Well I went with a 10x12 hoop house. Main reason was cost. I used UV plastic,1" pvc for the hoops, we framed and sided the north and south ends for strength and wind blocking purposed, wood base frame, gravel floor and heat with natural gas and electric for back up. I re-purposed a few things, like the screen door and some lumber, and got a deal on the heater. Overall cost was around 600. In hindsight I would have done a few things different.

First issue is seems to be the norm. Its already too small. We have it packed with tropicals and there is a bit of room for a couple of chairs but thats it. Next spring we are going to add another 12 feet in length. Ill probably leave the south framed wall in place so we can temperature control the 2 zones seperately.

another issue we are noticing is how cold the floor is getting at night. The highest point of the hoop is about 7.5' and at head level its 65-70 and on the floor its around 40. We havent been running a fan to circulate the heat at night so Im trying that now to see if it helps. One thing I noticed is when the NG heater was not on the fan was blowing air across the cold plastic and circulating it also and too me seem to make it colder. Not sure how I can make the heater and fan come on together.

mike

Cost played a big role in my decision to build a plastic covered hoop house instead of a formal glass house. I had been planning to go the whole Victorian route until one day I looked at my acre-and-a-half garden with a junky garage and tool shed and the neighbors debris pile right beside the fence and decided there was no need to get all fancy with "this" view.

The difficulties - the catalog said that a high tunnel / hoop house of my dimensions could be built by two people in four long days of hard work. It took more like two months with me squeezing in an hour or so of work early in the mornings before I went to work and a tiny bit after I got home (in the dark). When they say you simply screw this pipe to that pipe you need to step back and count how many screws they're talking about. Screwing tek screws up above your head while on top of a tall ladder gets real old, real fast.

My "greenhouse" has not made it through its first winter so I can't comment on how well it holds heat or sheds snow. In the past I built simple makeshift structures out of pvc and clear plastic and used electric or kerosene heaters and I managed to keep a lot of plants alive but I live in zone 7b and our winters are pretty mild.

Hey Kitty, I opted for glass for appearance sake, as it was being added onto the front of my home and I wanted it to look nice. Habitat for Humanity Restores provided sliding glass doors for under $100 per set - that is six feet of glass. Pretty economical. Because of the weight, I went with plastic for the roof. It was two layers of pool cover, one on top and one below the rafters, plus a layer of quality GH plastic over the top. I think it looks just fine.

I opted for wood frame to look nice and because for my purposes, it was easy. My biggest cost was about $1200 for labor. Materials for the building and furnishings was under $1000. The floor is covered with used carpet, so is pleasant to walk on summer or winter barefooted.

Right now, a fan is blowing heat from the greenhouse into my home. In the night, that process will be reversed. One small oil filled electric radiator provides the heat. It was 13 night before last and the GH did get down to 45 with this setup. The cucumber did not like that, but the peppers did and I saw no complaints from the tomatoes. Hope this gives you a little food for thought. THere is no harm in combining glass and plastic, so be flexible in your planning.

Kitty, I built my 12x15 greenhouse using treated lumber, mostly 2x4's. I had a bunch of salvage storm windows that I used plus a layer of 6 mil greenhouse plastic. Roof is couragated poly plus 6 mil plastic. Makes a nice sturdy structure with lots of head room for tall tomatoes, peppers and fig trees. I spent two years in Mass so I understand about winters!

I just bought my first bender and have been starting to play around with bending my own chain link top rail. Last winter, I put together a Clearspan kit from Farm-Tek. I like it, but I want to be able to build them more cheaply. Bending your own hoops out of conduit or top rail is the lowest-budget way I know of to make a metal hoophouse.

Hoophouses are not meant to take snow, though. In a big snow event, either you go out in the middle of the night and brush it off, or the weight will collapse your structure. Wind load is much easier to engineer around than snow load. If you get heavy snows and want the cover on year-round, you probably want an angled roof of rigid poly panels so that the snow slides off.

My goodness Hudson that is enviable! What a gorgeous structure! The setting isn't bad either. ;)

Thanks Karin! This may not be the most ideal spot for tea and snacks during the winter Kitty - but even though it is 0 degrees outside - it can be a nice 70 degrees in the GH on a sunny day where we can kick back - read a book and just enjoy the warmth of the afternoon sun....... and hope spring soon arrives - haha.

