Vitavia Venus assembly guide
Vitavia Venus
Sizes 2500, 3800, 5000
Pick your size at the top. Quantities and drawings change to match.
The build at a glance
0 Prepare your base
1 Build both side frames
2 Build the back gable
3 Build the door gable
4 Join and stand the frame
5 Build and hang the door
6 Fit the roof vent
7 Fit the glazing
Before you start
Six golden rules
- Build frames loose; tighten only when the whole greenhouse stands square on its base.
- Measure both diagonals; they must be equal.
- Never overtighten nuts 1002: maximum 3 Nm. Overtightening strips aluminium and cracks glass.
- Fit extra bolts when instructed; you cannot add them after bar ends are capped.
- Build with two people.
- Always anchor your greenhouse. An unanchored greenhouse can blow away.
Get ready
- Read the whole guide once before you start.
- Gather flat/PH2 screwdrivers, 10 mm socket spanner/wrench, 10 mm combination spanner, knife, tape measure, spirit level. Set cordless drill adjustable torque low.
- Wear gloves, safety glasses, sturdy shoes and a hat. Aluminium edges are sharp. Clear up broken glass straight away.
- Open one bundle at a time and keep opened bundles apart. Mixed bundles are the main cause of lost-part searches.
- Check every part against the parts check pages. Contact Greenhouse Stores before you begin if anything is missing.
- Read single-frame drawings as views from inside the greenhouse. Read double-frame drawings as views from outside.
- Choose a sunny spot with as much shelter from wind as possible.
Parts check
Open one bundle at a time. Tick each part as you find it. The number in green is how many your size should have.
Bars and profiles
Fixings and small parts
Prepare your base
Start with an exactly square, level base; the accessory zinc-coated steel base is the easiest option.
| 2500 | 3800 | 5000 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1300 mm | 1922 mm | 2544 mm |
| B | 1922 mm | 1922 mm | 1922 mm |
Installer tip
Use ground spikes or anchor legs only in soil. On concrete or paving, bolt down with suitable fixings; use one method, not both.
Watch out
Check the base before you continue. Glass will not fit a frame built on a base that is out of square or level.
Check that your base is exactly square and level. Measure both diagonals, marked X = X; they must match.
Only for self-built stone/concrete foundations: use page sizes A and B; build below frost level. Bolt treated timber (minimum height 18 mm, maximum width 32 mm) between foundation and aluminium frame. Use 50 mm foundation bolts (not supplied).
On very windy, exposed sites, drill through both the greenhouse bottom profile and steel base. Bolt them together.
Build both side frames
Build two identical side frames flat on the ground, with every nut loose.
You need
Installer tip
Lay parts on a blanket or lawn to protect the finish. Leave every nut loose so the frames can flex during step 4.
Watch out
Use the correct number of uprights 1332 per side: 1 for 2500, 2 for 3800, 3 for 5000.
Bolt the bottom of each upright 1332 to your sill bar (1322, 1323 or 1324).
Slide bolts 1001 into the bar channel through its open end, then align them with the holes. Insert them before you close the bar end.
Bolt the top of each upright 1332 to your eave bar (1327, 1328 or 1329).
Build the back gable
Build the plain back gable flat on the ground, and leave the nuts loose.
You need
Installer tip
Build from the bottom upwards. Slide each extra bolt into its channel before you fit the bar above it.
Watch out
Do not miss the two extra bolts for brace 1335. Insert them before the bar ends are capped.
Bolt the bottom of upright 1341 and diagonal brace 1333 to sill bar 1323.
Insert one extra bolt into upright 1341 and one into upright 1342 for horizontal brace 1335. Bolt brace 1335 across both uprights.
At each top corner, use corner plate 1343 to join corner bar 1336 and roof bar 1338. Include brace 1335 and diagonal brace 1333 in this joint.
At each bottom corner, bolt corner bar 1336 to sill bar 1323.
Bolt the top of upright 1342 to roof bar 1338.
Build the door gable
Build the front door gable flat on the ground, and leave the nuts loose.
You need
Installer tip
Choose the door direction now, usually towards your path and away from the prevailing wind. Changing it later means taking the gable apart.
Watch out
If parts will not align, check for bars fitted upside down or back to front. Do not force them.
Bolt door post 1344 and diagonal brace 1333 to bottom bar 1346.
At each top corner, use corner plate 1343 to join roof bar 1339, bar 1349 and diagonal brace 1333.
Bolt bar 1349 to door post 1344.
Bolt roof bar 1340 to door header bar 1348 and door post 1345.
Work from outside for this drawing. Slide door runner bar 1347 onto header bar 1348, then join loosely with two nuts and bolts.
Align door runner bar 1347 to the left or right for your chosen door opening direction.
Join and stand the frame
Work with two people to join the frames and stand the greenhouse up.
You need
Installer tip
Count extra roof bolts on your drawing before you fit any end cap. The number depends on greenhouse size and vent position.
Watch out
Do not tighten anything until the greenhouse is on its base and square. Once the glass is in, you cannot adjust it.
Bolt the side frames to the gable ends at the top corners.
Bolt the side frames and gable ends together at the bottom corners.
Fit diagonal side brace 1333 at each corner, between the eave bar and sill bar.
Bolt your ridge bar (1050, 1051 or 1052) to the top of both gable ends.
Bolt roof glazing bars 1355 to the eave bar.
Bolt glazing bars 1355 to ridge; insert an extra bolt into each for roof brace 1356, then fit braces 1356. Insert an extra bolt into each of the 2 glazing bars at the vent position.
