Common Sense A frame solar greenhouse!

bobberman · September 10, 2012

Lets look at why I think the A frame greenhouse is the best and easiest to build! First lets see where to build this greenhouse n reference to the sun!
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The main wall that is exposed to the sun should have a perpendicular line directly from its surface wall to the noon day sun! the A frame should set on a 1 or two foot high perimiter frame made of wood or even treated lumber since it hits the ground! Since a A frame is the strongest structure made of triangles two by 4s are plenty strong and cheap!
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The size depends on you. The 2 foot border givs the height of the center of the greenhouse more head room even with a 8 foot 2by 4 forming the A frame. I suggest a 2 by 10 which gives a nice 10 to 12 foot wide A frame with whatever length you want! once you decide to make the triangle for your A frame its easy to assemble!.
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Make one A just like the letter A and use that for a form for all the rest! two feet or 18 inches appart works great! I put chicken wire over the whole greenhouse to support the plastic and also for climbing vines either outside in the summer or inside for the winter! Where you put the cross part of the A will determine a sorage area over 6 feet from the floor so plan on that!
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The advantages of your new A frame solar greenhouse are many!! Insulate the north side of the A frame using a white or reflective materia! This allows the light to reflect back onto the plants unlike hoop houses that the light asses thropugh and is wasted. te exra height of the A frame captures more reflected light! the storage area above your head can be sealed with lastic for the winter keeping in more heat! The steep slant on the A frame gives no problems with heavy snow! Paint the boards white for more reflected light!
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For A $100 you can make a 10 by 12 greenhouse . One of mine with the 1 foot border is 12 by 16 using 2 by 4 by 10's.. I wish I would have used the 2 foot boarder for more head room! Always use a 6 mill for the outter plastic and a 4 for the inner! Double plastic and 200 gallon of water storage will give you a solar greenhouse that will extend ou season two months in fall and spring. If you wach and use common sense plants will keep alive all winter with temp. staying above 30 All winter! I just put up another small 8 by 12 A frame in hours using 2 by 4 by 8's. Good Luck! Any Questions???

Cole_Robbie · September 10, 2012

Good tips! I especially agree about painting everything white. From what I read, the paint needs to be latex. I used interior flat white latex, and the door frame got acrylic.

The company that sells the poly says that you're supposed to use an inflation blower to inflate the double layer, or else the wind will make the two layers rub together and wear each other. I don't know how true that is, or if they just want to sell blowers. I have seen pictures of an Amish design to catch the wind in a funnel-shaped wind vane and use that air to inflate the double layer, which I thought was a neat idea. I bought a blower for mine from Farm-Tek, but it would have been cheaper to rig up a $40 wal-mart blower.

bobberman · September 10, 2012

I usually seperate the inside and outide layers of plastic by the with of the two by 4's. The inner laer of the greenhouse I use 3 to 4 mill plastic and the outlayer 6 mill. If you use two outter layers you can use cloths line rope stretched about a foot appart across the outside of the greenhouse! I change my plastic every year since I buy the cheap plastic with no inhibiter! The plastic is 6 mil 20 by 100 for about $75 which is plenty for twoyears for me!

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The 4 mil is cleared and cheaper for the inside and I usually by 15 by 20 at wal mart for $7. One reason I change it is use my greenhouse in the summer for vine crops inside and out! Also on the 2 foot border on the bottom I have screens so I can take the plastic away as it gets warmer and air comes in from the bottom with no animals!

habitat_gardener · September 10, 2012

Photos please!!

Also, what do you grow inside in the winter? My cousin in northern VA (probably zone 7a) just moved last week and is wondering what to grow there right now. I don't know if they're interested in building a greenhouse before settling in, but that's what I'd do.

bobberman · September 10, 2012

Cold weather crops grow good but almost anything will grow if you keep it above freezing. Air movement is important. I have a couple very small fans that come on from noon to 4 every 1/2 hour on a $10 timer! I will try climbing beans this winter and peas! Peas tolerate old as does lettuce and other cole crops! I even have some tomatoes I put in from seed in july that are just starting to flower!

habitat_gardener · September 10, 2012

Thanks!

