# DIY PVC Hoophouse



## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

I've been looking around for examples of what people have done to build hoop houses and it doesn't seem like there are many who document the entire process (not on forums anyways, I've found a few on youtube that are good examples) for people to find in the future who feel like embarking on the adventure of building a hoop house, so I thought I would start a new thread and document my build along the way.

I have already built a small 16x16 stick built "winter greenhouse" that I am running an aquaponic system in, I have a separate thread for that here so I won't go in to a lot of details about it in this thread, but being 16x16 and trying to run it year-round I have a lot of lost space to house water barrels, the fish tanks for the AP system, etc. So when it came to starting seeds this past spring we had seed trays set everywhere we could possibly set them and just didn't have enough space, so now that I have pretty much finished that project my wife and I decided we would put up a larger hoop house in the garden.


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

First the planning stage. I am a mechanical engineer by trade so everything I ever build starts with a 3D assembly to create my parts list and to plan out my space.

Being that the hoop house will not be quite as secure as the smaller greenhouse I decided it needed to go inside of my garden fence. So initially I drew up a 16x32 hoop house which took up most of the free space in our 44x46ft garden fence aside from the existing raised beds (shown in brown). So once I showed the idea to my wife she agreed that I needed to extend the garden fence out... luckily aside from having to pick up a few more T-posts I had enough fence left to extend the garden over another 16ft so now the garden will be 60x46ft and I won't use up all of the space that we currently have vine crops planted in the ground. The other thing the wife decided was I should maximize the length since it wouldn't cost much more to extend the hoop house further, so it will be 16x40 instead. 









One concern that I have had with PVC hoop houses is will it hold up to our northern winters / wind storms. I found a few examples of them surviving wind and snow, but I'm not sure if any of the examples have been as bad of winters as we get for snow or not. So I am planning on running a beam down the center of the hoop house to give the hoops support at the top, as well as the perlins and knee boards on the sides to tie everything together. I looked in to how much weight a 6mil greenhouse covering will hold and found one supplier tested it using about a 5ft section and it held about 580 pounds in that 5ft section, so I am comfortable that the plastic should hold up against wind and snow at least long enough for us to go out and clean it off.


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

Step one, reclaim part of the overgrown field to add on to the garden... brush cutting attachment on the weedwhacker hacked everything down, then hit it with the mower up high, picked up rocks, hit it with the mower down low, picked up rocks again.









Step two and three, extend the garden fence out to protect the new area. Cover ground with plastic / weed mat to kill the weeds. 









I plan on purchasing the lumber and PVC this Thursday, but it will probably be next week before I start building (going away for the holiday weekend)


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## chaossmurf (Jan 6, 2017)

well id suggest snoping around for a BIG bulk pack of the CROSSES & Ts and the pipe itself  ---if you talk to the local stores managers lowes and HD and anywhere else nearby & let them know your looking for the lowest price they can do ----my design ive drawn up& cannot figure out how to post to the forums  --im a computer idiot  ---but id suggest either using stock lowes or HD gutters along the sides --or maybe find a local guy that can build you some full length gutters dwn each side to gater rainwater ---when hes got freetime  ---let him do it when he gets the spare time for a discount 
if you or anyone wants too take a peek at my design I drew up on my 3d program --id be happy to text it to you from my phone 352 423 3666


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

chaossmurf, I've seen a couple of examples where people used the PVC crosses / T's to tie all of their hoops together, but I was a bit worried about making that a weak spot in the design (I'm not sure if it really would be or not, but I thought keeping the hoops all together in "one" piece (really 3 pieces but no extra fittings) might be more beneficial than putting the T's and crosses in - so I was planning on just adding perlins on the inside (I haven't decided on PVC perlins or 2x4 perlins yet) and screwing down through them (which still makes a weak spot where the screws go through, but I was more concerned about whether the fittings would be brittle with hot/cold cycles... might not be any more than the PVC itself, but I will use PVC electrical conduit which is UV protected so hopefully it holds up well).

If anyone has experience with one way or the other being better I'll take that in to consideration!


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

Chaos, also I did consider adding some rain gutters to collect water... I think that will be a good idea once we get it up and running, but it will probably be something that would get added next year if I do. I bought some of the PVC gutters from Menards that I put up on the back of my small greenhouse which will eventually run in to a rainwater collection barrel (right now it's just to concentrate the rain water dripping down in one area of the back of the greenhouse instead of the entire greenhouse so I quit having a muddy mess on my nice white vinyl siding). The bottom part of the PVC hoop house I plan on being able to roll up, so I will have to see if I could come up with a way to incorporate the gutters and still be able to roll it up... should know more a few weeks from now.


