Harbor Freight Greenhouse Construction

[dragoneggs]

I have wondered about using the corrugated fibre glass panels for roofing. They are fairly clear and would be pretty strong compared top flat panels. Next time I go into HD I will make a point of checking them out for price. I figured these could be used for a greenhouse and probably be much stronger and reasonably priced with framing etc.

Yes but depending on your greenhouse frame, you might have some real issues fitting them. If you are designing from scratch they might work. One feature of greenhouse panels is they are double walled, giving you some insulating value. Not much probably in the grand scheme though.

 

[dragoneggs]

Now that all 4 auto-opening roof vents are installed I have moved on to the plumbing. I did have to reinforce the mounting cross piece as the provided bracket did not have a nice resting place. This was accomplished using a simple aluminum L section that I adhesive bonded to the green house frame. See photos for before/after. You will notice how much the original bracket was twisting during the opening of the vent. A much cooler day today outside so the greenhouse temp is only 75degF so no opening to check the beefed up design.

 

[dragoneggs]

The plumbing starts with a 3/4in riser and a ball shut off valve. Just above that I installed a faucet and then 'T'd off for a timer and drip system. The 3/4in supply and brass fittings is overkill but it is sturdy and looks good IMO. I ran the poly tubing along the lower third stiffeners across the back and along both 'long' sides of the greenhouse. This will allow tapping into the pressurized line anywhere along the three sides. I also capped off the supply just above the T for future expansion for hanging plants and/or a mist system.

 

[Bob77064]

dragoneggs, great job.

 

[dragoneggs]

dragoneggs, great job.

Thank you Bob... this evening I spent some time on the electrical. I hopefully will post some pics of my progress tomorrow.

 

[dragoneggs]

I finished up the first bench for the greenhouse. Bench is 10ft long by 30in deep by 36in tall. I welded up some thin wall steel square tubing, painted it with truck bed-liner spray, and built a top out of 5/4in tight knot cedar decking material. I decided to section it into three removable pieces to add some versatility to the design. Still need to come up with the rest of the furniture/shelving, etc. designs. Looking for ideas... feel free to chime in.

 

[dragoneggs]

Rainy, cool day here so the greenhouse is getting another good 'leak' test. Roof is doing well except for one small drip at one of the four roof vents. Since they are not gasketed/sealed when closed, I am actually surprised I don't get more than an occasional drip. But around the base where the frame is attached to the 4x6 PT foundation, I do get leaks, especially at splices and in one corner where it is coming in almost steady from roof and gutter drain off. These aren't all that concerning but I think when it dries out, I will shoot some silicone caulking in the seams and splices.

 

[dragoneggs]

I finished wiring one of two 20amp circuits. I used the grey PVC conduit and waterproof boxes to route it along the upper horizontal wall braces. I didn't have much to grab onto other than these 1/2 by 3/4in tube stringers, so I cut a few pieces of aircraft grade aluminum sheet that I had laying around to make a mounting plate for the boxes, screwed them into the plate and adhesively bonded the plate to the wall brace. Not rock solid sturdy as it will flex and move with the wall but plenty stiff for plugging in a electrical cord. The green color on the plates is aircraft primer. I left a little of the plate hanging below the brace to allow room for a label to I.D. the various wires. Now if anyone can tell me how to pull the pin on the hinges without breaking it... I will reorient the dang covers to swing up instead of sideways. I tried a punch but a couple of persuasive blows didn't budge it.



The first outlet is GFI mounted on the back wall, then 2 more outlet boxes are on the long (side) wall giving me a total of six receptacles on this circuit. The wife uses heating mats for seed germination. This will make it very convenient to plug them in as the outlets are located above the bench. Oh, and excuse the tie wraps supporting the PVC conduit... I need to fabricate a few clips to tie into the T bolts that secure the horizontal braces.



I have another 20amp circuit still to wire but not sure how I will employ that. Thinking of an outdoor motion light near the entrance door and probably a vent fan with louvers on the back wall. I am pretty sure when the weather warms up, the auto opening roof vents won't move enough air to keep the greenhouse from getting too hot!

 

[troutsqueezer]

As far as leaks go - it never occurred to me to try and stop any from coming in from the rain because when I am in there, I am a wild man with the hose, watering everything in sight and pretty much soaking much of the interior on a regular basis.

To mitigate heat buildup, an interior-hung shade cloth sure does help.

 

[dragoneggs]

As far as leaks go - it never occurred to me to try and stop any from coming in from the rain because when I am in there, I am a wild man with the hose, watering everything in sight and pretty much soaking much of the interior on a regular basis.

To mitigate heat buildup, an interior-hung shade cloth sure does help.

Yeah the leaking around the base is no big deal... but I am a bit of a perfectionist whether it shows or not. I never thought I would say this, living in the cool PNW, but I now can see some kind of shade cloth would be a good mod. I am now pondering how I could make one that is easy to deploy and roll up maybe with some kind of crank or pull cord system??? This greenhouse thing is getting a bit obsessive for me... AND loving it! (As Maxwell Smart used to say).

Kind a 'cool' to see the weather break a bit here as the gray clouds and rain broke and watch the roof vents go into action automatically with the sun beating down. It doesn't take long for it to heat up significantly but sun was short lived. The sun was only out for 45min and the cool rain is beginning again... oh well. Actually now turning to pretty hard or wet rain as we say around here :laughing: