From Broken Trampoline to Awesome Polytunnel
If you follow our Facebook page, you might have noticed that the loofah pictures showed them aging in our hoophouse. That's right- we
built it!
Although it did not come together exactly as I had designed it, nor exactly in budget, it is pretty close, and we are impressed with the sturdy frame and easy assembly. Add to that the fact that I was able to carry all the components in the '95 Honda Accord and we have success.
With the help of Melanie's brother, Ken(ny), we laid out the frame pieces on the driveway. We used pressure treated wood for the faces of the hoop house. Although this house is intended to be "temporary", we hope to use the ends in our "Rev2" house, so we want them to last.
We assembled and squared half of the trampoline frame up as best we could and laid out the 12' base board. We then started our wood cutting with the door frame sides and then the horizontal boards that would support the tables. After that, we just filled in the pieces, marking them roughly to fit against each other and as tight as possible to the metal frame. Since the inside dimensions of the hoop were just under 15', we scabbed a short piece of 2x4 on the end to make up the distance. It took about two hours to make all the cuts.
Once we were done with laying out our pieces, Ken (ny) started handing them to me, one at at time, and I used each piece as a template to mark and cut it's matching partner, alternately receiving another guide board while handing off a freshly cut board. We got through the second side in less than a 1/2 hour and broke for lunch with two sets of face trusses ready to assemble.
Next, we "toenailed" the trusses together with 3-1/2" outdoor screws and carried them down to the lower terrace where we would be assembling the house.
I used stakes to hold the wood framing in place and we triangulated the corners on the second wall to make the house as close to square as we could, given the slight undulation and slope in the terrain.
We then fastened a total of five 8' 2x4's to the frames to span the distance between the faces, and Kenny left with our profuse thanks.
I finished up the day by installing the shelf supports, drilling through the metal frames to install more 3-1/2" screws through the metal into the wood faces, and driving stakes deep into the ground all around the foundation to anchor this giant sail in place.
The following day, I fastened the plastic to the faces using a staple gun and a roll of flex duct hanger material. We chose to use an inexpensive roll of visqueen from the big box supply because we knew we'd be reworking the house in spring anyway, and budget constraints and our assembly methods precluded the more expensive material.
Using quick clamps as extra hands to hold the plastic up, I stretched and stapled it in place. Starting with the plastic on the ends, I worked up to the center and out, pulling the plastic tight as I stapled it in place. Finally, it was pulled around the metal frame and fastened inside the house on the back side of the wood.
The top of the plastic was laid over the span rails and fastened all the way across at the bottom edge. It was then pulled and fastened (again, from the center out) to the other rails and to the outside of the frame. As I was working, I noticed the leg receivers on the trampoline frame were making stress points on the plastic. I used some foam foundation sealing material I had laying around to wrap those up and it eased the pressure and reduced the potential damage to the plastic.
Lastly, I framed up a door and hung it in place, using the plastic that was stretched across the door opening as the covering.
I left a section of the back face framed out for a window, and one side of the house is rolled up in a 2x4 instead of being stapled to the bottom rail. Maybe later I'll make improvements to accommodate some ventilation, but for right now, we're happy to have a place to put all our tender plants and to force some mushroom logs over winter, as well as a place to put our baby seedlings for next spring, once we get them started.
All in all, a nice, inexpensive weekend project that will pay for itself by extending our growing season and helping us start our spring bedding plants instead of purchasing them.
built it!
Although it did not come together exactly as I had designed it, nor exactly in budget, it is pretty close, and we are impressed with the sturdy frame and easy assembly. Add to that the fact that I was able to carry all the components in the '95 Honda Accord and we have success.
With the help of Melanie's brother, Ken(ny), we laid out the frame pieces on the driveway. We used pressure treated wood for the faces of the hoop house. Although this house is intended to be "temporary", we hope to use the ends in our "Rev2" house, so we want them to last.
We assembled and squared half of the trampoline frame up as best we could and laid out the 12' base board. We then started our wood cutting with the door frame sides and then the horizontal boards that would support the tables. After that, we just filled in the pieces, marking them roughly to fit against each other and as tight as possible to the metal frame. Since the inside dimensions of the hoop were just under 15', we scabbed a short piece of 2x4 on the end to make up the distance. It took about two hours to make all the cuts.
Once we were done with laying out our pieces, Ken (ny) started handing them to me, one at at time, and I used each piece as a template to mark and cut it's matching partner, alternately receiving another guide board while handing off a freshly cut board. We got through the second side in less than a 1/2 hour and broke for lunch with two sets of face trusses ready to assemble.
Next, we "toenailed" the trusses together with 3-1/2" outdoor screws and carried them down to the lower terrace where we would be assembling the house.
I used stakes to hold the wood framing in place and we triangulated the corners on the second wall to make the house as close to square as we could, given the slight undulation and slope in the terrain.
We then fastened a total of five 8' 2x4's to the frames to span the distance between the faces, and Kenny left with our profuse thanks.
I finished up the day by installing the shelf supports, drilling through the metal frames to install more 3-1/2" screws through the metal into the wood faces, and driving stakes deep into the ground all around the foundation to anchor this giant sail in place.
The following day, I fastened the plastic to the faces using a staple gun and a roll of flex duct hanger material. We chose to use an inexpensive roll of visqueen from the big box supply because we knew we'd be reworking the house in spring anyway, and budget constraints and our assembly methods precluded the more expensive material.
Using quick clamps as extra hands to hold the plastic up, I stretched and stapled it in place. Starting with the plastic on the ends, I worked up to the center and out, pulling the plastic tight as I stapled it in place. Finally, it was pulled around the metal frame and fastened inside the house on the back side of the wood.
 |
| The order in which I stapled the plastic on the face |
The top of the plastic was laid over the span rails and fastened all the way across at the bottom edge. It was then pulled and fastened (again, from the center out) to the other rails and to the outside of the frame. As I was working, I noticed the leg receivers on the trampoline frame were making stress points on the plastic. I used some foam foundation sealing material I had laying around to wrap those up and it eased the pressure and reduced the potential damage to the plastic.
Lastly, I framed up a door and hung it in place, using the plastic that was stretched across the door opening as the covering.
I left a section of the back face framed out for a window, and one side of the house is rolled up in a 2x4 instead of being stapled to the bottom rail. Maybe later I'll make improvements to accommodate some ventilation, but for right now, we're happy to have a place to put all our tender plants and to force some mushroom logs over winter, as well as a place to put our baby seedlings for next spring, once we get them started.
All in all, a nice, inexpensive weekend project that will pay for itself by extending our growing season and helping us start our spring bedding plants instead of purchasing them.
So, where is part 2???? you forget to do that????
ReplyDeleteFunny you should ask! This one received some improvements along the way, but we have REALLY outgrown in over the years.
DeleteWe have just been awarded an American Farmland Trust microgrant to build a new and improved propagation house. Follow us on instagram or facebook and look at our "stories" for progress reports.
I think this is an informative post and it is very useful and knowledgeable. therefore, I would like to thank you for the efforts you have made in writing this article.
ReplyDeleteIf you will find best Trampoline For Sale you can check eazyro trampolines.
Creating an amazing garden when given limited square footage or when live inside city limits is easy with a polytunnel. Find out what vegetables, fruits, and plants can be grown in your new garden. This post has some really great ideas for upgrading broken trampolines into useful polytunnels. With a few simple modifications, trampolines can be transformed into practical garden spaces where vegetables can grow year round! Learn about what can you grow in a polytunnel ?
ReplyDelete