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## PlayingInDirt (Aug 2, 2017)

I would not recommend using connectors, from experience. We used metal spikes and that worked pretty well for keeping the pvc upright. We just slid the pipe on the end of the pipe. Did need some reinforcement, we rigged it with some 1x1 wood pieces and baling wire but I imagine you want yours sturdier than that lol!! The plastic sheeting didn't survive the winter, but the frame did.


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

PlayingInDirt where are you from? Did you use actual greenhouse poly or just hardware poly? I did visit a guy who lives a mile down the road from me who gave me the idea of building a cheap hoophouse. He said his poly lasted 6 years (with a 4 year greenhouse poly product) and that it would have lasted longer if he had put felt over the PVC so it wouldn't rub, so I will add felt to mine to hopefully make it last 6+ years. For $220 worth of poly if I get 6 years that means it cost less than $40 a year so should be worth the cost of the better greenhouse poly.

I was planning on sinking 2" PVC about 24" long in to the ground instead of using rebar type of stakes for the PVC to stay in place. Actually it would only be a little bit over 14" pounded in the ground because it should be pretty much in line with the top of my 2x10's that I'm going to use for the base, so I guess there might be some lift in spring thaw, but hopefully screwing it to the base will help keep it from lifting up from frost heave.


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## PlayingInDirt (Aug 2, 2017)

I'm in northern California. It snows a bit but not much. We did ours as cheap as possible, it was just very thin plastic so it's not surprising it didn't last the winter. Our garden area got quite windy though that's what really did it in. We used 1 1/2 inch pvc so maybe the 2" will be heavier enough, with the wood at the base.

We built ours hurriedly on uneven ground, and in a prime garden area because it's an inside fence area protected from deer which is great for any climbing plants. So it wasn't very air tight and it was taking up space that would be better for something else. Being air tight is obviously key, I'm sure you know. 

So this year we need to find a better spot. I think a wood frame with pvc is the best, as long as you can get those connections air tight. Hopefully we can plan ours out better this year but we have a lot of projects so we'll probably end up rigging it up again.


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

PlayingInDirt said:


> I'm in northern California. It snows a bit but not much. We did ours as cheap as possible, it was just very thin plastic so it's not surprising it didn't last the winter. Our garden area got quite windy though that's what really did it in. We used 1 1/2 inch pvc so maybe the 2" will be heavier enough, with the wood at the base.
> 
> We built ours hurriedly on uneven ground, and in a prime garden area because it's an inside fence area protected from deer which is great for any climbing plants. So it wasn't very air tight and it was taking up space that would be better for something else. Being air tight is obviously key, I'm sure you know.
> 
> So this year we need to find a better spot. I think a wood frame with pvc is the best, as long as you can get those connections air tight. Hopefully we can plan ours out better this year but we have a lot of projects so we'll probably end up rigging it up again.


I know the feeling. This isn't really something I should be working on because I have enough other projects I need to finish, but it is one of the projects that I will actually enjoy working on, and it should make it so we have one more option for growing food. So we will have two different greenhouse environments, one running aquaponics and probably a little warmer in the winter while cooler in the summer due to the water barrels stacked in it and all the water in the AP system, the other greenhouse not quite so high tech but still a bit better protected so we can start seeds sooner and grow longer.

I am planning on leveling the base the best I can, but I am not a perfectionist by any means... I will bring in dirt to back fill anything I need to help close any gaps under the base. I'm only using the 1 1/2" PVC electrical conduit (gray) but I am hoping by adding the center brace and the purlins and knee boards along with a solid wood frame on both ends and the heavy duty greenhouse poly it will be strong enough to survive our winters.


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

So here is my materials cost so far...

Home Depot:
(28) 2x4-96" (not treated) $3.53 each = $98.84
(2) 2x8-16ft (treated) $18.88 each = $37.76
(8) 2x8-12ft (treated) $14.27 each = $114.16
(12) 2x4-10ft (not treated) $4.81 each = $57.72
(28) 1.5" Schedule 40 PVC Electrical conduit $5.22 each = $146.16
(1) 5 pound box of 2 1/2inch torx head deck screws $23.48 (I pay extra for these just because they are so much nicer to work with than phillips screws that they push over here).

so far the total is $478.12 for materials plus $28.69 (6% sales tax) for uncle Sam brings my overall total to $506.81

I will need to buy 8 sheets of plywood that I did not get yet, as well as the greenhouse poly that I have not ordered yet. I'll update the materials list and cost once I get those. For now this will give me enough to get most of the structure up. (I am estimating $80-100 worth of plywood -- I might have a few sheets lying around that I can use, have to look... and about $200 worth of poly, so I should be right close to $800 total for this hoop house at 16ft x 40ft is my current estimate)


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

Started putting the base together...


