Its really not that expensive, for a 12 x 12 hoophouse (baseboard, frame, connectors and film) it was $355 (plus taxes). The film, wiggle wire and wire channel were bought online, everything else was bought at Home Depot or Lowes. So for less than $400 you can have a basic 12x12 greenhouse and if you want to add fans, doors, flooring, benches, ect... that is up to you and your wallet. If you go with PVC pipe instead of metal then it will be considerably cheaper (not sure how it will hold up though). I found that even when I throw in the cost of the stuff I added it was still less than the cost of any 12 x 12 kit I found out there. I put it up two winters ago and it has held up through tornado winds, 100+ degree heat, snow, ice storms and my 90lbs dog pissing on it. I have had no issues with it. If you have the space and want to extend your season, I highly recommend it.
· 3 - 1 5/8” post for 30 in stakes
- $28.92
· 11 - 3/8” top rail for hoops/purlins - $115.17
· 3 - 1-3/8 in. x 6 in. Top Fence Sleeve - $7.68
· 4 - 2x6x12 baseboards - $35.88
· 1 - 6 mil Thermal Greenhouse Film 24x30 - $79.20
· 6 - Purlin connector - $15.30
· 12 – 4 ft. Wiggle Wire - $19.80
· 6 – 8ft. Wiggle wire channel - $53.70
We are moving looking for a bigger house and will be moving in the spring to somewhere with a bigger backyard (0.5 acre lot or bigger), so I have plans to build a bigger 20 x 24 greenhouse with Poly-Vent walls (
http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/poly-vent-iii-natural-vent-system/greenhouse-cooling). Total for that complete with three 20" exhaust fans and four 24" shutter vents, is going to be about $2000. Which is still way cheaper than any 20x24 kit I can find.
Its an extra expense to build but once its up the only thing you should have to worry about is replacing the film every few years when it wears out, mine is on 2 years looking just fine. I put a $40 milk house heater in there to keep it from freezing and so far so good. We'll see how it holds up through the spring. All I'm going to do is water these peppers with Masterblend water over the winter and see how they do.
