Recently, in country suburban areas it is very often possible to see such a design as a compact and convenient team greenhouse made of polypropylene pipes. The huge popularity of such structures among amateur gardeners is primarily due to ease of use, reliability and low price. Such a light construction will cost no more than 2 thousand rubles, and it will serve for a long time. For comparison: the cheapest ready-made team factory greenhouse stands at dealers at least 15 000 p.
How to build a greenhouse from polypropylene pipes: preparation of materials
You can literally assemble a classic PVC arched greenhouse with your own hands in just a couple of days. Materials for its manufacture will need such:
- PVC pipes designed for hot water thick-walled (at least 4.2 mm). It is better to take the option thicker (with an inner diameter of at least 16.6 mm).
- Reinforcing rods 75 cm long and 10-12 mm in diameter.
- Board of cut 150 * 30 mm.
- Thin slats for fixing the film to the beam.
- Steel wire.
- Film for greenhouses reinforced or cellular polycarbonate.
- Bar 50 * 50 mm.
- Nails and screws.
You will also need to buy a couple of pipes larger than the diameter of the pipes prepared for the frame. They are needed for the manufacture of plastic latches for film and door hinges.
A greenhouse is made of polypropylene pipes using the following tools:
- Hammer and drill.
- Garden drill or sledgehammer.
- Sharp painting knife.
Selection of the site under the greenhouse
Of course, this structure should be mounted on a sunny, well-ventilated place. Do not put a greenhouse where there is too much snow in the winter. If the load is too large, the film may not withstand and tear. It is not necessary to comply with this condition only when it is planned to disassemble the structure for the winter. The area under the greenhouse should be as smooth as possible. Land on it should be a little tamp.
Base assembly
So, let's start to understand how the greenhouse is made from a polypropylene pipe with your own hands. Before you start installing its frame, you should carefully mark the selected area. The corners of the wooden frame of the board must be absolutely straight. You can mark the ground, for example, according to the method of the Egyptian triangle or “two curves”.
The lower wooden frame is assembled using self-tapping screws or nails. After installation in each of its corners from the inside should be stuck on the reinforcing rod. This will avoid distortions in the process of assembling the frame.
After the strapping is ready, you can proceed to the installation of the most important element of the base - reinforcing fastening rods. The pits under them are the easiest to make a garden auger, since they must be deep enough (at least half a meter). You can also try to hammer the rods with an ordinary sledge hammer or hammer. However, in this case, it is more difficult to achieve absolute verticality.
The rods should protrude approximately 25 cm above the soil surface. They should be located on both long sides of the future greenhouse in 50 cm steps.
Frame assembly
After the base is ready, proceed to install the "edges" of the greenhouse. For this, the pipes are simply put on the bars on both sides. The result is quite solid arches. In the next stage, the frame of the greenhouse made of polypropylene pipes should be strengthened with transverse stiffening ribs. They are also made of PVC pipe. It is possible to fix cross-pieces both on a wire, and on plastic tees. In the latter case, fittings are put on arched ribs in advance. They can be soldered to the pipes, but it is better to use screws to fasten them. In this case, the greenhouse will turn out collapsible.
The number of transverse stiffeners depends on the size of the structure. However, even for a volumetric greenhouse, more than two or three on each side are rarely used. The only mandatory element of this design of PVC is the upper central transverse plastic "horse". Without this element, the film will sag after the first rain.
What does a greenhouse of polypropylene pipes look like? Drawings and photos of such structures can be seen in the article.
These elements are assembled from a bar, previously carefully treated with antiseptic anti-rotting compounds. The film is mounted on the beam through the screws through the slats. If desired, wood can be replaced with the same PVC pipes. In this case, the segments of the required length are simply mounted on the ends vertically along the edges of the future door. By the first arch they can also be attached to tees. The bottom fixation is made on the reinforcing bars.
To the resulting plastic "jambs" will need to attach the door assembled from the segments. To this end, short lengths of PVC pipes of larger diameter are soldered to one of the vertical racks above and below. The door is mounted on them.