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

Put 3 out of 22 PVC ground posts in tonight before dark. Got one hoop up to see how big it will be.


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

Four hoops up. For future reference when PVC says it is not pressure rated that means you cannot pound it into the ground either. It's about as strong as half frozen butter when you take a sledge hammer to it... At least I didn't waste money on it, was something I had laying around... Have to run to the store for a couple more length of schedule 40 to finish pounding the lengths in the ground for the hoops to sit in.


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

Finished putting the last hoop up just as it started spitting rain on me. My arms are so tired that my hands are shaking, but they are all up. Now I need to frame in the two end walls and put the beam down the center, but I need a break first.


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## po boy (Jul 12, 2010)

Looking good


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

I framed the end walls in


















Putting up the beam, kind of tough to do by myself.









Vertical supports in place and hoops screwed down to the beam.


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## Farmerjack41 (Jun 6, 2017)

Have seen people starting to use the foam pipe cover (for cold weather) over the PVC to help protect the plastic cover. Have not seen how it works, so just a passing idea.


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

I do plan on using felt over the PVC because they say the plastic will rub on the PVC and fail faster if you don't. A guy down the road from me said he got 6 years out of a 4 year plastic before it failed but did say the reason it failed was due to the rubbing since he didn't use felt. I'm almost as far as I can go for now, I need to wait a couple weeks to get the money to order the plastic and the plywood to close the ends.


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

I put the knee boards on and boxed in the bottom of the center posts to keep soil off of them a bit more to try and make them last longer. I am about as far as I can go for now, need to buy plywood for the ends and then the plastic. Might be a few weeks before I can go farther.


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)




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## bobp (Mar 4, 2014)

Looks good....


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

just a note on the materials I've bought so far - so far my "spare parts" that I have left from the materials list I noted at the beginning is 1/2 a length of the 1.5" PVC conduit and a few scraps of 2x4's (only one that is longer than 36", and that is just because I have one board I need to put in under one of my windows still), everything else has been used completely to this stage in the build, including I ran out of screws (which is why I have not installed the last board under the window... I probably have more screws around here someplace but I haven't gone looking for them yet). I had a longer scrap 2x8 left but I used it to box in the bottom of the vertical beam supports to keep the beams from rotting a little longer, so I used all but about 2" of that... everything else scraps are probably about 20" or less for 2x4's. 

Also I added the 4 windows which were something I had on hand, they were freebies that my dad had saved for me when he took them out of someones house.


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

It's been a long couple of months with no money to put towards this project, but I finally got a couple of OT checks which gave me a little extra cash, so I just ordered a 32x45' piece of 6 mil 4 year greenhouse poly for $178.99 (with shipping) so I will hopefully be able to get the plastic up in the next couple of weeks. This brings the project total to $685.80 so far. Once I have the plastic I will figure out how I want to enclose the ends.


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## bobp (Mar 4, 2014)

Where Did you get the poly from


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

Agricultural solutions LLC

https://www.agriculturesolutions.co...-greenhouse-film-4-year-6mil-per-sq-ft-detail


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## krackin (Nov 2, 2014)

Close your ends before you put the cover on.


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## Bellyman (Jul 6, 2013)

It might be a stupid question, but would you get more light into the greenhouse if you covered the ends with the same plastic that you're using for the main part of the tunnel? It might not matter a lot but it's something I wondered about.

Haven't had the pleasure of building one of these yet but I suspect there is one in my not so distant future.


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

Not a stupid question at all... I have considered just using plastic but my original plan was to frame them in out of plywood then put vinyl siding on the outside since I have a bunch left from my small greenhouse build. I am now considering using this which I've used on several hunting shacks https://www.homedepot.com/p/LP-SmartSide-SmartSide-48-in-x-96-in-Strand-Panel-Siding-27874/100055901

My thought is the ends I won't have to replace... But it may cost more up front. I didn't order enough plastic to do the ends but I have some other stuff that is either 4 or 6 mil 10ft wide x 100 ft roll I could make the ends out of to save some money for now..
It would probably only last a couple years but would be cheaper than having to buy something else right now...

