Bootstrap Farmer DIY High Tunnel Plans, Assembly Instructions Manual

Page 1: ...DIY High Tunnel Plans WWW BOOTSTRAPFARMER COM PLEASE CHECK ALL LOCAL BUILDING CODES BEFORE PURCHASING AND BUILDING ANY STRUCTURE OF MAKING ANY IMPROVEMENTS ...

Page 2: ...ing your Hoop House 13 Pre Cutting Hoop House Ground Posts 14 Installing Ground Posts 15 Bending Poles to Make Hoops 16 Connecting Poles to Form Hoops 18 Attach Base Boards 19 Installing Ridge Poles and Cross Connectors 21 Installing Hip Boards 22 Installing Spring Wire and Lock Channel 23 End Walls and Doors for Hoop Houses 24 Installing Door Frame 25 Wood Frame and End Wall 26 Adding a Door Head...

Page 3: ...vers Electric Drill with Extra Drill Bits Sledge Hammer Mason Line Line Level 100 foot tape measure if building 100 long get a 200 tape measure Tools Needed Identifying Structure Components End W a ll Ba se Boa rd B a se B o a rd Hip Board Ridge Pole Hoop End Wall 3 ...

Page 4: ...llips Flat Head Wood Screw End Walls What is included in Kit 6 mil Plastic SINGLE LAYER All Spring Wire and Lock Channel Including enough for End Wall Attaches Plastic to Structure Cross Connectors Attach Ridge Pole to Hoops Ground Post Driver To Install Ground Posts All Nuts Bolts Washers and Screws 1 Phillips Flat Head Wood Screw Lock Channel to Hip and Base Boards 4 ...

Page 5: ... allow you to bend your own hoops to create a 6 wide low tunnel or a 10 12 or 20 wide high tunnel hoop house out of 1 chain link fence top rail Each hoop bender includes the bender hardware for attachment to any sold flat surface and an extension bar for added leverage at the end of your bend 5 ...

Page 6: ...auge approx 1 29mm thick 6 wide greenhouse 1 10 x EMT per 10 12 wide high tunnel hoop house 2 10 x 1 top rail per hoop 20 wide high tunnel hoop house 3 10 x 1 top rail per hoop hoop HOOP BENDERS ARE SOLD SEPARATELY BECAUSE MANY PEOPLE BUILD MULTIPLE HOOP HOUSES AND YOU ONLY NEED ONE BENDER PER SIZE THE 6 10 12 20 BENDERS WILL ONLY WORK FOR THEIR CORRESPONDING WIDTHS Pre Cut Drilled Ground Posts Ho...

Page 7: ...des only 1 crank is needed per 100 so there is 2 for each side of the hoop house Two holes pre drilled for quick attachment of your baseboard and hoops Top hole is and drilled 2 from the top of the ground post Bottom hole is and is drilled 23 from the top perpendicular to the first hole Sold in bundles to match kit sizes 20 12 posts 60 32 posts 100 52 posts 40 22 posts 80 42 posts SNAP CLAMPS ONLY...

Page 8: ...he included inlet hose can be cut to length during installation Operates at 110 volt pulling 0 42 amps Includes 60 CFM blower exhaust air deflector and mounting bracket 72 inlet air hose inlet damper air regulator AIR INFLATION KIT Shade Cloth Ground Cover Block weeds inside of your Hoop House with Heavy Duty Landscape Fabric Shade cloth is available in 30 40 50 60 70 light reduction for different...

Page 9: ...Double Layer Hoop House Plastic For double layer hoop houses and inflation kit This guide is the same for a single layer Hoophouse Width ft Approximate Height ft 6 4 10 8 5 12 8 20 10 75 9 ...

Page 10: ...cision is made by you and out of spec for this kit Set Location of Hoop House Start by placing your first marking stake at least 8 feet away from an existing greenhouse or other small structure For larger structures such as a home you will want to place your greenhouse significantly further away Most farms orient their hoop houses North to South Hoophouse Width ft Approximate Height ft 6 4 10 8 5 ...