Film wrapping
The self-made greenhouse is sheathed from polypropylene pipes usually reinforced with polyethylene. You should not use for this purpose the usual film. Especially for a long time such lining will not last. It is not much more expensive, and will last much longer.
Cutting the skin is best done right on the greenhouse. In this way, inaccuracies can be avoided. The length of the strips should be slightly greater than the length of the ribs of the “arches”. The fact is that the film at the final stage is usually refilled under the harness. You can also fasten it to the tree through the slats. To the arched "ribs" it is fixed on special plastic clips. The latter are made of short pipe lengths of larger diameter. These tubes are simply cut, breaking along the length of one side with a narrow stripe. The result is a comfortable, elastic clamp.
After the film is securely fastened, the assembly of the PVC greenhouse can be considered complete.
Other designs
Of course, greenhouses made of polypropylene pipes can have not only the classical arched shape. It is very simple to build from this material, for example, a house-structure. The assembly procedure consists of the following steps:
- The trim from the board and the fixing rods are mounted in the same way as in the first case.
- Next to the valve are installed vertical rack of pipes.
- Then plastic rafters from identical pieces are mounted.
- Connect them with the ridge element through tees of the appropriate form. With racks "rafters" connect fittings. At the top, each shape should be reinforced with a horizontal crossbar from a section of a turbo.
- In the next step, transverse stiffening ribs are mounted (also on tees previously put on vertical supports).
Use polycarbonate
Greenhouses from polypropylene pipes are sheathed not only with foil. It is quite acceptable to replace it with polycarbonate. It is also quite flexible and lightweight material. It will last longer than the film, but will cost more. It must be attached to the pipes on roofing screws with thermal washers. In contrast to the reinforced film, polycarbonate can expand and contract when the air temperature changes. Therefore, when using rigid mounts, such a skin will quickly become unusable. The diameter of the holes for ordinary screws in the sheets should be slightly larger than their rods. At the same time, there should be a gap of about 1 mm between the fastener head and the skin sheet.
Polycarbonate - a material, of course, very reliable and durable. However, more often they still sheathe greenhouses on a frame from a profile or a corner. For plastic, they usually still use a budget film.
How to care for greenhouse PVC
As already mentioned, it is better to make a plastic construction collapsible - on screws. In this case, in the fall, after harvesting, it can be simply removed to the garage or hozblok. If the greenhouse remains to spend the winter in the garden, it will have to periodically sweep away the snow from it. Otherwise, the film can not stand and tear. Polycarbonate carries much greater loads. But you still have to remove a layer of snow from it. Otherwise, the skin during the thaw will be covered with a thin crust of ice. To scratch the same polycarbonate is absolutely unstable.
In the spring, the walls of the greenhouse with any kind of plating will need to be thoroughly washed with soap and water using a soft cloth.
As you can see, creating a greenhouse from pipes with your own hands is a very simple procedure. Time assembly takes a similar design. The cost of this easy construction is a penny. So it is quite possible for everyone to build a neat PVC hothouse in the garden.
Drawings and sizes
Many gardeners prefer to equip the greenhouse of a fairly large size, which will allow you to go inside and grow there several types of crops. It is important to think in advance about the construction of the roof, where the windows and doors will be located.
When developing the project of a future greenhouse, it is necessary to take into account the fact that the supporting elements and nodes-connectors should be evenly spaced. Only in this case it will be possible to achieve the stability of the holistic design. It is especially important to consider the outer coating, namely its weight. After all, if the agro-canvas and the film are quite light, then, for example, polycarbonate sheets are very heavy, which means they can damage the structure. Therefore, choosing a material with a large weight, you need to consider additional supports and place them in the middle of the roof of the greenhouse.
Before building a greenhouse or greenhouse made of polypropylene pipes, it will be useful to own a clear drawing where various details and all sizes, as well as types of fasteners, etc. will be painted. Polypropylene pipes are perfect for building small greenhouses and for building large greenhouses. But if you plan to build a greenhouse longer than 4 m, you will need to take into account the strength and load of the roof. Experienced gardeners advise to design a greenhouse with a height of about 2 m, a width of 2.5 m and a length of no more than 4 m. Such parameters will be comfortable both for the gardener, who will take care of vegetable crops, and for plants that will grow in the greenhouse.
