My husband bought me one of these we haven’t put it up yet so very glad I saw this vid so b4 we put up the green plastic I will reinforce it so thank you for this vid
Much appreciated. Good handy work. I don't have the time to watch mine blow apart so I can put it back together and reinforce the weak points. You're a time saver. 👍
Have not put ours up yet but planning to tomorrow, I also am very glad that I came upon you video. I guess for as inexpensive it was I can afford to put a bit more work into it. Thanks for the visual demonstration of how to improve on the negatives.
Very good ideas, Just got my frame up and securing to ground . then will add strings at top and cover. Great idea. I like the window suggestion with the tie downs too. Wonderful, thank you.
You are a ROCK STAR! I have been dreading putting this up ever since I bought it. I got it delivered and went to watch a video on installation tips and tricks in the Amazon review section and came across review after review of these being destroyed shortly after being put up. People had done all sorts of things to anchor it to the ground only to watch it pull up in other places. So many of the videos show a happy camper at first and then a completely different greenhouse later in their feed. You put this video up on Jan 5 and your last comment was this week so I finally have confidence that this greenhouse is able to be actually used for what it's supposed to be for: Protecting your mini-farm from weather! A mod I've considered that I don't see you employing is some sort of fill inside the pipes. If I got some sort of pourable epoxy I could turn it upside down and pour it in. But then other sources say that a hollow pole is actually stronger than a sold pole of the same diameter. I've also seen people pad the poles with pipe insulation to tighten things up and stop flapping and tearing when metal hits plastic. Also, I wonder if a second opaque tarp thrown over will help. I guess these are all options if what you've shown us doesn't work for me.
Yes, mine in still standing. The screen windows are falling apart between the UV and the chickens and the zipper is going bad. Going to take the skin off in a month or so because I don't want to bake my plants in the summer and so I can get another year out of it. The tent stakes that came with the greenhouse are a joke. I think my fence posts are doing more for me than the rebar stakes and if I did only one, I would go with the posts. Filling the pipes would help prevent them from crushing/collapsing and thus being easier to bend - maybe rigid spray foam? But now you are adding more expense. At some point it's cheaper to buy the more expensive units than to keep throwing money at a cheap one trying to make it more durable. The rope over the middle is a trick the BIG greenhouse users use to good effect so I am using it too. If you have the foam, use it, but cord is cheaper than the foam, will last longer, and is reusable around the garden if I change my mind later. Cord also will help hold the greenhouse DOWN if well staked. They are both trying to do the same thing, get the skin tight against the frame so it doesn't flap in the wind. Double skinning is used in thermal greenhouses way up north. You also can run shade cloth over the greenhouse either inside or outside the existing skin. All good thoughts!
We just put this up and if I had thought about it sooner I would have put the zippered door at the back and put a wooden door on the front end. That way I could occasionally open the zippered end for air circulation. As it is now the zippered front is only opened through the wooden door and the back is solid
That's a good idea. I have been meaning to build a wooden door for the main door. In my head, it just never occured to me to put the cover on "backwards" and to leave the existing zippered front door as the back door.
I figured they were so cheap, buying two and combining them into one would make them sturdy enough for even snow loads. Even better, take some pallets and build an anchored base that would raise it up off the ground another 4 feet, giving you plenty of head room, thus allowing you to winterize larger trees, etc.
Common sense goes a long way. To bad common sense is not that common. lol 👍 thanks great job man 👍 you just showed how far a little ingenuity can go. Liked and subscribed 👍
This greenhouse is as close as I can find to the one I’ve put together, I’m bummed there’s no center top support running from back to front. Thanks so much for your recommendations.
Reading the reviews, a lot of these are pulled down by snow. This 26 footer is about twice as long as it ought to be for the frame strength. If snow is a concern, I would put temporary legs up under each hoop when a lot of snow is expected.
We added posts under each connection point in the center and it still collapsed under heavy 12" snow. U have to go out n "hit" the snow off after every few inches to really keep the snow off it. We are going to have to bend the frame back up and reinforce w a wooden structure to hold up as some of the pipes snapped. We did the rope trick, that did help with rain though. We also purchased anchors and wire kit to go over the top outside of the tunnel and it worked very well. Only problem was the snow. Upstate NY. But on the plus side I grew cold hardy crop until almost late Nov. in this last year. I would definitely recommend bracing this structure inside if you're anywhere that gets snow.
