Repairing hoop house

[catjac1975]

We bought this hoop house used quite a few years ago. It is made of heavy woven plastic of some sort.The backdoor had finally shreaded in the weather. My guess is it is 12-15 years old so the material held up well except for the door with the zippered entryway. We finally broke down and bought a new on. I was going to just put heavy gage clear plastic over it but I did not think it would hold up very well and it is a pain to install.Note the heavy black zippers for the doorway-important to the story.

 

[catjac1975]

My husband insisted that the black zipper should go on the outside and it would "look really bad" if it were on the inside. I gave in knowing a zipper should always be on the inside, I was just too exhausted to fight the battle. There is a lot of work to putting it up-not hard work just time consuming. Finding the tools, remembering how it went together. Fortunately my husband has gotten better at organizing his tools. (No truly organized person would describe them as such but we all have our quirks and methods.) So up it went with the zipper on the outside. I did not look good and I immediately realized it would not hold up to the weather for many years. As soon as it was nearly done he realized, I WAS CORRECT! "Should we turn it around?" I knew if we did not do it immediately it would never get done. I told him the second time would be quicker because we knew what to do now. It did go a little faster except for the fatigue factor. I did make hime actually say to me that I was right. Hahahaha But, I love how it looks and my plants will certainly be much happier this year. Still have a few tomatoes to ripen until I get rid of the old plants.

The new backdoor zippered cover cost almost the same as the whole thing did, purchased used.

 

[digitS']

With my temporary hoop house, I just gather the plastic film on the endwalls, Cat'. It's crude. I've learned to make sure the folds are such that they don't hold water. Even standing just a couple of months, there can be a mess if stagnant water is accumulating in the folds.

If you would be comfortable with standing wood frames, the doors/window can be reinforced. It still isn't very substantial with my set-up partly because the center path is excavated. That leaves the frames without very much in-ground support ... at least, not the way I've done it.

We learn as we go. I put the hoop house up every March for about 20 seasons. I think that recent models have benefited from my experience but I'm still inclined to cut corners. If I just did the "construction" every decade, my poor memory would add to the work required. You guys did good and should be patting yourselves on the back for it !

Steve

 

[thistlebloom]

The important thing of course is that you got an admission that you were right all along!
And I really admire your hoop house, I think that the longevity of the cover is amazing.

My husband and I just went way the heck over the border into WA to pick up a CL find for our son. The seller was an avid gardener and wanted to show us the fiberglass greenhouse she had just purchased. It was all one unit but not very big, though I could see the usefulness and reason for her enthusiasm for the design. Then she told us what they paid, and that was with the county fair discount. I was floored- it was $6k! The size was about 6'x8'.
I was thinking about the huge hoop house you could get for that price.

 

[digitS']

@thistlebloom ,

If it's one of those that kinda looks like a translucent, upside-down boat - it may not be translucent forever.

There is one of those in a nearby backyard, seems like they were very popular about 20 years ago. I've been regularly driving by that backyard and fiberglass "green" house for that long. I have watched it turn black! At first, I was thinking that it might be from what was falling onto it from a tree, maybe. Thing is, there is no tree!

I don't know if it is a stain that can be cleaned or why it is black other than exposure to air and sunlight. What an ugly "shed" ...

Steve
who isn't looking forward to the likely task of replacing the uv-resistant film on his sunshed, soon

 

[catjac1975]

The important thing of course is that you got an admission that you were right all along!
And I really admire your hoop house, I think that the longevity of the cover is amazing.

My husband and I just went way the heck over the border into WA to pick up a CL find for our son. The seller was an avid gardener and wanted to show us the fiberglass greenhouse she had just purchased. It was all one unit but not very big, though I could see the usefulness and reason for her enthusiasm for the design. Then she told us what they paid, and that was with the county fair discount. I was floored- it was $6k! The size was about 6'x8'.
I was thinking about the huge hoop house you could get for that price.

We paid $450 for it use. I think it could be 12-15 years old. They guarantee the cover for 15 years. It has some tears but it seems like it will go along time still. A new cover is 840 plus shipping so not our of the realm of someday purchasing it.I would never heat it-It is best for what we use it for. I wonder what would happen to that fiberglass greenhouse in a hurricane or nor'easter. And it will only be really useful if heated.

 

[catjac1975]

The important thing of course is that you got an admission that you were right all along!
And I really admire your hoop house, I think that the longevity of the cover is amazing.

My husband and I just went way the heck over the border into WA to pick up a CL find for our son. The seller was an avid gardener and wanted to show us the fiberglass greenhouse she had just purchased. It was all one unit but not very big, though I could see the usefulness and reason for her enthusiasm for the design. Then she told us what they paid, and that was with the county fair discount. I was floored- it was $6k! The size was about 6'x8'.
I was thinking about the huge hoop house you could get for that price.

Not an admission easily come by.

 

[catjac1975]

@thistlebloom ,

If it's one of those that kinda looks like a translucent, upside-down boat - it may not be translucent forever.

There is one of those in a nearby backyard, seems like they were very popular about 20 years ago. I've been regularly driving by that backyard and fiberglass "green" house for that long. I have watched it turn black! At first, I was thinking that it might be from what was falling onto it from a tree, maybe. Thing is, there is no tree!

I don't know if it is a stain that can be cleaned or why it is black other than exposure to air and sunlight. What an ugly "shed" ...

Steve
who isn't looking forward to the likely task of replacing the uv-resistant film on his sunshed, soon

Wow! Good to know. My hoop house has some moldy staining. I have bleached it in the past. I am worried about bleach weakening the cover at this point so I just live with it.I think I will write the company and see what they suggest.

 

[digitS']

Keep in mind that it was a fiberglass structure, Cat'.

fiberglass greenhouse

My hoophouses are just the 6mil construction film. I know it would fall apart in less than a year.

The sunshed has uv-resistant film, 6mil. It last for several years.

I once had a little greenhouse with glass windows and a corrugated fiberglass roof. It was only up for about 4 years. I don't know how long it might have lasted.

Steve

 

[thistlebloom]

If it's one of those that kinda looks like a translucent, upside-down boat - it may not be translucent forever.

Yes, it has ridges, like an accordian, but large. I thought the same thing because down the road from me is an alpaca farm that has several in the pasture for shelters. The owners told me they were repurposed greenhouses, but the alpacas didn't use them because they got too hot, even in the winter. They are now an ugly opaque yellow.

I wonder what would happen to that fiberglass greenhouse in a hurricane or nor'easter.

I don't know about hurricanes, but it's design is very wind resistant. Apparently it has a large feet along the bottom that you anchor down. They had also laid large basalt stone around it. They live on a ridge and it gets quite windy.