Characteristics and quality indicators of polypropylene pipes for greenhouses
The classic materials used to construct greenhouses are wooden bars and metal. But such materials have a number of significant drawbacks. Wooden bars do not differ in durability, as they are damaged and rotted under the influence of natural conditions.
As for the metal, it is, being durable, characterized by difficulties in processing. In addition, a metal greenhouse is much more difficult to dismantle if necessary. That is why ordinary plumbing is becoming increasingly popular. polypropylene pipes. They can last much longer than parallel bars made of wood, and their cost is much cheaper than metal. Practically any summer resident can cope with such material, but it will be easier to master the design, of course, for those who have dealt with the installation of water supply systems at least once in their life. It should be noted that the greenhouse of polypropylene pipes, step-by-step instructions for making with our own hands, which we will provide below, is amenable to reusable assembly. Such structures usually cannot withstand the snow load, so at the end of the warm season they are recommended to be dismantled. But if the coating was made not by film, but by polycarbonate sheets, then such a greenhouse design can easily bear both wind and snow loads. But without any problems, polypropylene is opposed to both winter frosts and ultraviolet, which allows the frame not to collapse during the whole year.
Perhaps the main of many advantages polypropylene frames is their low cost. Also, a nice bonus is the fact that you can place a greenhouse in any corner of the suburban area, having thought through the necessary construction in advance. And if necessary, in the next season, the greenhouse can be moved to another place without problems due to simple dismantling.
Using polypropylene pipes for the greenhouse frame, at the exit the summer resident will receive a heat-resistant, durable, and, importantly, environmentally friendly structure. In general, a number of main features of such a framework for a greenhouse can be distinguished:
- resistance of PVC pipes to temperature conditions (up to 85 ° С) and pressure (up to 25 atmospheres),
- frame made of polypropylene on rotting, corrosion, rust, limestone deposits, the influence of bacteria,
- the pipes are well cleaned and washed,
- This kind of material is used as a transportation of drinking water, which confirms its compliance with physical and chemical standards.
Required materials and tools
In order to build a greenhouse from PVC pipes with your own hands, you will need:
- Boards that will be used for arranging the base of the greenhouse, as well as for the construction of doors and windows.
- Polypropylene pipes. You can use pipes with a diameter of 25 cm or 32 cm.
- Wooden rods about 60–70 cm long. The diameter of the rods should be less than the diameter of the pipes.
You also need to prepare material to cover the greenhouse (for example, film), brackets for attaching pipes to the base of the greenhouse, small wooden blocks, nails and a hammer.
The construction of the greenhouse. Step-by-step instruction
For the construction of greenhouses made of PVC pipes with your own hands, you can use the drawings that are presented in this article, and you can design your own structure scheme. We offer detailed instructions for the construction of the greenhouse, making adjustments to which you can make any greenhouse to your taste.
1. First you need to select and prepare the area where the greenhouse will be located. The place should be flat and open to the sun. It is recommended to pour under the greenhouse strip foundation, but you can also just lay out the perimeter in blocks or brick. In our case, ordinary boards will be used, which are laid out on a plot with a rectangle and are interconnected. This method will be the fastest and easiest.
2. Then follow the longer side of the wooden frame to install the rods. The rods should be driven into the ground to a depth of about 30–70 cm, it is recommended to focus on the softness of the soil. At the same time, about 50–80 cm of the rod length should remain above the ground level. The distance between the rods should be no more than 50–60 cm. It is recommended to make several light cuts on the rods in advance so that it is easier to fix polypropylene pipes on them.
3. Now you can proceed directly to the collection frame. You should put one end of the PVC pipe on the rod, bend it, and fix the other end on the opposite side of the wooden base frame. It is very important to measure the length of the tubes correctly so that the summer resident would be comfortable in the future to enter and work in the greenhouse. Following this algorithm, it is necessary to install all subsequent arches.
