greenhouse frame coverage

Hi!
I wonder if anyone can help me. I am soon moving to a house where I inherited a big dog kennel. It is made out of a water pipe frame and chicken wire. I am thinking of using it as a greenhouse but have no idea about the type of coverage I would need to be able tomake it warm during winter. I have seen many photos on the forum about homemade greenhouses. what type of plastic do peeps use for coverage? Where can I buy it from?

thank you very much for your help!
Anna

Hi Anna,

You can cover with one of several kinds of film. You could go to the local HD and get 6 mil poly and this might be the least expensive option. Greenhouse suppliers carry a variety of films that might perform better. These films vary in price...20 x 100 roll runs from $66 to over $300, depending on whether you get anticondensate, shading properties, multiple layer construction, UV protection, etc, etc. Though I don't use poly, I order most of my GH supplies from Hummert (www.hummert.com). You probably can get this from Charley's GH Co. too, and others.

You say that you need to keep it warm...you may want to consider using double layer poly separated by an air layer (using a squirrel cage blower)...it will increase your R value from 0.87 to 1.43. This will in turn lower you energy consumption by 39%.

Hope this is helpful. SB