Eventually I am planning to have a fairly large workbench (possibly just 4*8 plywood size for the top) t have room for planting seeds and working on stuff... It will be up against the far wall so I was thinking it would be nice to have wood walls to hang stuff on near the workbench. The other end near the door I am thinking I will hang garden tools so they aren't out in the weather all the time and I don't have to carry them across the yard to one of the other buildings all the time. I am thinking I might put an IBC tank for storing water in the greenhouse for watering the plants in there and maybe house more fish in it. Not really a reason I can't use plastic, just had more permanent ideas for it instead.


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

In the summer time I will have to use shade cloth or it will be scorching hot in the hoop house. I visited one down the road early spring when it was probably 40 to 50 degrees out and it was probably 90 degrees I'm his hoop house, so when it's 80 out the hoop house will be quite unpleasant if I don't use shade cloth. So wood walls on the end will help in the summer I think (short of just taking the plastic walls down)... In the winter I don't expect to grow much other than maybe lettuce and cold greens in it. I have my small greenhouse which is my bigger focus for winter growing. I hope to be able to grow year round in the small greenhouse.


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

krackin said:


> Close your ends before you put the cover on.


I will do them at about the same time that way the inside of the end walls is protected by the plastic, but the plastic will overlap the end wall to seal it.


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## krackin (Nov 2, 2014)

Yup. Makes it a lot easier to cover with the ends done in case wind comes up. Been there.


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## mreynolds (Jan 1, 2015)

rininger85 said:


> Not a stupid question at all... I have considered just using plastic but my original plan was to frame them in out of plywood then put vinyl siding on the outside since I have a bunch left from my small greenhouse build. I am now considering using this which I've used on several hunting shacks https://www.homedepot.com/p/LP-SmartSide-SmartSide-48-in-x-96-in-Strand-Panel-Siding-27874/100055901
> 
> My thought is the ends I won't have to replace... But it may cost more up front. I didn't order enough plastic to do the ends but I have some other stuff that is either 4 or 6 mil 10ft wide x 100 ft roll I could make the ends out of to save some money for now..
> It would probably only last a couple years but would be cheaper than having to buy something else right now...
> ...


You will love the Smart siding. Its structural like plywood and has the same warranty as Hardi siding. Not fire proof like Hardi is all. It will sturdy it up real good on the ends.


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

mreynolds said:


> You will love the Smart siding. Its structural like plywood and has the same warranty as Hardi siding. Not fire proof like Hardi is all. It will sturdy it up real good on the ends.


my hunting shack on my home property is 6ft x 6ft raised so the floor is about 8ft off the ground... that's what I used for it... our hunting property cabin down south started out as an 8x8 that we didn't use it on (which started looking like crap, but with our additions we've finished covering all but one wall of the original cabin and my dad ended up having someone give him a brown/tan vinyl siding which is just a shade darker than the smart siding so covered the last wall of the original cabin with it), but then added on a 12x12 which used it, then an 8x8 storage room that used it, another 12x12 bedroom which used it, and finally a second 12x12 bedroom which used it... so I'm pretty familiar with it... I just don't know what the wife is going to think. She tolerated it on my hunting shack but that's at the back of our property... I don't know if she'll want it on the hoop house or if she'll want something else. I might end up with regular plywood then cover it with vinyl siding because I miscalculated and bought more than I needed when I built my small greenhouse. The hoophouse is about halfway back on our property (which is only 150 yards deep x 100 yards wide) so I have to get approval from her for what I end up doing.


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

My MIL and BIL helped me cover the hoop house this morning! Wasn't planning on covering it for a couple more weeks so I'm pretty excited. Not half bad for a bunch of amateurs, a couple wrinkles I'll smooth out just wanted to get the worst of it secured.


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

Other side


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

Looks a lot nicer having it enclosed. Hopefully this will give us enough room for a few years.


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## rrconvert (Sep 15, 2017)

nice job on the hoophouse . Built one a few years back when we were doing a produce market so we could get an early jump on sales. upgraded later to a full greenhouse. i'd like to stop by somtime to see your operation,sounds impressive.


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

thanks rrconvert. I'm not sure it's very impressive yet... but if you have an excuse to come this way you could stop by and check it out. I still have a lot of active projects and not so many completed projects, but eventually we'll have a pretty nice setup. I want to get to the point that we're able to grow almost all of our food onsite... we're probably close to that now once we get the hoop house up and running, but still a lot to learn about when to plant/harvest each item, when to reseed for second plantings, what plants like what temps, what we can grow through the winter, what should be started in the winter greenhouse, what should be started in the hoop house, what should be started in the beds etc... if we get to a point that we can grow most of our own food then I might consider setting up a roadside stand for the extras but we are probably at least a few years away from that yet. I would really like to set up a much bigger aquaculture area and be able to grow a lot more fish for the local market because I don't think there is any competition nearby... I am still trying to find my preferred fish for that though. I've grown rainbow trout and blue tilapia, now growing hybrid bluegills and channel catfish just to see what we like the best and what grows the best in our conditions.