Place the greenhouse on its prepared base and bolt it down loosely. Adjust until completely square; measure corner to corner as you did with the base. Only then tighten all bolts, maximum 3 Nm.
Work from outside. Fit door runner support 1357 to door runner bar 1347 with bolt 1001, washer 6060 and nut 1002.
Work from outside. Fix the other end of support 1357 to the gable with bolt 1005 and spacer 1310.
Press end caps 1017 and 1018 onto the open profile ends.
Build and hang the door
Assemble the sliding door, then hang it in the runner and check it slides freely.
You need
Installer tip
If the door binds or jumps the track, check that the frame is square. Do not force the door.
Watch out
Never stand the assembled door on gliders 1014. This damages them.
Push door glider 1014 onto each end of bottom door bar 1360. Screw side bars 1358 to it with screws 1003.
Screw middle bars 1361 between side bars 1358 with screws 1003.
Bolt door top bar 1362 to upper bar 1359 with bolt 1001 and nut 1002. Screw upper bar 1359 to side bars 1358 with screws 1003.
Fix the two door rollers 1015 to top bar 1362 with bolt 1304, washer 1009 and nut 1007.
Slide brush seals 1021 into both side bars 1358. Cut the seals to length.
Slide bolt 1500 into the bottom of the brush seal channel, then fix it with nut 1515. This stops the seal sliding out.
Lift the door and hang rollers 1015 in door runner bar 1347.
Check gliders 1014 run in bar 1346's bottom track; fit a nut and bolt into runner bar 1347's end as a stop. Adjust the door until it slides freely.
Fit the roof vent
Build the roof vent to the drawing for your glass thickness, then fit it to the roof.
You need
Installer tip
Fit vent sill 1063, the slam bar, flat edge up, grooved lip down towards the pane below. Recheck its position if that pane will not sit snugly.
For glass up to 4 mm thick, join vent side bars 1065 and top bar 1064 as this drawing shows.
For glass 4 mm or thicker, join vent side bars 1065 and top bar 1064 as this drawing shows instead.
Insert bolts for bottom bar 1066 into prepared holes, then slide glass into side bars 1065's tracks. Fit bottom bar 1066; check the vent is square before you tighten.
Hook the vent into the ridge bar from one end of the greenhouse.
Check that vent top bar 1064 hooks over your ridge bar (1050, 1051 or 1052).
Slide the vent to your chosen position. Push plastic cap 1019 onto the end of window opener 1067.
Fix vent sill 1063 to the extra bolts in the roof glazing bars. For a corner vent, use bolt 2001 instead of 1001 on the corner bar.
Screw window opener 1067 to vent bottom bar 1066 with screws 1006. Screw both window fixers 1016 onto vent sill 1063 with screws 1006.
Fit the glazing
Fit the glazing seals first, then glaze the roof before the walls.
Polycarbonate sheets
This step and its pane table cover horticultural glass. Your polycarbonate sheets are different sizes and use different fixings. We recommend you glaze using the fitting instructions Vitavia packs with your polycarbonate sheets.
Your toughened glass
Your toughened glass comes as full panes, listed in the table below. Use the plan below for pane positions, not the drawing above. Join your gable glass with plastic H profiles where glass meets glass, replacing glass retaining clips 1012. Fit each H strip with its longest arm inside and uppermost.
| Pane | Size (mm) | 2500 | 3800 | 5000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 610 x 1210 | 9 | 11 | 13 |
| 2 | 610 x 1144 | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| 3 | 610 x 610 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | 610 x 228 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 4a | 610 x 343 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 5 | 600 x 544 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 6 | 610 x 450 x 24 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 7 | 610 x 234 x 20 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 8 | 610 x 439 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Total panes | 25 | 29 | 33 | |
| Plastic H profiles | 6 | 6 | 6 |
You need
Installer tip
We recommend a hot soapy water soak for the whole seal reel first; it softens and presses on more easily. Glaze the roof before the walls to avoid leaning over fitted side glass.
Watch out
Never force a pane into place. If it will not seat, correct the frame's squareness first; forcing glass cracks it.
Press rubber glazing seal 1020 onto the aluminium profiles. Cut it to length.
Start the roof glazing at the eave. Fix the first pane with glazing spring clips 1011.
Each next pane overlaps the pane below and is held by retaining clips 1012 between the panes.
On the sides, start from the bottom and work up. If you chose polycarbonate sheets instead of glass, follow the instructions packed with the sheets.
Horticultural glass for your greenhouse
| Pane | Size (mm) | 2500 | 3800 | 5000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 610 x 610 | 24 | 30 | 36 |
| 2 | 610 x 544 | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| 3 | 610 x 467 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | 610 x 229 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 5 | 600 x 544 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 6 | 610 x 464/38 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 7 | 610 x 20/234/20 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Total | 36 | 44 | 52 |
Pane numbers match the glazing layout in the drawing above.
Finish and look after it
Finish
- Anchor your greenhouse. This is not optional.
- Seal the edges with neutral silicone if you wish. Silicone is not supplied.
- Stick the warning label inside the greenhouse.
- Stick the model label onto door top bar 1362. You need it to order spare parts.
- Keep this guide somewhere safe.
Looking after it
- Shut the door and vent in high winds.
- Clear the roof or support it in heavy snow. Heat the greenhouse in winter.
- Wash occasionally with a mild detergent that does not attack aluminium or the glazing clips.
- Keep the door tracks clean to prevent grit build-up.
- Add the greenhouse to your home insurance. Check local building rules about its position.
Drawings reproduced from the Vitavia assembly instructions (Vitavia manual 041.01.1306 (Venus 2500, 3800, 5000)). Greenhouse Stores, greenhousestores.co.uk.