Carport turned greenhouse
 

Yippee, I have an opportunity to make a 20' L x 20' wide by 10' high at the A frame peak carport with 2.5" square tube frame into a greenhouse.

I want to put it in the same place I have my landscaping cloth laid and my container garden placed at the moment. So we will have to do this build right over the top of my garden growing time.

Has anyone done this to their own carport frame?

I see some tutorials on smaller carports but I am not sure how that would work on my larger size frame hubby will pick up tomorrow. This project might not get off the ground right away but it is definitely something I want to get planned out.

Any thoughts on this one?

One thing we do plan is to use polyarbonate clear corrugated panels over the roof area so I can devise my rain barrel collection system around the sides. This will allow the rain to stay off the plants when all they need is protection from the rain and I can open the sides or remove them completely for the 8 months of the year that I won't need the sides on. It is really hot and humid most of the year here in South TX Coastal Bend.

Those panels are expensive. I don't know your budget, but it would be a lot cheaper to cover the frame with typical greenhouse 6 mil plastic. I'd want an angle grinder to sand off the rough edges, and then I'd still wrap a lot of white duct tape around any rough spots on the frame.

You can make the sides roll up, or just pull up the side plastic and hold it with clamps to ventilate. End doors that will latch in the open position should be enough ventilation up to about the low 90's. It helps if there's a breeze and also if you orient the structure in line with prevailing winds.

Make sure you anchor it well to the ground. I would want it to be bolted to metal posts that were sunk in concrete, especially at the corners.

Good luck with the project. It sounds fun!

Pictures of the process of your project would be great!!

Mine are 10x20 Shelterlogics
 

I picked up four of the Shelterlogic 10'x20' portable carports on a Black Friday sale at $125 each. I turned two into hardening houses [URL]http://imageshack.us/a/img842/1226/276qn.jpg[/URL] and overflow for my greenhouse [URL]http://imageshack.us/a/img857/302/275j.jpg[/URL] .

I put two end-to-end to form a 10'x40' tomato hoop-house [URL]http://imageshack.us/a/img826/7507/164aa.jpg[/URL] , then built two 40' long raised beds inside [URL]http://imageshack.us/a/img37/6657/p1010238od.jpg[/URL] . I enclosed the ends and set up furnace filters over the vent fans so I could isolate the plants from the outside. I did this primarily for seed harvesting.

I connected opaque film to the metal frame with plastic tubing [URL]http://imageshack.us/a/img213/3824/clipsdl.jpg[/URL] . I painted the inside of the PVC before attaching it [URL]http://imageshack.us/a/img853/4900/clampb.jpg[/URL] because Greenhouse film will deteriorate when in contact with PVC.

I set up all my hoophouses with Ventilation fans controlled with thermo-cube plug adapters. These work great [URL]http://www.hotwiredgardens.com/pdf/Low-Cost_Control_of_heaters_and_fans_in_a_Greenhouse.pdf[/URL] .

Thanks all, a little more info about my area and the challenges ahead.

I must anchor this with a permit through the city because we have high winds in our area and I am not far from the Gulf of Mexico.

Because of the winds in the area and the hail storms we have I need to have a good roof structure to be worthwhile because in the long run I will probably put out just as much in cost replacing the roof continously if I use plastic.

I want to collect rain off the roof so I am not using city water that is so laden in Chlorine that I cannot drink it.

Cole, I have taken note of the sharp edges on the frame, thanks.

Apine, I will try to remember to post photos.

Hotwired, I sure wish I could use some of those types of carports here but the wind just tears them up in a pretty quick heartbeat. I like your setup and I will definitely use your thermocube design for my heat.

Thankfully, because we are so close to the Gulf of Mexico we don't freeze too often but last night we had a freeze and there was no warning. All of my tomato plants have suffered and I think I may be pulling them out tomorrow. Hence the reason for having this carport setup with walls that come down because a freeze will be few and far between but I still need protection from the rain here too. I am excited to get this thing all planned out.

Hotwired, I see you have only one light fixture on one of your setups and think I might be going overboard on lighting my bench in my shed. I want to start seeds indoors but am having a hard time figuring it all out. Please see this post of mine and let me know what you think.
[URL]http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=25807[/URL]

When I had a bunch of barns with steep roofs, I had gutters installed and placed huge 500-1,000 gallon water troughs at each drainspout. It doesn't take too much rain off a steep roof to fill those tanks. I was using them to water livestock and arranged my paddocks so that each paddock had a barn corner with a drain spout. It was actually a clever design. The house drainspouts watered a huge koi pond and some big trees.
Just be sure you add some minnows or goldfish to the tanks for mosquito control. They do a great job eating larvae.

[QUOTE=Cole_Robbie;316374]Those panels are expensive. I don't know your budget, but it would be a lot cheaper to cover the frame with typical greenhouse 6 mil plastic. I'd want an angle grinder to sand off the rough edges, and then I'd still wrap a lot of white duct tape around any rough spots on the frame.

You can make the sides roll up, or just pull up the side plastic and hold it with clamps to ventilate. End doors that will latch in the open position should be enough ventilation up to about the low 90's. It helps if there's a breeze and also if you orient the structure in line with prevailing winds.

