New DIY pergola/orchid house :)
 

Well after several months of planning, trying to get time off of work, a few splinters and sunburns later, I finished a new little DIY 8x4 home for my babies. I’ve never really built anything before and I have a pretty sad and underutilized tool box, but I am pretty darn pleased with the end result. The hardest part was trying to figure out how to build this thing in my micro courtyard that’s already filled with stuff and squeeze my orchids into a corner since both of my cats like to eat anything green (ie, no orchids inside of I want them to keep their roots and leaves....). Well, that and trying to not saw a finger or leg off

There are a couple of different light zones in there and I still might need to put some up on the balcony since it’s pretty crowded. Still, it’s a nice spot to sit out and have coffee in the mornings after I water!

Here’s some pics of the finished product and I’ll add a few work-in-progress pics below

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This was last year when I only had some lattice and a few things hanging under the balcony

The process. And boy was in a process.. Had to phone a friend (thanks Dad!) to help me stand up the 4”x4”x8’ posts and get it into its spot. He showed me how to notch out the top lattice beam things using a saw. I built this sucker from scratch with nothing more than a drill, a little skil saw, a combo square, 2 F clamps and a plan in my head. Oh and google. Google helped a lot. I used regular hardware cloth for the shelves and a 50% shade cloth over the top

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And finally a pic of my greenhouse that I used as a temporary home for my 200+ orchids. I tried moving some orchids to inside the house and my cats immediately started munching on my big ol Maxillaria tenuifolia and a few rupicolous Laelias, so that idea got scrapped pretty quick. I had to clean up cat puke later on. No bueno

Very nice job! Proud of you SaraJean! Now I have this huge denrobium that needs a home...

You did an awesome job with the structure! I never would've guessed it was your first big build.

That is gorgeous! I would not have been brave enough to tackle such a carpentry project! (My own DIY structures are build out of conduit - not nearly as attractive, but also require neither skill or muscle, both of which I pretty much lack)

Beautiful job. I don't have any kind of skills like that.

That looks great!

Wow! Fantastic! :)