What do you do for the foundation?

bobberman · September 10, 2012

The floor I use used carpet turned upside down. You would be suprised how dry it stays! You can use sand or P gravel or anything that will not support weeds! I plant some of my vegs in the ground itself. I have a row of peas and tomatoes coming up in my new 8 by 12 A frame! the nice thing about gravel is you can still plant in the ground! water storage is the key.
+++
You can make a bench supported by 4- 50 gallon drums of water. i have the fan blow on the barrels to arm the during day light when the temp is above 40! hop this helps! Most places they do il changes for cars sell the 50 gallon drums for $10. I like the lastic barrels better but have severalback metal ones!

Worth1 · September 10, 2012

I'm not one to knock other peoples hard work and I do like the 'A' Frame for certain applications.

Here I submit a 10 foot wide X 12 foot tall structure.
One the (red area) is on the 'A' Frame design and the other the (blue area) is a traditional structure with 6 foot sides.
I chose 6 foot sides to maintain the steepness of the roof and I am not 6 feet tall.

The white lines represent a true 45 degree angle roof.
The yellow line represints the 8 foot height mark.

This is why I dont care for the 'A' Frame for small structures, for the same amount of floor area you lose a considerable amount of cubic feet.

But to each his or her own I just thought I would post a picture so it would be easy to see the difference.

Worth
Attachment 29105

bobberman · September 10, 2012

That is why I said set the A frame on a 2 foot high border so the higth is better in the middle. The other reason for the A frame is it easier to build , quicker and cheaper. The third reason is the angle on the north side insulated white or reflective wall bounces light back into the main area. The forth reason is that you can have a storage area above the 6 foot height. and finally the fifth reason is growing crops up the sides using chcken wire all around the greenhouse that holds vine crops and makes the span between the 2 by4s stronger in the snow. Thanks for the comparison some may like one or the other. Actually you have the same thing with the A setting n a higher 5 or 6 foot border . You also have a larger area above your head to inclose and heat!
!

bobberman · September 10, 2012

Another thing to think about with the A frame greenhouse is digging a 2 foot pit and put the green house above it to get better head room!

September 10, 2012	#1
bobberman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Latrobe Pa. Posts: 142	Common Sense A frame solar greenhouse! Lets look at why I think the A frame greenhouse is the best and easiest to build! First lets see where to build this greenhouse n reference to the sun! +++ The main wall that is exposed to the sun should have a perpendicular line directly from its surface wall to the noon day sun! the A frame should set on a 1 or two foot high perimiter frame made of wood or even treated lumber since it hits the ground! Since a A frame is the strongest structure made of triangles two by 4s are plenty strong and cheap! +++ The size depends on you. The 2 foot border givs the height of the center of the greenhouse more head room even with a 8 foot 2by 4 forming the A frame. I suggest a 2 by 10 which gives a nice 10 to 12 foot wide A frame with whatever length you want! once you decide to make the triangle for your A frame its easy to assemble!. +++ Make one A just like the letter A and use that for a form for all the rest! two feet or 18 inches appart works great! I put chicken wire over the whole greenhouse to support the plastic and also for climbing vines either outside in the summer or inside for the winter! Where you put the cross part of the A will determine a sorage area over 6 feet from the floor so plan on that! +++ The advantages of your new A frame solar greenhouse are many!! Insulate the north side of the A frame using a white or reflective materia! This allows the light to reflect back onto the plants unlike hoop houses that the light asses thropugh and is wasted. te exra height of the A frame captures more reflected light! the storage area above your head can be sealed with lastic for the winter keeping in more heat! The steep slant on the A frame gives no problems with heavy snow! Paint the boards white for more reflected light! +++ For A $100 you can make a 10 by 12 greenhouse . One of mine with the 1 foot border is 12 by 16 using 2 by 4 by 10's.. I wish I would have used the 2 foot boarder for more head room! Always use a 6 mill for the outter plastic and a 4 for the inner! Double plastic and 200 gallon of water storage will give you a solar greenhouse that will extend ou season two months in fall and spring. If you wach and use common sense plants will keep alive all winter with temp. staying above 30 All winter! I just put up another small 8 by 12 A frame in hours using 2 by 4 by 8's. Good Luck! Any Questions??? __________________ Frank the Bobberman & Carpet Installer Inventor of the Bobber With A Brain,. Gadening, Greenhouse, Fishing, Softball, Scrabble. Single looking for a woman with a 100 acre farm!