4. Then you need to fix the polypropylene pipes at both ends with special galvanized brackets. You can buy them in the same store where you bought pipes.
5. Next, you will need to install the gables of the greenhouse. They can be made from the same PVC pipes, or from wood. Then the frame must be fastened with transverse elements so that the overall structure is more stable. Use for this preferably the same plastic pipes. One of them is placed in the center of the greenhouse and secured with screeds. If the room is large, you can additionally place two more transverse elements on both sides.
6. Now it's time to cover the structure with a film. It can be fixed with the help of small wooden sticks to the bottom boards, using nails and a hammer.
7. At the end you should do the door and windows. The film should be wrapped with each construction, after which it should be fixed on the main frame.
As you can see, constructing a greenhouse out of PVC pipes with your own hands is not at all difficult. The main thing is to choose the right materials and comply with the calculations carried out in advance. If you follow all the recommendations, then this greenhouse will serve the summer resident for many years.
Advantages and disadvantages of polypropylene pipes as a material for building greenhouses
Polypropylene is a synthetic material with sufficient bending strength. Manufacturers offer pipes with a diameter of 20–1200 mm, which have the following advantages:
- long service life, averaging 10–40 years,
- moisture resistance, making it possible to manufacture greenhouses from plastic pipes by hand. Drawings of future designs are worked out taking into account the fact that the frame will not be afraid of moisture,
- environmental friendliness. There is no need to fear that in the composition of the grown crop there will be substances harmful to humans,
- low weight, which greatly simplifies not only installation work, but also transportation / storage of polypropylene pipes,
- flexibility. The frame elements can be bent with the desired radius, which is especially important when installing an arched structure,
- wear resistance. Качественный материал способен достаточно хорошо сопротивляться воздействию внешних факторов,
- возможность эксплуатации в широком температурном интервале,
- доступность.
The disadvantages of this material include the need to use a welding machine or fittings when installing greenhouses of complex configuration.
Types of greenhouses made of polypropylene pipes and original photos of self-made structures
If you decide to make a greenhouse of polypropylene pipes with your own hands, photos of ready-made projects can serve as an example for your future implementation. We have collected interesting options that you should pay attention to when developing your own design.
How to choose polypropylene pipes for homemade greenhouses
The characteristics of the material from which the pipes are made will largely determine the lifetime of the greenhouse from polypropylene pipes with their own hands. Design drawings will help to find the necessary information about the size of the greenhouse and its design. The diameter of the pipes depends on the dimensions of the future structure and the type of covering material. For the construction of a covering greenhouse, you can use products with a diameter of 16–110 mm and a length of up to 5 m. You can also purchase pipes with a length of 2, 3, and 4 m.
Attention! For arched structures, it is worth choosing a polypropylene pipe with a diameter of 16–32 mm, for vertical posts - from 50 mm.
How to choose a covering material for making their own greenhouse from PP pipes
When choosing a covering material, it is necessary to focus on the period when it is planned to use the greenhouse, the design features of the building itself and the desired period of operation. You can cover the greenhouse with PP pipes with your own hands, not only with a film or polycarbonate, but also with other materials. However, you must first prepare for the execution of works.
Related article:
Greenhouses and greenhouses from polycarbonate. What are greenhouse polycarbonate greenhouses, criteria for selecting polycarbonate greenhouses, leading manufacturers of finished polycarbonate greenhouses, popular types of opening polycarbonate greenhouses - read the publication.
How to prepare a drawing for the construction of greenhouses made of polypropylene pipes by your own hands
Without a drawing, a greenhouse made of polypropylene pipes can be fragile with its own hands and will cause certain inconveniences during operation. Sometimes a high-quality sketch is enough for the finished structure to meet all the necessary requirements. When developing a drawing with your own hands, you should decide in advance on the following characteristics:
- the type of base on which the greenhouse will be installed,
- design features, including the shape of the greenhouse itself, the distance between the supporting elements, the location of the main nodes,
- type of covering material and method of its fastening,
- method of connecting polypropylene pipes
- organization of internal space.
