If you love greenhouse but you are on a tight budget, there is still a chance you can build a hoop style greenhouse without breaking the bank. Around the country, you will see gardeners who built their own greenhouse using various tools you can find around the house. All you need to build a greenhouse is time and determination.
On average, building a greenhouse cost around $12,161 if you make use of professional labor. However, you can significantly reduce this cost to just about $3,500 if you know how to build the greenhouse yourself. Additionally, you can even save more money if you have the kit and tools necessary or even buy them at a deal store. So you see, cost shouldn’t be an object when it comes to owning a greenhouse. Instead of abandoning your dream of gardening in a greenhouse, you can watch a couple of YouTube videos and then make use of this guide to learn how you can build your own hoop house style greenhouse when you are on a budget.
At this point, we are going to assume you already know all the benefits of greenhouse since you are showing interest in building one yourself. What we have to tell you is that building a greenhouse yourself is very possible even if you have never built anything before in your life. If you are open to learning new ideas and trying new things, then you will definitely find this article very interesting. Keep on reading to find out more.
Tips For Building a DIY Hoop House Style Greenhouse On a Budget
Things You Will Need
To build a greenhouse, you are going to need greenhouse kits and certain tools. Most of these tools can be found in a hardware store close to you. You don’t necessarily have to buy all of them. You can also look for stores that rent these tools. This way, you will save money. Some of the things you will need include:
- PVC pipe
- Scissors
- Measuring tape
- Rebar
- Greenhouse plastic
- Hand saw
- Rubber mallet or sledgehammer
- Rocks
- Wood
1. Choose A Very Good Location
Your location will determine everything else. Before you start your construction work, you should put in some time into choosing the best location for your greenhouse. Ideally, a good greenhouse is one that is located in an area where most winter sun is possible. You should face the longest sides of your greenhouse to the southeast of your location. This will help your greenhouse get the most sun during the winter period.
2. Measure the Construction Area
After selecting your location, the next task is to measure the construction area. An Area of 10 foot by 32 foot will be enough to build a good hoop house style greenhouse. However, this will depend on your needs. It is possible that you may require a smaller or even bigger greenhouse.
3. Cut Your PVC Pipes
Now that you are ready for the major work, the first thing you have to do is to cut your PVC pipes. You can do this with a hand saw. Cut the pipes twice as long as the short side of your bed. Before you start cutting, you may need to calculate how many of the pipes you need based on the length of your proposed garden.
4. Cut Your Greenhouse Plastic
The next step is to cut your greenhouse plastic using scissors. It should be one foot longer than the PVC pipes as well as about 12 feet longer than the length of the garden bed.
5. Drive Rebar Into Ground
Now is the time to put your rebar into the ground. You can do this with a sledgehammer or a mallet. It has to go every foot to 18 inches along both long sides of the garden area. You will only have 12 inches of rebar sticking out of the ground when you are done. However, this does not happen in every case. In a situation where you want your hoop house style greenhouse to be around a raised bed, you can have your rebar only 4 to 6 inches outside the edge of the raised bed.
6. Install Your PVC
Now all you have to do is to install your PVC onto a piece of rebar that is coming out of the ground. After installing it, bend it until it sticks onto the rebar on the other side of the garden. This is the way you create a hoop house style PVC. When you are done, lay your piece of greenhouse plastic over the hoops. Ensure that both sides are covered with your greenhouse plastic to give it a nice look.
Final Word
Building Greenhouses can seem intimidating at first, but it is something anyone can do with the right material and instruction. When you decide to build a DIY hoop house style greenhouse on a budget, make sure you buy the materials you need from a trusted greenhouse supplier.