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This post was edited by Hudson...WY on Sat, Dec 15, 12 at 7:16

Great looking greenhouses everyone!!

mike

I agree. Since this is such a good thread, here are some of my pics as well.

Like the song, I loaded 16 tons (of gravel). But I actually got four days older and deeper in debt.
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I really like reenforcing the end hoops with composite decking board.
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finished!
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And here's a pic of my current project. I'm hanging in there :)
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I went with pvc because it's very cheap. Those other fellas made some really nice structures. You've got to be careful of building codes if you pour cement. Glass would not be the best choice. Plastic can have it's problems too. Polycarbonate, corrugated plastic, solexx are all options. Check out Farmtek for ideas. I'm in MA too and I hate the cold. I have 3 pvc greenhouse with the covers off because of Sandy. I need to re-enforce the pvc. Steel pipe or pressure treated or like cedar would be better but much more expensive. Hoophouse are pretty easy to make. They can't take snow or heavy rain too much though.

Corrugated plastic might be the cheapest(and ugliest) rigid material and have an rf factor of 2. The more expensive polycarbonate and solexx can offer higher rf factors and longer warranty. All these materials can be purchased on rolls or sheets. Clear plastic is still by far the cheapest.

Avoid fixtures if you make a custom greenhouse. If I had the tools and money I'd be flaring 14 gauge pipe and bending it. If I had more money I'd go with Polycarbonate and a premade one. Check out Farmtek for ideas.

Hello from NH, Favorite Kitty. This is our first winter with the wood-framed high tunnel my husband built. We were concerned about snowload and since it would be cheapest and easiest to use a wood frame, this is what my huband built. It's purpose is to extend the vegetable growing season using ideas and methods in the Eliot Coleman books. He market gardens in Maine. Our cold house is 16 x 24 which seems big enough for food for two people. A neighbor with a professional structure had tomatoes this past summer by July 1. I hope to do as well. We are not using any supplemental heat. Yesterday when it was in the 40s, it got up to the low 80s. (single layer greenhouse plastic) But at night it gets as cold as the outdoor temperature. I have covered the vegetables with Agribon fabric for some additional protection.

I have been buying my tomato and pepper seedlings from a local backyard grower who seems to be using simple plastic covered structures. This year I plan to start a few plants early to get a jump on the season. Indoors I have a wooden light stand using old hanging flourescent fixutes for seed starting. It worked out pretty well this year. I'm still in the learning stages but this gives me a warm indoor area for early starts.

Our vegetable garden is not close to the house and I was tired of hauling several lengths of garden hose for watering. The driveway is right next to the house so this meant running the hose across the driveway. Fortunately my husband is knowledgeable about things and actually found a used yard hydrant in our barn. We now have an underground waterline going to the cold house. It can be used during the winter since the water drops to below frost level in the ground. It required backhoe work to dig the trench.

The Coleman books give good charts on what vegetables are winter hardy. I am kicking myself that I don't have a better variety planted but will start seeding again once we get past the dormant months of short days. Right now I have a lot of spinach and beet greens. Possibly one semi frozen head of romaine lettuce. I still have spinach and carrots in the garden (as well as kale, turnips and parsnips). The ground hasn't frozen yet.

Since I'm still a first year beginner, I don't have a lot of advice but I think you can do what you want to do with a plastic covered high tunnel. Frankly, I don't think a tea party location is practical although yourself and a friend might find it pleasant.

I wish I had planted some of the hardier herbs in the cold house to see how they fare.

I think a combination of a high tunnel and indoor seed starting shelves will give you a good start in your business and not be terribly expensive. Best wishes.
http://s956.beta.photobucket.com/user/dfrost49/media/ghcropped.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1

Here is a link that might be useful: cold house

This post was edited by defrost49 on Sun, Dec 16, 12 at 7:42

Defrost - nice work there! It sounds like you've done your homework and you have a very practical structure. Having any fresh produce this time of year in a cold zone with no heat tells me that you are being smart about it!