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

Door is on and plastic is trimmed


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## bobp (Mar 4, 2014)

Wow what a great job your doing. I really like it.

I've had my EQUIP applicaton in to the NRCS for a 48'x100' hoop house for 4 years. My application is approved but the state hasn't had funding available.

By the way Anyone interested should check their states NRCS office. Equip applicaton deadlines are this month....Some states don't touch most of the funding due to low participation.


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

I built the big bed a couple weeks ago and forgot to post it... 










Raked a bunch of leaves and put them in it. Will mix it up with dirt in the spring.


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## anniew (Dec 12, 2002)

Based on my 17 X 48 house made out of steel hoops, and information from my time at Cornell (1975ish), I suggest that you put a second layer of plastic and use a small fan (they have kits) to blow air between the two layers. Besides helping to keep the place warmer, it will be better for getting snow to slide off, as with the blown air, it will be a convex shape on top, rather than concave with only one layer.
I'd also suggest that you have 2 X 4's with V shaped notches at the top to give extra structure to the hoops when the snow is deep and very heavy. They needn't be in place until you get a bad storm and find the snow is sticking to the plastic to several inches. 
Also, the suggestion from my professor was to have a knife attached to a pole, that you could use to slit the plastic if/when a load is so heavy that the hoops might fail. The idea is the plastic is cheaper to replace than the hoops AND plastic.
With a lot of snow that slides down the sides, you may need to shovel or use a front end loader to remove it periodically, so that the pressure doesn't get too much against the hoops at ground level or just above. It can pile up several feet and since the hoops angle inward, the snow gradually puts more and more weight against them. 
I've never had 6 mil plastic tear, but the plastic does get weaker at friction/rubbing points...and also the hot sun in summer can break down the integrity of the plastic (although it is particularly true when on metal hoops as the hoops get hot and can affect the plastic.
I'm sorry I didn't read this thread until now, but even among greenhouse plastic there are different kinds with different qualities. Some will filter out ultra violet light which can break down the plastic, some will prevent most of the condensation on the inside which if present, can drip and promote diseases. If you haven't considered those or others, perhaps it would be a good thing to consider when it comes time to re-cover...hopefully not for several years.
Regarding scheduling crops, especially for winter production, Eliot Coleman wrote a Winter Harvest Manual where there are varieties listed for winter production as well as timing for continuous crops and when to start them. If you aren't familiar with him, his facility is in Maine, so pertinent to cold regions.
Oh, your end walls. I think your decision regarding making them wood or plastic may be partially determined by the orientation of the greenhouse. My greenhouse is oriented west to east, so the sun gets in most of the day as it crosses the sky, but early morning and late afternoon might allow for a little more sun if it were plastic.
And, finally, I hope you are going to have some good fans to cool it in summer. Place the fans at the end where the prevailing winds originate, and then open the doors/windows at the opposite end. It may or may not be necessary if you have sides that can be rolled up.
I know you may have already considered many of these things, but if not, I hope they are helpful...to you or others reading this thread.
And...good luck. It is exciting to get into new projects like this...


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## Darren (May 10, 2002)

If it hasn't been mentioned, in the past it was possible to buy PVC for outside usage which had more titanium oxide incorporated to resist UV degradation.


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

I did use the electrical conduit PVC which is UV protected so they should last longer Darren.

Annie, we aren't in a position to double layer it yet. I don't have electricity there yet. My winter greenhouse is about 75 to 100 ft away, so I will need to dig a trench to run electric eventually if we decide we need it.

I did buy what appeared to be a good greenhouse plastic from what I read. I didn't get the anti condensate version because I didn't know how bad it would be... Now I know better so I will probably pay the extra money for that coating next time because you go in and tap the plastic and it rains now. I also used regular wood not treated for the side purlins, now that I see the condensation issue I will have to switch out to treated when these start getting bad because they are quite wet already from the condensation rolling down the inside and hitting the boards. 

I did put felt on top of the hoops which should make the plastic last longer because it's not rubbing on the PVC, plus they say PVC let's off chlorine in the air which makes the plastic fail faster, and voids the warranty if the plastic is touching PVC. 

