Need Roofing Advice

Cole_Robbie · July 14, 2020

I could never bring myself to pay the outrageous prices for panels. If it were me, I would probably frame it for 6 mil poly film and attach the film to the frame. You can do a double layer if the space between is ventilated.

We tend to think of poly film as not being strong. If you take a razor blade to it, of course it isn't. But I would dare say that film would outperform panels in a hail storm. The film gets to move when the hailstone strikes it, and that takes force off the impact. The film on my high tunnel survived 90 mph winds. In ice and snow storms, it is the strength of the film that brings down a hoophouse, because it won't break. My chain link top rail structure went down that way, but the clearspan building next to it stayed up, holding I would guess about 4,000 pounds of snow and ice over its 48 foot length. My poly film was rated 3 to 5 years, and I got six out of it.

July 14, 2020	#3
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	I could never bring myself to pay the outrageous prices for panels. If it were me, I would probably frame it for 6 mil poly film and attach the film to the frame. You can do a double layer if the space between is ventilated. We tend to think of poly film as not being strong. If you take a razor blade to it, of course it isn't. But I would dare say that film would outperform panels in a hail storm. The film gets to move when the hailstone strikes it, and that takes force off the impact. The film on my high tunnel survived 90 mph winds. In ice and snow storms, it is the strength of the film that brings down a hoophouse, because it won't break. My chain link top rail structure went down that way, but the clearspan building next to it stayed up, holding I would guess about 4,000 pounds of snow and ice over its 48 foot length. My poly film was rated 3 to 5 years, and I got six out of it.