Max Hahne - Home Sweet Home August

This is the traditional tarped, cabin-shaped structure seen in most magazines and websites. Although very common and full of benefits, the traditional greenhouse has some disadvantages too. The trusses offer excellent support for heavy snow and the angle of the roofline allows for easy snow removal. The traditional greenhouse also offers excellent lighting and it is a durable, long-term option. The design offers flexibility for adding vents or even glass windows when looking at options for airflow. Scalability is another advantage of the traditional greenhouse because it is easy to connect several houses together for larger operations. Even with an efficient design, the traditional greenhouse is still expensive to heat. The initial construction costs are higher too. Most traditional greenhouses require a foundation, which could result in the need for a building permit and will likely result in higher property taxes. TRADITIONAL GREENHOUSE

HOOP HOUSES

Hoop houses come in many styles. The common factor is that they are made with bent tubing that creates an arch. The ends of the tubing are hammered into the ground for stability. Then the plastic or film is attached to complete the structure. Hoop houses typically do not require a foundation, which saves you time, money, and effort. They also offer a lot of flexibility in sizing because you can easily add a new section, making the structure longer. The hoop house style greenhouse offers excellent lighting for your crops too. The materials for hoop houses are typically lower quality than some other products so you can expect to replace the film about every four years. Because the insulation factor is not very high with thin film your heating costs will run higher as well. You may also need to pay for the electricity to run a blower in order to keep the film inflated. Severe weather or the weight of snow can easily damage this type of greenhouse.

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