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Olafhenny · 09-09-2012, 06:39 PM

How you do it, depends partly on how long that installation is supposed to last. If you are leaving
home within the next ten years, you might get away with just driving 4 or 6 2x4s in to the ground
18 inches deep and screw or nail your bottom frame to those posts. Of course all lumber you
use for this purpose should be pressure treated.

Placing your lumber on pavers is not a good idea, unless they are clay bricks. Most pavers
today are concrete and concrete in direct contact is poisonous for wood, because it attracts
moisture and maintains it even while everything around it is dry.

If you have a car port or one of your neighbours has one, look at the bases of the posts. You will
see, that they are not set directly into the concrete, but nailed/screwed into galvanized steel
brackets, which are in turn set into the concrete.

Here is how you build a ‘Cadillac’ base, which will cost you only between 20 and 30 bucks more
than the ‘slip shot’ solution, which I have described above:

- Dig a hole in each corner 1 foot deep. It need not be more than 8 inches in diameter, but
should, if anything, flare out at the bottom.

- Fill these holes up with concrete and insert a bracket into each concrete filled hole. This
is, where the whole quality of the job is decided. The brackets should not only be square to the
frame, touching with bottom of their base plates the concrete, but also all be exactly the same
height. For that it is helpful to pound a hub (small stake) near each corner, after you have dug the
holes marked for elevation, from which you can easily measure down to establish the top of the
concrete. But before you pour the concrete, you should make sure, that there is no loose soil in
the holes. – Well, a little bit is unavoidable, but basically the pour should be against undisturbed
native soil.

You can find illustrations of the brackets I am talking about here:
Concrete Fence Post Metal Anchor Sales, Buy Concrete Fence Post Metal Anchor Products from alibaba.com

Chose the one on the bottom left, if you plan to bolt the 6’ cross on top of the 8’ stringer or one
of the two beside it, if you want your frame to be flush. In that case you may want to consider
using two 2 x fours bolted together instead of one 4 x 4. That would allow you to fashion an
overlap joint at the corners.

You can be sure to find these brackets at your local building supply store for about a couple of bucks
each. For concrete I would recommend bagged ready mix. One bag will probably not be quite
enough and with two, you will have some left over.

Good luck, I have tried to go into quite a bit of detail, but if I left something out, then feel free to
ask.
Olaf

09-09-2012, 06:39 PM	#5 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 297,528 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Re: Greenhouse leveling question How you do it, depends partly on how long that installation is supposed to last. If you are leaving home within the next ten years, you might get away with just driving 4 or 6 2x4s in to the ground 18 inches deep and screw or nail your bottom frame to those posts. Of course all lumber you use for this purpose should be pressure treated. Placing your lumber on pavers is not a good idea, unless they are clay bricks. Most pavers today are concrete and concrete in direct contact is poisonous for wood, because it attracts moisture and maintains it even while everything around it is dry. If you have a car port or one of your neighbours has one, look at the bases of the posts. You will see, that they are not set directly into the concrete, but nailed/screwed into galvanized steel brackets, which are in turn set into the concrete. Here is how you build a ‘Cadillac’ base, which will cost you only between 20 and 30 bucks more than the ‘slip shot’ solution, which I have described above: - Dig a hole in each corner 1 foot deep. It need not be more than 8 inches in diameter, but should, if anything, flare out at the bottom. - Fill these holes up with concrete and insert a bracket into each concrete filled hole. This is, where the whole quality of the job is decided. The brackets should not only be square to the frame, touching with bottom of their base plates the concrete, but also all be exactly the same height. For that it is helpful to pound a hub (small stake) near each corner, after you have dug the holes marked for elevation, from which you can easily measure down to establish the top of the concrete. But before you pour the concrete, you should make sure, that there is no loose soil in the holes. – Well, a little bit is unavoidable, but basically the pour should be against undisturbed native soil. You can find illustrations of the brackets I am talking about here: Concrete Fence Post Metal Anchor Sales, Buy Concrete Fence Post Metal Anchor Products from alibaba.com Chose the one on the bottom left, if you plan to bolt the 6’ cross on top of the 8’ stringer or one of the two beside it, if you want your frame to be flush. In that case you may want to consider using two 2 x fours bolted together instead of one 4 x 4. That would allow you to fashion an overlap joint at the corners. You can be sure to find these brackets at your local building supply store for about a couple of bucks each. For concrete I would recommend bagged ready mix. One bag will probably not be quite enough and with two, you will have some left over. Good luck, I have tried to go into quite a bit of detail, but if I left something out, then feel free to ask. Olaf __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.