Dutch light This refers to the  size of the “light” (28.75 x 56 inch) 730 mm x 1422 mm.
The “light”  is the sheet of glass in the timber frame. The glass used is 3 mm horticultural glass. The majority of glass in a glasshouse will be standard dutch light size.
All the cut glass for the profiled ends, vents, etc is cut by us.
Toughened glass is an optional extra, please ask for a quote.

The Timber Frames There are two distinct types of frame: The rectangular four bay frames that make up the length of the glasshouse, and the profiled end sections that dictate the width.
The timber is European/Scandinavian redwood, from sustainable eco-friendly sources.
The timbers greenish tint when freshly processed eventually fades leaving the frame wood with a natural finish. All timber used is fully ACQ pressure preserved timber which is treated for life.
                                                  ACQ Preserve Pressure Treated Wood  

For more than a decade, arsenic- and chromium-free ACQ Preserve® treated wood has been used in some of the world's most environmentally sensitive locations. From the pristine environments of national parks in Australia, North America, Europe and Japan. Preserve treated wood has been used around the globe to provide a durable building product for outdoor projects where environmental values and product safety are priorities.

Environmentally Advanced Preserve® treated wood products are available in response to concerns raised by public and government sectors of the treated wood market regarding the use of arsenic and chromium in pressure-treated wood. Preserve is treated with ACQ®, an environmentally advanced formulation that is arsenic and chromium free. The ACQ preservative system provides long-term protection from rot, decay and termites without the use of any EPA listed hazardous chemicals.

The ACQ preservative in Preserve treated wood is a copper plus quat system that provides the same level of protection to wood as CCA (Tanalised) preservatives against decay, rot and termite attack (without the use of arsenic and chromium). The main active ingredient in ACQ is Copper, which has long been established as the most cost-effective preservative component used in timber preservation. Quat acts as the co-biocide in the ACQ preservative, providing additional protection from fungi and insect attack that copper alone would not control. Quats are commonly used in household and industrial disinfectants and cleaners and are biodegradable in soil. Copper and quat solutions similar to ACQ are used for the control of fungi and bacteria in swimming pools etc.

Painting and Staining or Natural Weathering

ACQ Preserve and Preserve Plus can be painted or stained to match any outdoor colour scheme. High quality oil and latex based paints and stains are recommended. Water repellent coatings can be applied to enhance the long-term weathering performance. It is important that the wood is dry and free from surface deposits prior to applying any coating. Left uncoated ,or with clear water repellent coatings, Preserve and Preserve Plus will initially weather to a natural brown colour, eventually turning grey following long-term exposure to the sun.

Doors The size of the sliding door on standard glasshouse models is 28 inches.

Other sizes are available at 36”, 48” and 56”.

Doors that are 36” wide can be fitted on glasshouses 12 ft wide and over.

Doors that are  48” and above can be fitted to the 18 ft, 20 ft and 29 ft models.
If the glasshouse is to be placed on a raised base, it is usually preferable to have the door dropped so that it is flush to ground level (see picture of 20 ft wide glasshouse which shows a “dropped” door).

Vents The roof vents measure 28.75 x 24” and are hinged with two coated BZP
(bright zinc plated) steel butt hinges. The roof consists of two sections, one either side of  the ridge, and a vent is fitted to each section at every 10 ft. Extra roof vents can be fitted if required. Extra vents can be incorporated into other areas of the glasshouse, usually end sections or wall sections.

On a glasshouse up to 12 ft wide the vents are operated by casement stays.

On a glasshouse over 12 ft wide the standard method  of operation  is by steel props. Another option for these glasshouses is to fit cable-controlled vent openers. These are operated by levers on each side of the door. One lever operates the vents on one side of the ridge. Heavy duty Solar powered automatic openers can also be supplied on any vent.