Hudson - thank you for the snowy photo for my benefit. You are right, I love it!

Kitty - as you can see, everyone has different priorities, whether it's cost, productivity, aesthetics, convenience, etc. Only you will know what works for you. To answer one of your initial questions, yes, glass is a poor insulator in addition to being expensive and fragile. But if your heart is set on that, then perhaps you don't want to rule it out.

No matter what the type of structure, I do think that greenhouses offer a restorative and happy environment. I know I always get a boost in my spirits when I go in there and I find myself lingering longer than anticipated. I know that is a healthy thing, in addition to the healthy food we grow!

If you are patient and resourceful, there is lots of used glass around. Keep your eyes and ears open and put the word out to everyone that you need used glass. I did. My brother recently called... they were changing 80 windows in his office building... he arranged for me to pick them up. all are double glazed, no frames, and ~36" x 46". I need three sliding patio doors. Stopped in at a window manufacturer today and he said to watch by the dumpster. He says they stand the windows there for folks to take. Says there are windows there every week, even in the dead of winter. They just changed out 200 sliding patio doors from a local hotel. WOW. Missed this batch, but I won't miss the next batch. As a youngster who had access to our local dump in the days before landfill controls, I learned that everything comes to him/her who waits... and acts. I will have to buy cement for the foundation and cedar for the structure, but the glass will be free. Minimal heat will come from a fan in the door of my shop. The 12' x' 18' GH will be built on to the SE side of the shop. I'm following Eliot Coleman's literature

Here is a link that might be useful: Lively Dirt - The Garden Blog

Hello everyone, your right everyone like to show you their greenhouse. I built mine this summer and I am still working on it. It has a western red cedar frame with triple wall polycarbonate roof and ends. Insulated glass sash on the sides that I bought on Craigs list. Glass was a good choice if you would like a view from inside the greenhouse. Here is an album of photos taken as it was built. Click on the slide show option.

Here is a link that might be useful: the Greenhouse

My DIY has the same dimensions as wayneWKY though I have tempered glass on the bottoms and use visqueen on the top.

I am planning on glassing the top eventually but haven't found a design I like thats easy for the top and triangle top sides.

I like polycarb but like glass even more. Check craigslist for tempered glass and sometimes you can score.

Fireweed22 - take a look at this thread for further photos of our GH.
Thanks! Hudson

Wow! Not sure how I missed that, thanks Hudson.

I bought a diy greenhouse kit after much research on the web comparing structures and prices, as I had a certain budget but I wanted something that would add to the beauty and value of my home. Some friends put it together for me, set it up attaching it to my home in one weekend. It looks gorgeous! I opted for a redwood frame and tempered glass mainly for the looks. I am not an expert on greenhouses and this is my first real greenhouse, but I can say that the fact that it is a lean to helps with heating costs in the winter as one side is attached to my home. My home electric bill last winter was lower and unless the temperatures went really low I did not need to turn on the heater in the greenhouse to keep my plants warm. I bought the kit at mcgreenhouses.com, after spending weeks dissecting the web. They were very helpful and gave us all the information we needed to set up the structure properly, as none of us were experts. I am really happy with it, I can grow my veggies year round and I can sit in it soaking up the winter sun reading a good book as it spacious enough!

hudson, is it possible for you to contact me via email. Would love to pic your brain about the greenhouse build. Thanks.

Dale

Hudson: I just bookmarked your old post on the greenhouse build you did in 2012. Unfortunately the photos do not come up any longer... Any chance you could repost a photo or 2 of construction. Its an awesome greenhouse!

thepodpiper - I sent a message with my email address on Houzz - haven't from you. Let me know if you didn't get it.

Rusty - Thanks! Here are a couple of photos - let me know if there is anything else you would like to see.

Thanks so much!

Great thread. I built my first GH last spring on southside of my garage and have used it every day since then. I built mine out of treated 4x4 posts with old windows and a storm door off of Craigslist. The roof is SunTuf Polycarb panels. The brick pavers were already there where a little old rusty shed was sitting. This spring I'm adding some roof vents with solar auto openers and some hanging strawberry troughs. It cost me about $500 in materials. Here are some pics.