A better mod (more sturdy), is to get a roll of weld wire fence (3ft x 50ft, $25 @ tractor supply) and zip tie to the top of the frame. No sag and braces the frame too.
Also I put in two foot rebar and stuck the PVC pipe over the them. I have 2x4's (2) on each end and secured each them at the top with a bracket to the PVC pipe.
Good ideas. There are multiple ways to solve for the cost cutting measures on these units which is good as it allows people to fix them within their skill sets and readily accessible materials.
A bit more complicated than it should be…simple get a hammer flatten the end part of the added conduit pipe put a hole on the flattened part and also put a hole on the top of the frame of the greenhouse then screw them together also wherever the added piece gets together with the frame you do the same …
I just got in the "new and improved" quictent 10x20....the frame is thinner than the one you got, and while it snaps together, I have very little confidence it'll hold up in real weather without some modifications. "Improvements" include a bar across the top, a second zippered door (so both ends have them)). I will likely install some A style framing in each hoop to help handle snow load....or just pull the cover off in the fall (which is likely to be a pain).
@@MikeCreuzer It would probably take more than one....we had a carport style greenhouse two years ago...caved in with only 2 inches of snow...now it's metal was thicker, but the roof was pitched flat sides, so I'm hoping the arch helps. I'm thinking I may just add a piece of conduit running the length of the top as a ridge pole, then each arch gets a piece running from the outside foot to the peak.
you'll definitely want to take the cover off in the fall, if the frame holds up until then; the 2 i bought lasted one month and 4 months respectively, the one that survived was sheltered by most of the wind, but was ultimately destroyed 2 weeks before i was done with it.
I would think a cattle panel placed on top would do much more to keeping the tent part from tearing, as long as you place some hose protectors at the sharp edges of the cattle panel to keep it from going into the tent either. Nice set up though. Do you still recommend this?
use poly pipe and simply put in more arches , also with mine i found that covering the whole frame with bubble wrap and taping it in place makes the actual cover fit much tighter . if you open up the side vents and expose the fly mesh to the sun it will perish very quickly ! my review on this greenhouse polytunnel as an owner is they are not fit for purpose !
man you got that sawmill I'd cut some timbers and make a frame around the bottom and screw it down with pipe brackets idk what part of the country you are at but if you can get black locust that stuff will out last preasure treated lumber but it's has to be black locust not honey locust. Honey locust is no good for outside applications
I did add a couple of off-cut slabs from the sawmill a few days after recording the last video. No black locust on my property that I have found yet - looking at the old fence posts, I think it was all found and cut and used for fencing.
I found that after a year or more the condensation under the cover will rot natural string fibers. The UV will eat up the thinner synthetic cords. My 2nd greenhouse I ran fencing wire to see if this will last longer. Not all that much more work. Not any more expensive when we get wire by the quarter mile.
You did a great job modifying the greenhouse. Wanted to ask how many boxes did this come delivered in and what was the longest box length. Just want to figure if we can fit the boxes in our large suv to bring it to our farm.
Hey, Mike. What if I poked some holes and let the water drain inside? I am primarily installing a greenhouse to protect my garden from herbicides sprayed by farmers. I wouldn't mind if water drains in through the roof. I do like your roof reinforcements. Could I do both? Or would that compromise the green house?
I expect that some holes would work well. Probably a few in each section in case a leaf or something fell into the dip and plugged up the hole and allowed water to start to pool. The weight of pooling water is one of the things that rips these cheap frames down.
@@susanhauntedtruestories7476 It would be a risk. The 'green' in the cover plastic is reinforcing threads. If you poke your holes between the green threads, you would reduce the risk. A sharp skewer where you stretch the plastic as you make the hole rather than a knife where you cut it would help reduce the chance of ripping. Also a hot nail where you melt the hole could work as well. Try a couple of ways, see which you like the best before you do all the holes the preferred way. Also some UV resistant tape could help. 3M makes a clearish duct tape 3M Scotch Extreme, or somesuch name. The sun doesn't eat it up like other duct tapes.
@@MikeCreuzer great advice. Hot nail and tape. I plan to remove the cover from about middle of June until late September. Hopefully that's something I can do. I have a 10' by 26'.