I did find Eliot Coleman video recrntly about winter garden which was pretty good. I added his book and a couple others to my Amazon list for next time I place an order. My hoops are only about 8ft tall at the center so I can reach the plastic without a problem, so hopefully won't have an issue cleaning snow and ice off if it becomes a problem.

My plastic is the expensive part of my hoop house, so I don't see myself cutting the plastic, but when I do install my purlins half way up I will add extra support which should help keep it from drooping, adding extra winter supports for the side purlins shouldn't be a big deal I can add them if needed, but I already have a decent beam down the middle as a permanent support. 

We won't be growing in the hoop house this winter, I just wanted it covered so I could work on it through the winter so it is ready to go in the spring. I won't be adding dirt until spring, but everything else should be ready to go for starting seeds. I will make the sides so they roll up about two feet on each wall plus I put two windows in each east and west wall, and the door I can leave open, and I will add another window on the west wall with an auto opener.


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

it doesn't look like I posted these pics.. I built the grow beds a few weeks ago in the hoop house... I've filled the beds with leaves now to provide organic material... still need to buy dirt -- not sure if I'm going to buy another 10 yard load or if I'll just buy it 1 yard at a time and haul it with my trailer so I can park the trailer out closer so I don't have to wheelbarrow the dirt quite as far.

I've been pleasantly surprised how warm it gets in the hoop house during the day... it's easily 90F on a sunny day when it is near freezing outside, drops back to ambient temp at night. I can definitely see how lettuce and such would keep growing in it through the winter with it being that warm! I will invest in row covers etc. to warm the beds even more.




























started building a work bench / seed tray bench


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

Is there any concern about sunlight causing the PVC to deteriorate? We opted to go with treated lumber that DH cut with his router to form a 1/4 circle on the edge that touched the plastic. I was concerned that the sunlight would destroy the hoops if we used PVC. We used the greenhouse plastic and love it. It's been up 7 years and is now ready to go. As it has aged, I think it is less able to keep the cold out.


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

Callieslamb said:


> Is there any concern about sunlight causing the PVC to deteriorate? We opted to go with treated lumber that DH cut with his router to form a 1/4 circle on the edge that touched the plastic. I was concerned that the sunlight would destroy the hoops if we used PVC. We used the greenhouse plastic and love it. It's been up 7 years and is now ready to go. As it has aged, I think it is less able to keep the cold out.


Very little to no concern about the PVC deteriorating in my mind... I used electrical conduit PVC (gray) which is UV stabilized for external use running wires so it is meant to last a long time in sunlight.

Good to hear that you got several years out of the greenhouse plastic. I hope we will too.

I just went out to the hoophouse for the first time in probably two weeks or more. So far all is well, I did clean the snow off the first time we got a big snow fall, but this past big snow fall I didn't because I haven't had time (and it's been so cold out... I spend as little time outside as necessary to take care of chores and the hoophouse hasn't made my list). The snow mostly melted off, I just knocked the ice that was left off. I had an ice layer on the inside too. But the good news is that it is 10F outside right now with a mostly cloudy day and it is 39F in the hoophouse. Not going to keep tomatoes alive but it would probably be ok for greens if I had dirt in the beds.

I am standing in my small greenhouse now running a small heater to try and help warm it up a bit. I'm up to about 55F (was about 46F when I first came in) which feels pretty good coming in out of 10F but my tomatoes pretty much died because nights are in high 30s. I have four or five more water barrels that need filled but not going to happen unless we get another warm up but at this point I don't expect it will warm up before March. I still have a lot of greens growing in the greenhouse which do ok without running a heater, but can't hurt to warm them up a bit (plus I'm trying to thaw a bag of potting soil that was in the hoophouse... I want to start some new seeds in the house so if I do get a warm up I'll have new tomato plants ready to go.)


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

rininger85 said:


> ...................... Not going to keep tomatoes alive but it would probably be ok for greens if I had dirt in the beds.....................


I don't get enough light in the winter here to even try keeping blooming plants producing all winter. I do a ton of lettuces, spinach, green onions kale, and broccoli though. I use fabric row covers over the beds and keep them there as soon as the weather turns to being consistently cold.


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

I'm just south of Lansing, so our sunlight shouldn't be much different here... unless it is a micro-climate thing just due to other buildings / trees in the area? I have tomato plants with buds on them in the greenhouse, just haven't set fruit due to the temps is what I was figuring. I am betting everything on being able to set fruit on tomato plants if I get the air temp in to the 50's in the greenhouse. My tomato plants aren't looking great due to the temps I think. I just ordered a propane heater that I will install in the greenhouse to get it back in to the 50s then see if the tomatoes start growing again. 