Page 11: ...ed barrier if you prefer This is optional depending on your needs Secure the weed barrier with garden staples rocks or dirt that will make up the floor of your high tunnel Weed Barrier Getting Started The Build 11 ...

Page 12: ...for our high tunnels Then measure diagonally making sure the diagonal measurements are equal to each other Double check that each length width and diagonal measurements are equal This ensures your greenhouse will be square Squaring your Hoop House Once your area is measured out place a temporary stake to mark the location of each corner as this will be where your first ground posts are located 12 ...

Page 13: ...eenhouse in feet and divide it by 4 and then add 1 This gives you the number of hoops you will have Example Length 100 feet 100 ft 4 1 26 hoops 26 hoops 26 pieces of fence line posts Cut each into 2 48 pieces for 10 24 greenhouses We recommend using a reciprocating saw with a vice to hold the poles in place while cutting and you should be finished in about an hour A hacksaw will work too but it is...

Page 14: ...th a 1 4 bit Spin the pole 1 4 of the way around Drill the 2nd hole 23 from the top with the same drill bit You will first install each corner ground post Place your posts where you had previously marked the corners and begin driving those into the ground When driving your ground posts make sure you use a Ground Post Driver This will prevent your pole from becoming warped While driving the posts i...

Page 15: ...e installed re measure length width and diagonally one last time If you made a mistake it s not too late to fix it without too much work Once you are satisfied tie a string line around the outside of the corner posts This will help to keep all your ground posts in alignment so you don t get wavy hoops later on Bending Poles to Make Hoops Lay out the poles with them all facing with the swagged male...

Page 16: ... the mark you made Bend the pole every 18 We laid out some scrap pieces of wood on our bench so that the pole stays level while bending You want to try to keep the pole from twisting while you bend When you reach the end of the pole use the pole extension included with your hoop bender for additional leverage Note the following 6 ft wide greenhouse requires 1 10 ft EMT per hoop 1 piece 10 12 ft wi...

Page 17: ... push your bows in You should expect your hoops to be a little wider than your ground posts This is perfectly normal as you will just bend them in a little as you get each end of the hoop into the ground posts After setting all of the hoops into place you may have to adjust some of these in or out to make all of the hoops look even when viewing it from the ends Once satisfied use your bit to drill...

Page 18: ...studies have shown that these chemicals can leach from the wood into your soil We don t want this anywhere near our food You might consider cedar boards which are naturally water resistant For the first baseboard we cut off the first 1 foot so that a board doesn t end on a ground post Line up the cut board with the front of the first ground post Clamp the board to the post and use your 1 4 drill b...

Page 19: ...boards attached you can install the baseboards on the end walls with a 2 x 6 x 8 board and a carriage bolt or you can do this later while building the end wall Installing Ridge Poles and Cross Connectors Once all hoops are secured in place begin inserting your ridge pole into the cross connectors or spring slips For a 6 foot greenhouse you should have already installed your cross connectors before...

Page 20: ...t left or right until the whole connected ridge pole is straight Before tightening the screws on the cross connectors ensure each bow is 4 ft from each other then tighten or screw the cross connectors Be sure to screw from the side and not the top as you don t want your plastic to get caught on the screw Make sure each end of the pole is flush with the end of your greenhouse by cutting off the exc...

Page 21: ...ypically place the bottom of the hip board about 36 inches usually a little higher for larger greenhouses from the top of the ground post Mark each hoop at your desired height I like to mark from the top of the hip boards as it s easier to see Similar to your baseboards you want to cut the first 1 foot off your hip board so the butt joints don t land on a hoop Line up your boards on the marks and ...

Page 22: ...nstalled straight from one piece to another If the spring wire lock channel is not straight it can create corners where it butts together and the plastic may snag Once the channel is installed on the hip board install wiggle wire channel on the first and last arches over the entire hoop but not over lapping the hip board using a clamp to help you keep the channel in place while you bend it along t...

Page 23: ... number of ways to do this however we are providing what we find to be the easiest If you haven t already done so now is the time to install the baseboards on the front and back of your greenhouse Simply run the baseboard the entire length of your greenhouse and attach to the end ground posts with a 4 x carriage bolt 23 ...

