Tons of questions

On some other postings I read that some people use plastic,some use UV film made for greenhouse's.On the post ,I think it was Janet says she uses plastic,@30.00 each year,multiplied by 4 years =120.00 bucks,would it be cheaper to use the greenhouse film?My DH is getting me the portable garage for Valentines Day(YIPPEEEEE)I need to know about covering it.It mesures 10 foot wide by 20 feet long.The sides are 8 foot tall and then goes to a peak that I estimate is about 12 foot in the center.Im hoping to attach it to the house off my porch so the water ,heat and electricity are not an issue.How much film or plastic do I need?(not good at math)I would have to double it in the climate I'm in .Where is the most economical place to get it?On the end I eventually want a door.Do I frame it with wood or with the new metal 2x4's that I've seen?Should I use the pipe wrap on the pipes that make the frame?How do I secure the cover to the frame?Should I use landscape timbers on the bottom?DH said why dont we attach some plywood to the bottom/sides.Is this a good thing to do?Any hints or help would be appriciated.

My greenhouse is built with treated 2x4's. When we plastic it I buy the 6ml and put 2 layers on it. secure this with stapoles and then cut strips out of the 2x4's and nail these over each stud. the strips of wood help to hold the plastic in place. I eventually plan to buy pvc, not fiberglass, panels. I just haven't been able toafford them yet. The man at lowes said the pvc panels would last 10 yrs while the fiberglass will last only 3 to 4. my greenhouse is 12'x12' 8' tall with a small peak. We figure at 16 dollars a sheet it will talke 18 sheets of pvc panels costing about $325.00.

I will take a picture of mine today and post it so you can see what I mean about the wood strips.
Hope this helps.

my plastic usually last about 6 months.

The directions that came with my Hoop House II state not to have the plastic (which is 6ml/4 yr warranty) come in contact with treated wood as the chemicals hasten the degradation of the plastic. They say to paint the wood with latex paint before applying the plastic. Also, not to wrap the pipes with anything at all...you can paint them with the latex but it is not necessary...mine are galvanized steel. To apply the plastic (sorry, I can't tell you how much either) I used the batten tape that came with the kit...it is a thick plastic strip that you place on top of the plastic and then staple through it. You will have to build some wooden frames for the staples will not go into the metal. I used the 3/8 inch staples placed about every 2 1/2 inches. The plastic is stretched over the frame and stapled to the end panels and to side boards along the edges. It is not secured to the ridgepole. The tension from stretching it keeps it taut. When you stretch the plastic (it is one big sheet), begin stapling at the ridge of the roof, stretch about 10 inches and staple this before proceeding down the roof and sides. Just work 10 inches at a time, at one end first, and then the other. This way the plastic stays smooth without waves and wrinkles. And, oh yes, stretch your plastic on a windless day. Here is a picture of my greenhouse to give you an idea of how the plastic is applied: http://davesgarden.com/showthread/141451.html

jcf-Have you checked at Lowe`s lately? I just bought pvc panels for $9.47 a panel at the Hammond store. this was on 1/5/02.

I was stating the price of the 12' panels. But thanks for the info.

Hi Karyn,
We bought our greenhouse film at
Burton Flower & Garden (BFG) in
Jenison, MI (by Grand Rapids, MI).
1-800-883-0234.
We chose their Super Dura 6M
in a roll 24' x 100' with the
UV protection. Our GH is
12' x 30', and my husband figures
that we will have enough plastic
(on this roll) to cover the GH two
more times. It cost us $168.00 plus tax.
We'd tried the regular old plastic film
(from the home improvement stores)
on our old GH, but it simply did not hold up.
Our GH has wooden ends. We attached the film to
one side, over-the-top, then down the other side,
and stapled the ends (on the front & rear of the GH),
then covered over the staples with wood trim.
I've got a small picture of it here:
http://home.earthlink.net/~mmburnham
I'm really excited for you on your
upcoming Valentine's Day gift!
Good luck with it! You'll have so much fun!
Melissa :-)



This message was edited Sunday, Jan 20th 10:08 PM

Check this out this was the cheapest I found at the time I was doing mine but thats not to say you won't find a better price.
http://www.littlegreenhouse.com/accessory/plastic.shtml
I will say that the customer service was not so nice but I did get it quick and that meant allot to me at the time. I needed in a hurry .

ACF (the link Mystic gave you) is the only mail order place I know that will cut a piece to your specifications. It's heaper on one hand, but on the other, the same film from Burton's (same source as Oscarsdotter) was $1.68 per foot for 100' wide roll. That's 30% cheaper (if my math is correct.)

It's kind of like buying a little box of cereal for $2 or a big box with 3 times the amount for $5. You spend more on the big box, but you get a lot more for the money. Or you spend less for the little box, and get just what you need, but in the long run you might spend more.

Can you use non-UV rated plastic? Yes, and as I understand, it will break down - literally start flaking into little pieces after a year (give or take depending on your climate.) A few factors to consider:

1. the mess of those little plastic flakes in all your plants; and
2. environmental concerns with annually adding nonbiodegradable stuff to our landfills (not a big deal to some, a very big deal to others.)

I'm pretty sure I want the uv film,and I don't mind getting extra,especially since I may screw something up,and who know's I may make another one,but how do I figure out how much I need?

Crestedchick, if you have your diagram, hopefully you can apply these steps to it:

1. Measure the "depth" of your greenhouse or the width of the sidewalls (for example, our GH is 10' x 12'. So I know I need a piece 12' wide to fit the width of the sidewall.....)

2. Look at the length you'll need to cover from one sidewall, up over the top to the bottom of the other sidewall. (Our sidewalls are 5' tall, then the rafters begin, and they're 7' long from sidewall to roof peak. So I needed a piece that was 24' long: 5' + 7' + 7' + 5'. Plus an extra foot or so each way for "insurance" and to secure it to the edges....)

3. For each "gable end", measure the tallest point by the width of the gable end, (ours is about 11" high, by 10' wide. Again, an extra foot or so each way to make sure it will fit, and be able to secure it.)

4. Altogether I needed one piece 13 x 25, and two pieces 11 x 12. Ours was a 20' wide roll, so we used a piece 25 feet long to go over the top and down each side, and the extra from that piece was used to fit one gable end. Then we cut enough for the second gable end, and the rest is sitting in the barn until we need it again.

Hope this helps...I know it can be a bit confusing. Let us know if we need to take another stab at it.

So I don't order the size that will cover the whole entire greenhouse in one sheet,right?I will have to attach wood to the ends so I can fasten the peices together.The thing is 10 x 20 (would I get the 20'wide roll or 24'?)the sides are 8 foot and its 8 foot up each peak so that would be 32 feet plus 2 feet extra 34feet x 2(to double it)so thats 68 feet.That only leaves me 32 feet for the ends, with a 100'roll.Not enough is it?

Hmmm. If you're planning to double-wrap (a good idea, BTW) then double your measurements first, then add your excess (because a foot extra is PLENTY, as long as your measurements are accurate.)

I probably would advise getting the 24' wide roll if your greenhouse is 20' long. It'll mean some waste, but 20' may just barely cover it, and you don't want to have to stretch it that tight, IMO.

By doubling it, you'll have a piece 24 x 32 feet long to do your ends, which will be something like 10 x 12? 14? (That's pretty tall!) You'll have just enough to double the ends - each piece will be 12 x 32, doubled over is 12 x 16.

May I suggest something, if you can modify your plans still? I wouldn't go 8' on your sidewalls, unless you really want a "cavernous" space - a lot of your warm air will be going over your head. Some GH have only a 3-4' sidewall, and I think that's a bit short. 5' or 6' is good because you are probably going to eventually have some type of shelves along that area, so you don't need full headroom where the sidewall ends and the "rafters" begin. Just a suggestion to take or leave :)

It comes pre cut,I don't know if I can cut it(the poles)shorter.

Well, you can decide on cutting/not cutting the sidewalls when you start assembling. If it's PVC, cutting is really pretty easy, especially if you have a radial arm saw.

And the good news is (assuming we've done the math right!) a 24' x 100' roll should provide just about enough to double-wrap your GH. Burton's charged me $15 to send it (pretty good for such a heavy package) and it arrived in less than a week.

Here's a tip I wish we had thought of when we were wrapping ours (and it may be included in your assembly instructions.)

Cut all the pieces, but don't attach the sidewall/rafter "up and over" piece first. Instead, attach your gable ends first, THEN drape your sidewall piece over the rafters and sidewalls, and attach it.

Why does it matter? Well, we did the big sidewall/rafter piece first, then the gable ends, and we had a small gap where they meet, where air and rain can get in. If we had stretched that big piece OVER the gable ends, and attached it last, we wouldn't have had that gap. I've found some wide clear tape that is holding up so far, but it's one of those "live and learn" things that I hope we remember when it's time to wrap it again.

Also, I don't know what pieces come with yours to attach the PVC to the frame, but if there aren't any, we used 1x2 lumber, which we rolled the plastic around, and then screwed them into the 1x6 that goes all around the outside bottom edge of our GH. Don't just staple your plastic to those bottom or corner edges - if you don't use lumber strips like I described, then somebody told me to get weather stripping (the thin, 1/2" wide sticky on one side "stuff" comes in 10 or 15' long rolls.) Stick it to the plastic where you want to staple, and staple through it. Otherwise, your staples will rip out in the first good windstorm.

Its not pvc,it a portable garage made out of 2 inch diameter steel pipes.It comes with a canvas covering for it,but we wont be using it ,at least not till summer.I'm going to have to attach wooden stips to the metal so I can attach the film.I like the weather stipping idea,or wrapping the wood.

CC, the self drilling screws will attach the wood to the metal using your cordless drill. Before we installed the metal clips that hold the plastic to the frame, we used wood strips, layer of plastic(or 2 layers), nylon twine. Staple along the twine. The twine is like the cardboard strips, just easier to use.

Question? Has any one ever used a heating mat with a dial for setting heat temps.? Also has any one every used the mat to start lily seeds?

Any information would be greatly appreciated. My greenhouse does not have any heat, so only start using it here in Wisc. in April when I can use an electric heater.

Maxine

One of the things that was included in my kit was velcro stripping. It is used along the ends of the side strips at the bottom so that you can roll up the sides for ventilation. The plastic wraps around the end panels and is secured with the velcro. One of the things I want to go back and redo is to secure the windows with the velcro. That way, all I have to do to open them is ripppp.

Is there a way to attach the velcro to the greenhouse film?Does it hold up in wind,does it leak air?

Sandwich the plastic between the velcro (fuzzy side out) and the batten tape (HoopHouse sells this batten tape separately and it is not expensive and very easy to use. It can be cut with scissors. They also sell the velcro separately.) Using a desk stapler, you simply staple the three layers together about every inch or so. You staple the other strip of velcro (the holding side) with a gun stapler to the wood. It makes a tight strong seal and it doesn't leak air.