I did add supplemental lighting in the greenhouse, but I'm not sure if it is helping any or not because it's not extremely powerful LED's... 

The tomato plants would be dead if they were in the hoop house because it is well below freezing every night. My greenhouse is stick built and fairly well insulated though so it has stayed above freezing so far.


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

rininger85 said:


> I'm just south of Lansing, so our sunlight shouldn't be much different here... unless it is a micro-climate thing just due to other buildings / trees in the area? ................


I guess the biggest difference is that my "greenhouse" is really a hoop house with no heat whatsoever. I keep thinking of setting up an area with another layer of plastic but I never get it done..and it's too cold now. I have those panels to put on it but so far the plastic has held up really well.


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

A single layer of plastic on a hoop house is a temperature issue in our climate not a light issue. I have two unique growing areas, what I call the greenhouse is a small 16x16 stick built and heavily insulated building anyplace I don't have windows. It has stayed above freezing and tomatoes have flowered but it's too cold for them to grow. I added a heater that will keep it 50f in there once I start using it but so far I'm not using it because my wife has plants from work that she needs to go dormant, once I get her to move them to the garage I will start heating the greenhouse to get it up to 50 and I think the tomatoes will grow again.

The other grow area is a 16x40 hoop house with a single layer of 6 mil plastic. It gets down to ambient temperature at night but if the sun shines during the day it gets quite nice in there. I won't be able to grow fruiting plants in there but from what I've read I should be able to grow greens in the winter because most greens will tolerate freezing at night they just need to be thawed before you pick them to keep the plant from dying. I will probably add row covers and or low tunnels over the beds once I start growing in the hoop house which will act as the second layer of insulation. From what I've read every layer of plastic/cover is like moving 1.5 zones south. So a single layer of plastic is like I'm growing in Kentucky, a second layer for row cover/ low tunnels will be like I'm growing in Georgia. 

The temperature is the biggest issue I see, not really the light (at least right now... I guess I'll learn more once I warm the greenhouse up if it doesn't grow then it might be a light issue but I still have blossoms right now so I don't think it will be.)


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## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

I built a hoop house using PVC. It lasted 2 years! PVC gets brittle and then a good wet snowstorm snaps the PVC like twigs.

I built a "better" PVC hoop house only to have same result.

Then I built a greenhouse using these plans (free). I used nursery grade plastic to cover mine. One other thing I did differently is to use 2x3's instead of 2x4's for the top half of the structure. Just had 8" of wet snow on roof and it held up fine. Here's the picture from the plan:


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

Where's the pictures of your PVC hoop house?

There are sure ways to make a PVC hoop house that only lasts a couple of years... Then there are ways to make it last longer which I'm sure have already been posted here multiple times so I'm not going to post them again. 

I already have a stick built greenhouse which I designed and built myself that is larger than that one you posted plans for, but not large enough for what I want to grow so I built the hoop house too. The stick built has stood up to winters here fine. I have no concerns about the hoop house and whether it will last. It has already stood up to a few good snow storms and I took preventative measures to overcome the failure modes I've seen from others hoop houses.


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## ed/La (Feb 26, 2009)

I made hoop house to use as shed. . I planted 4x4 into ground with concrete that came up about 2 ft. above ground for more head room. Also did not want it to blow away. Cattle panels bent into a hoop on top of 4x4 rail. Strong enough to hang things from. Pallets for floor And recycled storm door. paid for itself in 3 months over public storage. A inexpensive,viable option for green house.


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## chaossmurf (Jan 6, 2017)

by the way I didn't even to think to mention my idea for the roll up sides ---basically along the long sides to NOT use the main plastic that coats the "roof" --AS the sides that can be rolled up --use cheaper home depot or lowes plastic for the roll-up sides ---since its cheaper & when the rolling up & down wears it out --the ROOF doesn't need to be trashed along with it --just replace the few feet tall of sides & leave the costly top plastic in place ---since my thought is that the roll up parts "should" wear out & get ripped & damaged way easier since its within range of weed-eaters & lawnmowers throwing a rock & animals trying to get into greenhouse --or countless other unknown reasons for damages -----since most greenhouses ive seen damaged started tearing near the ground & the tears go upwards
my idea is to have the sides like 4 tall --so half of a 10 foot roll of plastic can be split down middle & still have some extra inches to wrap around my roll-up bar & too attach to side rail under my gutters for rain collection )
another idea to save some funds is on the water storage ----a pallets & plastic liner can be built to hold way more water than an IBC for far less --or dug into ground  some fishies would even be happy to ad some fertilizer to the water for some scrap leaves & some occasional fish food


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## HeavyHauler (Dec 21, 2017)

Hmm interesting, subbed for later.

