How to Build a Hoop House With PVC
Polyvinyl Chloride plastic is an amazingly versatile material, most commonly sold in pipes used to perform basic plumbing and other simple construction work. Making a hoop-shaped greenhouse is quick and relatively simple for someone with a few tools and a free day weekend. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 213 feet of 1-inch PVC pipe
- 40 inches of 1¼-inch PVC pipe
- Measuring tape
- Marker
- PVC cutter or miter box and saw
- Heat gun
- Scrap wood and 3-inch wood screws
- Thirty 1-inch slip Ts
- Four 1-inch 3-way connectors
- Eight 1-inch 90-degree elbows
- PVC glue and primer
- Ten 12-inch+ ground stakes
- One hundred 130 1¼-inch snap clamps 4-inch
- One hundred 130 ¾-inch self-tapping screws
- 20 foot x 25-foot 4 mil plastic sheeting
- Scissors
Instructions
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Cutting and Preparation
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1
Measure, mark and cut the 1-inch PVC pipes to length. You'll need a front and back piece at 11½ feet long each, two side pieces at 12 feet 3/8 inches, five arches at 19 feet long, four spine pieces at 3 feet apiece, four side struts at 6 feet long, two door sides at 67 inches and 10 door and window strut pieces at 27 inches.
Also cut the 1¼ pipe into ten 4-inch lengths. Be sure to label your pieces as you cut them.
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2
Bend the arch pieces so they open to 11½ feet at the bottom. See the video in Resources for more information on using the heat gun, scrap wood and wood screws to bend the pipe.
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3
Glue two of the 1¼ inch pieces together, parallel to make a hinge. Repeat four times to make four hinges.
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4
Glue a 1¼ piece parallel to one of the snap-clamps to make a latch piece. Repeat to make a second latch.
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5
Cut the painter's plastic into a 20-foot-by-13-foot-4-inch top sheet, two 12-foot-½-inch-by-7-foot end pieces, a 6-foot-6-inch by 3-foot-4-inch door piece, and a 3-foot-4-inch square window piece.
Assembly
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6
Slide, but don't glue, three slip Ts onto the side pipe pieces, and two slip Ts onto the front and back pipe pieces.
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7
Attach, but don't glue these pipes at the corners with three-way connectors to make a rectangular frame. Drive five stakes into the ground on either side to keep the greenhouse down.
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8
Slip a pair of T connectors onto the middle three arches, and three onto the end arches. Don't glue any parts yet.
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9
Attach, but don't glue, the end arch pipes to the corner connectors. Slide the middle arches into place on the side pieces.
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10
Connect the arches together with the 3-foot spines.
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11
Slip a hinge, a slip T and the other hinge onto one of the door sides. Attach a 90-degree elbow connector at the top and bottom. Connect three door struts to the elbows, then attach the other door side with a pair of elbows and a slip T to make a figure eight shape for the door. Glue all of the pieces, except the hinges, together.
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12
Slip the two other hinges onto a piece of window strut, then glue two elbow connectors onto the ends. Make a square with three more pieces and two more elbows, gluing it together---leaving the hinges loose.
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13
Make a door frame by attaching two slip Ts to a pair of side struts, and attaching them with a door strut. Slide the door itself onto the frame, and a latch on the other side. Attach the door rig to the hanging slip Ts on the front arch, and the slip Ts on the front base piece.
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14
Repeat the prior step, but add a second set of slip Ts and a window strut to make the rear window frame.
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15
Glue any pieces as necessary. The frame is complete, so test the door and window. Other than those parts, nothing should move.
Covering
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16
Cover the door and window, using snap clamps about 8 to 10 inches apart. Make sure the plastic is taut.
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17
Cover the ends with plastic, putting snap clamps to keep the plastic taut across the PVC, about 8 to 10 inches apart. Cut the door and window openings out of the end pieces.
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18
Drape the top piece across the arches, and clamp it into place with more snap clamps, again spacing them 8 to 10 inches apart.
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19
Tighten the plastic, then screw the snap clamps to the frame with the self-tapping screws.
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20
Trim any excess plastic, then re-stake the hoop house to the ground.
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