Page 24: ... how you will anchor the stud to your hoop You want the 2 x 4 to be just slightly shorter than the top of the hoop Repeat on the other side of the door frame To attach you will drill a hole through the hoop and notched 2 x 4 and insert a x 4 carriage bolt into the hoop and through the wood Secure with a washer and nut against the wood The bottom of the stud should be behind toward the inside of th...

Page 25: ...Adding passive vents to the top of your hoop house is a great way to release excess heat in the summer Base Stud cut out detail 25 ...

Page 26: ... one of the inner door frame boards to that measurement and make a mark Repeat for the opposite side as well Cut a 2 x 4 to fit in between with the bottom lined up with your marks Make sure your header is level using a level and adjust as needed Secure your header using 2 wood screws by screwing to your posts Cut another 2 x 4 to fit directly above your header to form an L as a header This should ...

Page 27: ...ards to create a door frame The width of your door should be shorter than the opening and length 7 8 shorter This allows for of expansion on each side and top of your door when it gets wet To provide your door some support we sandwich plastic and chicken wire between the two 1 x 4 boards or we recommend the plastic roofing panel at your local hardware store You also want to add a 1 x 4 board in th...

Page 28: ...You can place Lock Channel and Wiggle wire on the door to secure plastic or cover whichever way you see fit for your application 28 ...

Page 29: ...your farms needs Consider equipment how many times you go in and out simplicity security and your building skill comfort level When sourcing parts like hinges and latches remember to look in the fencing section for parts designed for outdoor use 29 ...

Page 30: ... the greenhouse plastic in the arch the same way Pulling the plastic tight as you go Just install the wiggle wire down to the hip board We will install the remainder of the wiggle wire after we complete the roll up sides Installing plastic can be the most intimidating part of your build but once you get going you will find it to be pretty straight forward You can start side to side or front to bac...

Page 31: ...stalling roll up sides move on to step 5 If you are installing roll up sides proceed to Install Roll up Sides for hoop house Ventilation in the next section 5 Pull tight and spring wire long side of hoop house 6 Pull tight and spring wire long side of hoop house on other side Leave enough overlap to cover end walls You need to be able to read the label from the INSIDE to keep anti condensate side ...

Page 32: ...lty considerations The following two graphics illustrate what we have done in the past that worked very well Some notes to consider when customizing your build Lock Channel can hold at least two layers of plastic and spring We have also been able to fit a third layer depending on the thickness We have also seen people use a double row of lock channel 32 ...

Page 33: ...Side Detail 33 ...

Page 34: ...the greenhouse on both sides If you are using our couplings using self taping screws to secure the poles together If you are using a standard EMT coupling make the screws as tight as you can to prevent slippage Roll the ends of the plastic around the connected EMT until the greenhouse plastic is tight and the pole is flush with the bottom of the greenhouse Install snap clamps every 2 ft to ensure ...

Page 35: ...stic secure now is the time to move to the front and back of the greenhouse to secure the plastic If you find that the plastic is not tight enough hopefully you used wiggle wire You can simply just wiggle the wire out of the channel Pull the plastic tight and reinstall the spring wire Use the wiggle wire to install the plastic on the end walls in the same manner as before starting from the top and...

Page 36: ... guide rail for the hand crank but the simplest is to take a scrap piece of or 1 EMT about 3 4 ft and hammered that into the ground near the edge of the 3 4 EMT conduit I then put a 6 ft piece of EMT conduit about 2 ft down into this pipe and put in 2 screws at ground level to secure it Put your hand crank on the guide rail slide in the conduit drill a hole and use the included screws to secure an...

Page 37: ...Rolling the plastic in towards the hoop house rill reduce water getting into the plasrtic roll 37 ...

Page 38: ...Congratulations Your DIY Bootstrap Farmer Hoop House is now ready for years of service on your farm For additional questions email contact bootstrapfarmer com WWW BOOTSTRAPFARMER COM ...