I wonder if I could use a hoop house in our zone 2b with 2 layers of poly, and heating or just do a stick built. 

We currently have about 4 feet or so of snow.


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## Hoopy Frood (Mar 2, 2018)

A very nice looking project @rininger85 ! And tons of information! Apologies if you answered this and I just didn't see it in the thread, but what was your cost savings in using PVC over steel tubing? Or was PVC selected over steel for other reasons?

I built a mini-retractable hoop house on a 4 ft x 24 ft raised bed out of PVC, which was nice. But I figured anything bigger than that and I'd build it out of steel tubing. But since I'm not yet at the point of needing anything as large as what you've built I hadn't looked at the PVC-vs-steel question in any detail.

Again, nicely done!


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

ed/La said:


> I made hoop house to use as shed. . I planted 4x4 into ground with concrete that came up about 2 ft. above ground for more head room. Also did not want it to blow away. Cattle panels bent into a hoop on top of 4x4 rail. Strong enough to hang things from. Pallets for floor And recycled storm door. paid for itself in 3 months over public storage. A inexpensive,viable option for green house.


I am thinking I may build a hoop house to put a bigger fish tank in so I can raise more fish than I have ability in the greenhouse right now. They are easy to build and rather cheap compared to my greenhouse. The cattle panels houses are on my radar, I am going to build a chicken tractor like that I think to tractor my meat birds this year because my layers were not good with the meat birds last year.


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

HeavyHauler said:


> Hmm interesting, subbed for later.
> 
> I wonder if I could use a hoop house in our zone 2b with 2 layers of poly, and heating or just do a stick built.
> 
> We currently have about 4 feet or so of snow.


The center beam is a must for snow load IMO at least with the style I built. Stanb has other designs that work well in snow so I might incorporate this into the next house to make snow fall off easier with the steeper sides. A double layer of plastic would be like moving 3 zones south... So basically put you where I am. Adding the inflation wold help insulate and keep it warmer. My temps drop down to outside temps at night with a single layer.


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

Hoopy Frood said:


> A very nice looking project @rininger85 ! And tons of information! Apologies if you answered this and I just didn't see it in the thread, but what was your cost savings in using PVC over steel tubing? Or was PVC selected over steel for other reasons?
> 
> I built a mini-retractable hoop house on a 4 ft x 24 ft raised bed out of PVC, which was nice. But I figured anything bigger than that and I'd build it out of steel tubing. But since I'm not yet at the point of needing anything as large as what you've built I hadn't looked at the PVC-vs-steel question in any detail.
> 
> Again, nicely done!


Thanks, I'm not sure on cost savings... I never considered steel tubing so didn't look at what it would have cost. It would be better using steel you wouldn't need to cover the hoops like I did with felt because the plastic will fail faster if it touches the PVC, steel wouldn't have that problem, but felt was cheap. You could probably go with smaller diameter steel pipes so cost increase might not be much, but would be more work bending steel.


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## Hoopy Frood (Mar 2, 2018)

rininger85 said:


> Thanks, I'm not sure on cost savings... I never considered steel tubing so didn't look at what it would have cost. It would be better using steel you wouldn't need to cover the hoops like I did with felt because the plastic will fail faster if it touches the PVC, steel wouldn't have that problem, but felt was cheap. You could probably go with smaller diameter steel pipes so cost increase might not be much, but would be more work bending steel.


Exactly, the work of bending steel is an extra step. The VERY cursory look I made of it last year didn't reveal an obvious cost difference between steel/PCV. More research for later.

Once we get our long-term plans dialed in I'll be able to figure out a "cookie-cutter" hoop house size that will work for us. The I would need one bending setup that would be good for all our needs. Of course that costs money, too. But it's not huge compared to the cost of all the other materials.

Thanks for the great information!


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

I'm getting closer to having plants in the hoop house. I have the 2ftx40ft and 2ftx12ft beds pretty much filled. I still need to get dirt for the 6ftx30ft bed. I plan on direct seeding carrots, beats, radishes etc. First chance I get... Was going to do it this morning but was below freezing so I decided to wait, we are away for the weekend so maybe if I get home early enough tomorrow night I might get things seeded.


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## ed/La (Feb 26, 2009)

This design is easy and strong. This video is not mine but similar to how I built one. I used smaller timbers and hog rings to connect panels together.


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

I've seen that video Ed/la. It may be what I do for my fish house because I need taller side walls on the fish house when I build it.


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