How to Build a Homemade Greenhouse
- 1). Build the raised beds in which you will plant flora with 2-by-12 inch planks. Position the planks in two 34-foot rows along where you will erect the longer sides of the greenhouse. Position the outer planks 10 feet from one anther and make each bed 2 feet across. Stake plant bed walls every 8 feet with a half-fence post. Line the plant beds with rabbit or gopher wire. Fill the beds with soil.
- 2). Construct the center frame, end framing and door using 2-by-4 inch lumber. Stack the lumber 10 feet high and 4 feet across in an arrangement that appears like three doorways--one entering the greenhouse, one through the middle and one out the back. Construct two smaller frames on either side of the front and rear "doorway" frames half as wide as well as tall, and rising from the outside of the plant beds on each end. Make the "doorways" tall enough that the entire greenhouse will be 10 feet from the ground with the top ridge.
- 3). Build the bracing between beds with 2-by-4 inch lumber. Nail two diagonal planks halfway up each side of the center "doorway" as support beams. Attach those same diagonal planks to the far inside of the adjacent plant beds, likewise with nails.
- 4). Attach a top ridge beam using 2-by-4 inch lumber. Nail each plank to the top-center of each "door frame," 10 feet from the ground across the entire top of the greenhouse frame.
- 5). Slide the rebar into the PVC pipes--around nine or 10, total. Secure each pipe to one of the longer sides of the greenhouse frame using 3/4-inch metal pipe hanger brackets. Bend each pipe over the top ridge beam to create a series of arcs; ask for help, if necessary. Fasten the other side of the pipes to the other side of the greenhouse frame using 3/4-inch metal pipe hangers. Insert nails into the greenhouse frame below each pipe, but ensure that they do not stick out farther than the pipes to prevent snags on the tarp.
- 1). Cloak the greenhouse frame with the clear tarp. Secure the tarp to one side of the outer frame, beginning at the middle and working outward. Cut the tarp 1 inch at each pipe and twist the tarp around the pipes to allow rain to easily roll off. Ensure that the tarp is taut before securing it with nails through every PVC pipe and into the wood.
- 2). Cut just enough of the tarp to allow some stretching on the other side, rendering it tight against the greenhouse frame and begin the same process of tying it to the poles, then securing it to the greenhouse with nails.
- 3). At each loose end, measure 1 inch more than just enough to secure the tarp to the edges of the door and window frames and mark with a laundry marker. Then, do the same for the bottom of the frame for each side and mark with a marker. Ensure that each measurement is as accurate as possible, then trim the tarp based on the marks.
- 4). Cut the tarp on each loose side into lath strips, then roll each strip and use the resulting rolls to secure the tarp to the door, window and bottom frames of the greenhouse with 2-inch, heavy duty nails. Pull the tarp as taut as possible before securing. If there is a little slack, make the lath strips a little longer and roll them further.
- 1). Measure the door frames on either end of the structure; there are two doors. Line the door frames with rubber sealer on three sides--do not include the side on which you will place hinges. Purchase an appropriately-sized door or cut an appropriately-sized rectangle from lumber and attach hinges.
- 2). Measure window frames on either end; there are four window frames. Purchase appropriately-sized airtight windows.
- 3). Install the windows and doors. Screw hinges into each door on the preferred side. Screw corresponding hinges to the corresponding side of each door frame. Then, secure each door with the largest screws provided with the hinge kit. Install windows by sliding them into each opening and applying general caulking around the edges, wiping away excess with a rag. If there are any air leaks, apply more caulking to the edges.
Construct the Frame
Apply the Tarp
Add Doors and Windows
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