North East Kentucky. It saw 40mph winds it's first week or so www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KKYISONV1/graph/2020-11-15/2020-11-15/daily That wind pending was what made me use rebar to pin it to the ground and run the cordage over the top the day before that weather front came through.
Buying a smaller one. Going to wrap it in chicken wire to keep out raccoons & prevent sagging from rain or snow loads.
This was an immense help, and I thank you for sharing your experience.
My husband bought me one of these we haven’t put it up yet so very glad I saw this vid so b4 we put up the green plastic I will reinforce it so thank you for this vid
The back and forth zig zag sure worked well. Thanks for your attention to detail and willingness to share!
So glad it worked and your chickens 🐔 are warm.
Much appreciated. Good handy work. I don't have the time to watch mine blow apart so I can put it back together and reinforce the weak points. You're a time saver. 👍
Have not put ours up yet but planning to tomorrow, I also am very glad that I came upon you video. I guess for as inexpensive it was I can afford to put a bit more work into it. Thanks for the visual demonstration of how to improve on the negatives.
Very good ideas, Just got my frame up and securing to ground . then will add strings at top and cover. Great idea. I like the window suggestion with the tie downs too. Wonderful, thank you.
You are a ROCK STAR! I have been dreading putting this up ever since I bought it. I got it delivered and went to watch a video on installation tips and tricks in the Amazon review section and came across review after review of these being destroyed shortly after being put up. People had done all sorts of things to anchor it to the ground only to watch it pull up in other places. So many of the videos show a happy camper at first and then a completely different greenhouse later in their feed. You put this video up on Jan 5 and your last comment was this week so I finally have confidence that this greenhouse is able to be actually used for what it's supposed to be for: Protecting your mini-farm from weather! A mod I've considered that I don't see you employing is some sort of fill inside the pipes. If I got some sort of pourable epoxy I could turn it upside down and pour it in. But then other sources say that a hollow pole is actually stronger than a sold pole of the same diameter. I've also seen people pad the poles with pipe insulation to tighten things up and stop flapping and tearing when metal hits plastic. Also, I wonder if a second opaque tarp thrown over will help. I guess these are all options if what you've shown us doesn't work for me.
Yes, mine in still standing. The screen windows are falling apart between the UV and the chickens and the zipper is going bad. Going to take the skin off in a month or so because I don't want to bake my plants in the summer and so I can get another year out of it.
The tent stakes that came with the greenhouse are a joke. I think my fence posts are doing more for me than the rebar stakes and if I did only one, I would go with the posts.
Filling the pipes would help prevent them from crushing/collapsing and thus being easier to bend - maybe rigid spray foam? But now you are adding more expense. At some point it's cheaper to buy the more expensive units than to keep throwing money at a cheap one trying to make it more durable.
The rope over the middle is a trick the BIG greenhouse users use to good effect so I am using it too. If you have the foam, use it, but cord is cheaper than the foam, will last longer, and is reusable around the garden if I change my mind later. Cord also will help hold the greenhouse DOWN if well staked. They are both trying to do the same thing, get the skin tight against the frame so it doesn't flap in the wind.
Double skinning is used in thermal greenhouses way up north. You also can run shade cloth over the greenhouse either inside or outside the existing skin.
All good thoughts!
Also, check back tomorrow. You inspired me to shoot a quick 8 month review video.
Did you see the followup video I made? th-cam.com/video/wLe1cZ20iZQ/w-d-xo.html
@@MikeCreuzer I did watch it and loved it. I linked your instructions to my Amazon review.
We just put this up and if I had thought about it sooner I would have put the zippered door at the back and put a wooden door on the front end. That way I could occasionally open the zippered end for air circulation. As it is now the zippered front is only opened through the wooden door and the back is solid
That's a good idea. I have been meaning to build a wooden door for the main door. In my head, it just never occured to me to put the cover on "backwards" and to leave the existing zippered front door as the back door.
The strings are pretty cool, we will sure copy that technique, thank you for sharing.
I've switched to wire as the strings break after a while.
I figured they were so cheap, buying two and combining them into one would make them sturdy enough for even snow loads. Even better, take some pallets and build an anchored base that would raise it up off the ground another 4 feet, giving you plenty of head room, thus allowing you to winterize larger trees, etc.