Make sure you anchor it well to the ground. I would want it to be bolted to metal posts that were sunk in concrete, especially at the corners.

Good luck with the project. It sounds fun![/QUOTE]

Thanks, yes we have to get a permit for it and it must be sunk into concrete in all four corners as well as two spots on each side because of the winds in our area.

We will probably use this for the roof or the other one, because of the sun beating down on the cheap stuff will damage it too quickly.

[URL]http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?partNumber=77000-1115-1418C&langId=-1&storeId=10151&productId=3043807&catalogId=10051&cmRelshp=req&rel=nofollow&cId=PDIO1[/URL]

and

[URL]http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?partNumber=77559-1115-1413A&langId=-1&storeId=10151&productId=3043880&catalogId=10051&cmRelshp=req&rel=nofollow&cId=PDIO1[/URL]

[QUOTE=Tracydr;316386]When I had a bunch of barns with steep roofs, I had gutters installed and placed huge 500-1,000 gallon water troughs at each drainspout. It doesn't take too much rain off a steep roof to fill those tanks. I was using them to water livestock and arranged my paddocks so that each paddock had a barn corner with a drain spout. It was actually a clever design. The house drainspouts watered a huge koi pond and some big trees.
Just be sure you add some minnows or goldfish to the tanks for mosquito control. They do a great job eating larvae.[/QUOTE]

Yes, I have some rain barrels that I used on my deck before and I would like to set those up again. I sure would like to have big troughs like you had but I don't have the room for it and I think my husband would think I lost my mind. He is really just tolerating all this gardening stuff so I have to bring it to him in increments.

:lol:

Actually the light was so I don't break my neck at night. I use the hoophouse as a hardening house during late-March through Early-May. I used a crystal clear 16-mil greenhouse film on my greenhouse. It has stood up to 60mph winds, golf-ball size hail, and 28" of snow. the material is called Eskay-Lite Greenhouse Film. I can literally stand on the material on the roof.

[URL]http://www.hotwiredgardens.com/pdf/Greenhouse_Film_for_Heavy_Snow.pdf[/URL]

I covered a 12'x16' peaked greenhouse with a $121 roll of Film and had quite a bit left. This is the third winter and it still looks like new [URL]http://imageshack.us/a/img602/776/197.jpg[/URL] .

[QUOTE=Rockporter;316394]I think my husband would think I lost my mind. He is really just tolerating all this gardening stuff so I have to bring it to him in increments.
:lol:[/QUOTE]
My wife thinks I'm crazy too. I do spend a lot of time and money on gardening. I finally found a way to keep my wife happy. We set an annual budget for my gardening. If I exceed my budget, then I have to match the overage in jewelry purchases. Needless to say, my wife has some nice jewelery.

[QUOTE=Hotwired;316396] If I exceed my budget, then I have to match the overage in jewelry purchases. Needless to say, my wife has some nice jewelery.[/QUOTE]

That's a great compromise. :lol:

I am hoping to start selling some seedlings to help support my garden habit, I think that would make my husband very happy.

[QUOTE=Hotwired;316395]Actually the light was so I don't break my neck at night. I use the hoophouse as a hardening house during late-March through Early-May. I used a crystal clear 16-mil greenhouse film on my greenhouse. It has stood up to 60mph winds, golf-ball size hail, and 28" of snow. the material is called Eskay-Lite Greenhouse Film. I can literally stand on the material on the roof.

[URL]http://www.hotwiredgardens.com/pdf/Greenhouse_Film_for_Heavy_Snow.pdf[/URL]

I covered a 12'x16' peaked greenhouse with a $121 roll of Film and had quite a bit left. This is the third winter and it still looks like new [URL]http://imageshack.us/a/img602/776/197.jpg[/URL] .[/QUOTE]


I took a look at that film and might go that direction. How do you think it would hold up in our hot South TX by the Gulf of Mexico sun? It is very hot in the summer with the heat and humidity.

[QUOTE=Rockporter;316398]I took a look at that film and might go that direction. How do you think it would hold up in our hot South TX by the Gulf of Mexico sun? It is very hot in the summer with the heat and humidity.[/QUOTE]
It doesn't get much past mid 90's (F°) here in New York, so I have no idea how it performs over 100°F for long periods. Up here we have short seasons, average Summer temps under 80°F, and lower & less intense sun than you guys in Texas. I use it primarily because it stands up to severe winters [URL]http://imageshack.us/a/img641/1205/snowv.jpg[/URL] , allows maximum light transmission equivalent to glass, has higher R-value properties than 6-mil poly, and has greater IR transmission (heat) than glass.

So, with higher IR transmission (heat wavelengths over 750μm transmit at 98%+), [URL]http://imageshack.us/a/img831/6562/polycarbt.jpg[/URL] , polycarbonate in general may be counter-productive for Texas climate. Eskay-Lite is probably better suited for Northern climates, where we need every bit of sunlight and heat we can squeeze out of the sunshine. That certainly is not your problem that far south.

Speaking of infra-red transmission, what do you think about this stuff?

[url]http://www.green-tek.com/solar_ice.html[/url]

I am considering it for covering a new hoophouse that will contain early spring tomatoes and then probably a winter garden next fall. Is it counter-productive to block IR transmission if you want the building to be warm?