rockwood, Tennessee
This greenhouse was constructed by Amy Moore with reused windows for walls, and a foundation made of old railroad timber. An assortment of wood planks were used for the frame.
26) Asymmetrical Salvaged Wood And Window Greenhouse
Recycled window greenhouse by artist Shannon Rankin and friend.
27) Tall Old Window Greenhouse, Washington State
Old window greenhouse by Angela Davis of Washington State. Read more aboout it on her blog Gardening in My Rubber Boots.
28) Old Windows Frame A Clear-Awning Roof
A clear-awning roof allows lots of light to enter this greenhouse made from lots of different old windows.
29) Greenhouse From Salvaged School Windows
Sara of Davison, Illinois made this garden shed from windows salvaged from an old school.
30) Old Window Greenhouse From Mooresville, Tennessee
The greenhouse above uses a larger amount of wood in the design to reduce the amount of windows needed in construction.
How to Build an Old Window Greenhouse: Supplies
A few ideas on how to get the materials you’ll need.
- Ask your neighbors: They may have old windows sitting in their garage they’d be happy to get rid of.
- ReStores: A nationwide chain of used building material stores run by Habitat for Humanity.
- Architectural salvage stores: Such as the online salvage store Olde Good Things.
- Salvage yards: You can look for one in your area.
- Antique stores: Omero A Well Traveled Home is one of the antique stores you can find online.
- Craigslist: To look for items for sale in your area.
- Freecycle: A collaborative effort to reuse materials by exchanging reusable items for free.
How to Build an Old Window Greenhouse: Online Resources
- Greenhouse from Old Windows: www.instructables.com
- Greenhouse from Old Windows: www.ehow.com
- Greenhouse from Used Windows or Storm Doors: www.motherearthnews.com
- Scrap Greenhouse: houzz.com
- Greenhouse with new lumber: www.gardensandcrafts.com
- Passive Solar Greenhouse: bradford.missouri.edu
- Attached Window Greenhouse: see links on left of page: homepond.blogspot.com
- Attached Cold Frame: simplycountrylife.blogspot.com
- Small conservatory: maisondecor8.blogspot.com
- 3 window upright cold frame: designdreamsbyanne.blogspot.ca
The Best Greenhouse And Gardening Books
- Raised Bed Revolution: Build It, Fill It, Plant It … Garden Anywhere by Tara Nolan
- Black & Decker’s The Complete Guide to Greenhouses & Garden Projects: Greenhouses, Cold Frames, Compost Bins, Trellises, Planting Beds, Potting Benches & More by Philip Schmidt
- How to Build Your Own Greenhouse: Designs and Plans to Meet Your Growing Needs by Roger Marshall
Interesting post! It is very essential to reconstruct the house to maintain its longevity. To determine the effective solutions for home repair and replacements, considering the best and fixing homes with correct fixtures is highly acceptable in today’s world. It’s good to have home with energy efficient windows due to the hazardous nature of the environment. So to make homes more comfortable for living the survey says that, Miami, Palm beach and many more location deals with better windows and doors to establish a new and secured house.
http://www.impactresistantwindowsndoors.com/impact-windows-coral-springs
Meanwhile the city of Minneapolis has fined me $1460 for the greenhouse I built out of old sliding glass doors and reclaimed lumber, and is forcing me to tear it down, and they don’t want to know if it is sound and functional or not.
My historical greenhouse built in 2015/ Greenhouse consists of 63 windows that are 50-112 years old. I spent 5 months resorting greater than 230 panes of glass prior to construction. Lastly, as beautiful as it is on the outside, the same detail was completed on the inside. It was a passion project from day one, and I am so glad it will be a portion of our urban garden for years to come. Thank you for your blog!
Very interesting post. I really liked your idea of building a greenhouse with old door and old windows. I will use my old doors and windows in building my greenhouse. Thanks for sharing such a great idea.
https://www.universalwindowslasvegas.com/products/doors/entry-doors
This is such a wonderful idea. We just moved to a colder climate and are looking to build a greenhouse. This post comes at a perfect time!
Photo/Attachment:
I’d left my old sashes out to weather off the paint, and in a few years would have been stained glass panels to take to the gallery. But then, one day my Lauren was leafing through them considering a cold frame. My eyes saw a nice project potential in a portable mini green house. With “lock down” going on, I used only materials I had on hand, and in the end, I did include a bit of stained glass after all.