Common sense goes a long way. To bad common sense is not that common. lol 👍 thanks great job man 👍 you just showed how far a little ingenuity can go. Liked and subscribed 👍
I made mine out of PVC pipes and attached wood on the sides and connecting with brackets. It's nice and sturdy and stays up when the wind kicks up.
Wise to make your own. Fools pay for chit. No thanks. I customize Everything I need. Wise
Holy shit! Nice idea, that's what I'll try first before spending a lot of money on a greenhouse.
Just bought this in 2022, and it comes with a metal cable to prevent center puddling
Interesting! Where do the instructions have you run it, right down the center down the length of the greenhouse?
Great information, thank you!! I just put mine together. I am going to put some of these suggestions to use!
I imagine most folks would give up...you did a great job!
Thank you
I’d add half inch pvc pipe bolted to your main frame, you can bend them to conform to your roof
Good job! I did the same. I’m going to have to replace the zippers on mine soon
Definitely convinced me to buy this one. Well done.
Not really my intent. Hopefully it works out well for you.
nice trial and error experimentation. Glad it works😀
I used cattle panel to sturdy mine and to keep the top from falling in
Thank you very much.
Thanks for sharing
Great video! Thank you!
Glad you liked it!
This greenhouse is as close as I can find to the one I’ve put together, I’m bummed there’s no center top support running from back to front. Thanks so much for your recommendations.
Thank you
great job ,,,,, thanks for sharing ,,,
Thanks for the video. I have been wondering about snow load .
Reading the reviews, a lot of these are pulled down by snow. This 26 footer is about twice as long as it ought to be for the frame strength. If snow is a concern, I would put temporary legs up under each hoop when a lot of snow is expected.
They collapse
Frame is made of tin or aluminum pipe it will collapse
We added posts under each connection point in the center and it still collapsed under heavy 12" snow. U have to go out n "hit" the snow off after every few inches to really keep the snow off it. We are going to have to bend the frame back up and reinforce w a wooden structure to hold up as some of the pipes snapped. We did the rope trick, that did help with rain though. We also purchased anchors and wire kit to go over the top outside of the tunnel and it worked very well. Only problem was the snow. Upstate NY. But on the plus side I grew cold hardy crop until almost late Nov. in this last year. I would definitely recommend bracing this structure inside if you're anywhere that gets snow.
A better mod (more sturdy), is to get a roll of weld wire fence (3ft x 50ft, $25 @ tractor supply) and zip tie to the top of the frame. No sag and braces the frame too.
Also I put in two foot rebar and stuck the PVC pipe over the them. I have 2x4's (2) on each end and secured each them at the top with a bracket to the PVC pipe.
Good ideas.
There are multiple ways to solve for the cost cutting measures on these units which is good as it allows people to fix them within their skill sets and readily accessible materials.
A bit more complicated than it should be…simple get a hammer flatten the end part of the added conduit pipe put a hole on the flattened part and also put a hole on the top of the frame of the greenhouse then screw them together also wherever the added piece gets together with the frame you do the same …
good tips mate, thanks for sharing !
I just got in the "new and improved" quictent 10x20....the frame is thinner than the one you got, and while it snaps together, I have very little confidence it'll hold up in real weather without some modifications.
"Improvements" include a bar across the top, a second zippered door (so both ends have them)).
I will likely install some A style framing in each hoop to help handle snow load....or just pull the cover off in the fall (which is likely to be a pain).
Maybe have a support leg you prop the center up when you are expecting a lot of snow.
@@MikeCreuzer It would probably take more than one....we had a carport style greenhouse two years ago...caved in with only 2 inches of snow...now it's metal was thicker, but the roof was pitched flat sides, so I'm hoping the arch helps.
I'm thinking I may just add a piece of conduit running the length of the top as a ridge pole, then each arch gets a piece running from the outside foot to the peak.
you'll definitely want to take the cover off in the fall, if the frame holds up until then; the 2 i bought lasted one month and 4 months respectively, the one that survived was sheltered by most of the wind, but was ultimately destroyed 2 weeks before i was done with it.
I wonder how well a 16' cattle panel would fit between those sections? That would definitely solve your problem.
Try using 1/2 pvc and run 2 more ridge poles
Brilliant help thank you
Rope down the length of the greenhouse works much better. Spaced about 1 foot apart.
Excellent vid covered everything except nuke blast.
I doubt I can do anything about that one...
brilliant
Thanks for sharing.
