I am looking for plans for building a hoop house...Can you help me?

-- Beverly (the_plant_lady@centurytel.net), January 23, 2000

Answers

I'm into alternauive housing, having built an underground home & having researched earthships, log-end & straw bale homes, but what is "HOOP"?? housing. Can you describe it alittle. Perhaps I've heard of it under another name. Layne

-- Elaine Cosgrove (adirondackwoman@westelcom.com), January 23, 2000.

I'm into alternative housing, having built an underground home & having researched earthships, log-end & straw bale homes, but what is "HOOP"?? housing. Can you describe it alittle. Perhaps I've heard of it under another name. Layne

-- Elaine Cosgrove (adirondackwoman@westelcom.com), January 23, 2000.

I built a Hoop house from a kit with all the pipe, it was meant for a greenhouse but i used it for a lambing shed, later as a temporary shop, 24x32'. I left it behind when I moved west but now I wish I could remember where I got it. Are you talking about a greenhouse?

-- Hendo (OR) (redgate@echoweb.net), January 23, 2000.

Yes...I am wanting to make a hoop house for a green house...Sorry I didn't make this clear in the beginning...Thanks.

-- Beverly (the_plant_lady@centurytel.net), January 23, 2000.

Beverly try http://rainyside.com/resources/hoophouse.html I'm assuming you don't want a kit. this is scratch built. Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), January 23, 2000.

Thank's to all who responded....Gerbil Had the answer I was looking for!

-- Beverly (the_plant_lady@centurytel.net), January 23, 2000.

I would like to engourage all you folks to consider building a "solar" greenhouse. Basically, the idea is to have your glazing on the south slope of the roof, and the south side of the greenhouse. The rest should be insulated, as it is a large net heat loss to have glazing where the sun won't be shining through. East and west walls tend to get way too much sun in summer, and very little in winter.

I also suggest earth berming if you have the energy and expertise.

Another suggestion: build the greenhouse as a lean to against the south side of your house, if the house plans will allow for it. My attached greenhouse helps heat the house on those rare days when we have winter sun (rainy Oregon weather here). But even on cloudy days, the greenhouse has only ever gotten down below 42 degrees one time, after a LONG, and fairly rare, cold snap (down to nine degrees several mornings, and never reached 32 in the "heat" of the day for the whole time. One morning, the thermo in the greenhouse was getting close to 32 degrees, so I opened the kitchen door for a half hour or so, and the temp went back up into the forties again.

If you do an attached greenhouse, be sure to make provisions to shade the thing in the summer. Ours reached 135 degrees in late spring. We ended up glueing velcro strips, 6 inches long, every couple of feet around the roof glazing (which are 4'x6' skylites), then laying 84% shade cloth onto the skylites. The shade cloth has the corresponding pieces of velcro sewed onto the edges. It's really simple to install and simple to remove. Once per year.

The great thing about an attached greenhouse is that it is heated with WASTE heat from the house, even when the sun's not out. And it acts as a buffer for the house. When the outside temp is, say, tweny degrees, the temp in the greenhouse might be forty five. So there is less heat loss from the house where the greenhouse is.

Strawberry Fields Forever!

-- jumpoff joe (jumpoff@echoweb.net), January 24, 2000.

This last fall my brother made a hoop house storage shed out of 1 1/2" PVC, then stretched a tarp over it. Dimensions 16' x 48' x 8'H. He's real happy with it. Replace tarp with glazing material and you should be in business.

-- john leake (natlivent@pcpros.net), January 25, 2000.

Hi

We live in Western WA so ideas like one that Jumpoff Joe contribures are often good for around here, too.

As another thought in addition to his attached greenhouse concept: we lived in a house with a greehouse off the kitchen. The dryer vent was set up to flow the waste warm air into the attached greenhouse. (vent went under the house from the laundry room).

There was a little lint, as I recall! But it did add a few degrees. It was pleasant to look out the kitchen window and see all those plants growing! We didn't use dryer sheets!!

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), January 28, 2000.

The March/April issue of BackHome has the diy of a guy who built a $99 greenhouse. My husband is in the process of putting it together, basically for seed starting. I have a question--when putting up the greenhouse, which direction is better? I have read both north and south, but then I read east and west. Anyone have any views on this? Thanks, Mary

-- Mary (Mlogan298@yahoo.com), March 01, 2000.

Well, most typically you'll find greenhouses with their narrow ends to the east and west, but I can think of a lot of greenhouses that run the other way. As long as you allow for anything that would block the sun, put it up however you want. Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), March 01, 2000.

As to the direction to place the green house. The best way to answer this question is place it the way that you will get the best sunlight and still fits on the land. If your land allows more than one option than the next thing to consider is wind damage. Try to give it a safe home. If you still have options consider the danger of falling branches and trees. If you still have options consider placing it in a handy location to water and drivable access. And if you still have more options left WOW! PUT UP MORE THAN ONE.

-- Daniel E Mielke (mielkes5@voyager.net), February 11, 2002.