September 10, 2012	#3
bobberman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Latrobe Pa. Posts: 142	I usually seperate the inside and outide layers of plastic by the with of the two by 4's. The inner laer of the greenhouse I use 3 to 4 mill plastic and the outlayer 6 mill. If you use two outter layers you can use cloths line rope stretched about a foot appart across the outside of the greenhouse! I change my plastic every year since I buy the cheap plastic with no inhibiter! The plastic is 6 mil 20 by 100 for about $75 which is plenty for twoyears for me! +++ The 4 mil is cleared and cheaper for the inside and I usually by 15 by 20 at wal mart for $7. One reason I change it is use my greenhouse in the summer for vine crops inside and out! Also on the 2 foot border on the bottom I have screens so I can take the plastic away as it gets warmer and air comes in from the bottom with no animals! __________________ Frank the Bobberman & Carpet Installer Inventor of the Bobber With A Brain,. Gadening, Greenhouse, Fishing, Softball, Scrabble. Single looking for a woman with a 100 acre farm!

September 10, 2012	#5
bobberman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Latrobe Pa. Posts: 142	Cold weather crops grow good but almost anything will grow if you keep it above freezing. Air movement is important. I have a couple very small fans that come on from noon to 4 every 1/2 hour on a $10 timer! I will try climbing beans this winter and peas! Peas tolerate old as does lettuce and other cole crops! I even have some tomatoes I put in from seed in july that are just starting to flower! __________________ Frank the Bobberman & Carpet Installer Inventor of the Bobber With A Brain,. Gadening, Greenhouse, Fishing, Softball, Scrabble. Single looking for a woman with a 100 acre farm!

September 10, 2012	#7
bobberman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Latrobe Pa. Posts: 142	The floor I use used carpet turned upside down. You would be suprised how dry it stays! You can use sand or P gravel or anything that will not support weeds! I plant some of my vegs in the ground itself. I have a row of peas and tomatoes coming up in my new 8 by 12 A frame! the nice thing about gravel is you can still plant in the ground! water storage is the key. +++ You can make a bench supported by 4- 50 gallon drums of water. i have the fan blow on the barrels to arm the during day light when the temp is above 40! hop this helps! Most places they do il changes for cars sell the 50 gallon drums for $10. I like the lastic barrels better but have severalback metal ones! __________________ Frank the Bobberman & Carpet Installer Inventor of the Bobber With A Brain,. Gadening, Greenhouse, Fishing, Softball, Scrabble. Single looking for a woman with a 100 acre farm!

September 10, 2012	#8
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	I'm not one to knock other peoples hard work and I do like the 'A' Frame for certain applications. Here I submit a 10 foot wide X 12 foot tall structure. One the (red area) is on the 'A' Frame design and the other the (blue area) is a traditional structure with 6 foot sides. I chose 6 foot sides to maintain the steepness of the roof and I am not 6 feet tall. The white lines represent a true 45 degree angle roof. The yellow line represints the 8 foot height mark. This is why I dont care for the 'A' Frame for small structures, for the same amount of floor area you lose a considerable amount of cubic feet. But to each his or her own I just thought I would post a picture so it would be easy to see the difference. Worth Attachment 29105 Last edited by Worth1; November 17, 2012 at 06:41 PM.

September 10, 2012	#2
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	Good tips! I especially agree about painting everything white. From what I read, the paint needs to be latex. I used interior flat white latex, and the door frame got acrylic. The company that sells the poly says that you're supposed to use an inflation blower to inflate the double layer, or else the wind will make the two layers rub together and wear each other. I don't know how true that is, or if they just want to sell blowers. I have seen pictures of an Amish design to catch the wind in a funnel-shaped wind vane and use that air to inflate the double layer, which I thought was a neat idea. I bought a blower for mine from Farm-Tek, but it would have been cheaper to rig up a $40 wal-mart blower.

September 10, 2012	#4
habitat_gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Central Valley Posts: 2,543	Photos please!! Also, what do you grow inside in the winter? My cousin in northern VA (probably zone 7a) just moved last week and is wondering what to grow there right now. I don't know if they're interested in building a greenhouse before settling in, but that's what I'd do.