I would think a cattle panel placed on top would do much more to keeping the tent part from tearing, as long as you place some hose protectors at the sharp edges of the cattle panel to keep it from going into the tent either. Nice set up though. Do you still recommend this?
Yep. I've bought a 2nd one to go next to the first. I've switched from string to fencing wire.
Thanks for making this video
I am putting up a second one and am recording that. I expect another video of more of the assembly in a few weeks.
use poly pipe and simply put in more arches , also with mine i found that covering the whole frame with bubble wrap and taping it in place makes the actual cover fit much tighter . if you open up the side vents and expose the fly mesh to the sun it will perish very quickly !
my review on this greenhouse polytunnel as an owner is they are not fit for purpose !
My mesh is shot as well. Of course the chickens poking at it didn't help any.
Those cheap covers are not up safe. They will last maybe 3 years at most. But worth it if you get them cheap enpigh
man you got that sawmill I'd cut some timbers and make a frame around the bottom and screw it down with pipe brackets idk what part of the country you are at but if you can get black locust that stuff will out last preasure treated lumber but it's has to be black locust not honey locust. Honey locust is no good for outside applications
I did add a couple of off-cut slabs from the sawmill a few days after recording the last video.
No black locust on my property that I have found yet - looking at the old fence posts, I think it was all found and cut and used for fencing.
I just used string for the center beam 🤷♂️
I found that after a year or more the condensation under the cover will rot natural string fibers. The UV will eat up the thinner synthetic cords.
My 2nd greenhouse I ran fencing wire to see if this will last longer. Not all that much more work. Not any more expensive when we get wire by the quarter mile.
You did a great job modifying the greenhouse. Wanted to ask how many boxes did this come delivered in and what was the longest box length. Just want to figure if we can fit the boxes in our large suv to bring it to our farm.
It's smallish. 1 foot by 2 foot by 4 feet or so? Not overly heavy either.
@@MikeCreuzer Thanks for replying back.
@@chv72 I guess I failed to answer the question with a "yes, I expect it should fit "
Hey, Mike. What if I poked some holes and let the water drain inside? I am primarily installing a greenhouse to protect my garden from herbicides sprayed by farmers. I wouldn't mind if water drains in through the roof. I do like your roof reinforcements. Could I do both? Or would that compromise the green house?
I expect that some holes would work well. Probably a few in each section in case a leaf or something fell into the dip and plugged up the hole and allowed water to start to pool. The weight of pooling water is one of the things that rips these cheap frames down.
@@MikeCreuzer do you think the hole would rip? I am definitely going to do the string weave, so not much weight in should gather.
@@susanhauntedtruestories7476 It would be a risk. The 'green' in the cover plastic is reinforcing threads. If you poke your holes between the green threads, you would reduce the risk.
A sharp skewer where you stretch the plastic as you make the hole rather than a knife where you cut it would help reduce the chance of ripping.
Also a hot nail where you melt the hole could work as well.
Try a couple of ways, see which you like the best before you do all the holes the preferred way.
Also some UV resistant tape could help. 3M makes a clearish duct tape 3M Scotch Extreme, or somesuch name. The sun doesn't eat it up like other duct tapes.
@@MikeCreuzer great advice. Hot nail and tape. I plan to remove the cover from about middle of June until late September. Hopefully that's something I can do. I have a 10' by 26'.
I’m scared to ask but what model is this I just bought a bJ 10x26x6.6
That sounds about right.
Just curious.. do your chickens peck and put holes in sides of plastic? Mine did so I'd not recommend this setup for chicken use lol.
The plastic, not so much. The screens? Destroyed the screens!
Did the cords going over the top come with the poly tunnel?
No.
Well, some cordage comes to stake out the tunnel like a tent, I used those to go over the top, but it's not enough.
Hello Mike, What's your location and what max wind speed it was able to handle so far? Thanks!
North East Kentucky. It saw 40mph winds it's first week or so www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KKYISONV1/graph/2020-11-15/2020-11-15/daily
That wind pending was what made me use rebar to pin it to the ground and run the cordage over the top the day before that weather front came through.
@@MikeCreuzer good arrangement - Thanks for info. I will try the same.
The cover is too small to secure correctly.
What state are you in?
Eastern Kentucky.
Don’t get one they collapse
That's why I got two! Mine has been up 8 months and hasn't collapsed yet.