How to calculate the required amount of material
When deciding how to make the greenhouse itself out of plastic pipes, the majority of summer residents seek to reduce production costs. This can be achieved not only by purchasing lower-quality material, but also by more accurate calculation of its quantity. For the arched design, it is performed as follows:
- sets the width of the future greenhouse C = b + b and its height a,
- the hypotenuse m is determined (the scheme for calculations is shown in the figure) by the formula m =,
- determine the approximate length of one arc L, which will be numerically equal to 2 * m + (2 * m + M) / 3,
- calculate the total length of the arcs by multiplying the obtained value of L by their number,
- calculate the required number of pipes for the manufacture of longitudinal strips. The resulting value is multiplied by their number
- we determine the total effective area of the covering material by multiplying the length of the arc L by the length of the greenhouse.

What tools are needed for work
For the manufacture of a greenhouse will require:
- shovel,
- hacksaw,
- file,
- sharp knife, scissors,
- measuring tool,
- building level,
- soldering iron, if it is necessary to connect the propylene pipes.

Video joining plastic pipes for a greenhouse with your own hands will allow you to master the technology of soldering.
How to make the foundation for the greenhouse of polypropylene pipes
Without a quality base, any construction will be unstable. When deciding how to make a greenhouse from polypropylene pipes, it is necessary to determine the method of manufacturing the foundation. The preferred option is a tape base, which is formed as follows:
- the platform on which it is necessary to establish a greenhouse is leveled,
- a shallow trench is being dug,
- soil is leveled and compacted,
- formwork is being installed,
- the solution is poured,
- Holes are prepared that will be used to install polypropylene pipes.

The strip foundation turns out to be quite reliable, however, the process of its formation is time consuming and requires certain financial investments. An alternative option are rebar segments. Such a base is constructed as follows:
- A sufficient amount of metal rods about 1 m long is prepared,
- prepared elements dig into the ground at a given distance,
- polypropylene pipes are placed on the armature.

Sometimes metal pipes are used instead of reinforcement. They are driven in at the corners of the future structure, and then connected to each other with a metal strip. The plastic frame is attached with clamps. For the formation of such a base will require a welding machine. The process of creating a similar base for a greenhouse of polypropylene pipes with your own hands on the video.
How to make a greenhouse with your own hands
Set greenhouse strictly on level ground. It should be better lit in the morning, afternoon, and before the sunset. Well, if it is possible to arrange the long sides of the greenhouse in the north-south direction. So the plants will receive the maximum amount of light. In order to work comfortably, the construction site must be cleared and rammed well.
Greenhouse made of polypropylene pipes with their own hands going for a few hours. First you need to prepare the necessary materials and tools:
- polypropylene pipes (outer diameter 25 or 32 mm),
- fittings (fittings) of polypropylene,
- furniture bolts, screws,
- edged board 150-200 mm wide, 30 mm thick,
- sections of reinforcement 750 mm long, 10-12 mm thick,
- cover material (greenhouse film, cellular polycarbonate),
- soldering iron for polypropylene,
- sledge hammer
- hammer,
- screwdriver
- construction knife
- hacksaw.
Which pipes should be preferred, polypropylene or polyvinyl chloride (PVC)? Without going into the properties of polymers, we note: the walls of polypropylene products are much thicker and the construction of them will be tougher, withstand a greater load. Reinforced pipe is preferable for the manufacture of greenhouses. Even with strong heat under the summer sun, it:
- not deformed
- does not expand
- does not lose elasticity.
How to fasten parts together? The ideal connection for them is special fittings. Take them out of plastic plumbing. Fittings and pipes connected with a special soldering iron form a solid, monolithic construction. These compounds are not applicable if the greenhouse is planned as a temporary, collapsible structure and will be removed from the site for the winter. Then for fastening pipes together furniture bolts or screws are used.
Classic arched greenhouse made of polypropylene pipes
If you are constructing a framework for a greenhouse with your own hands for the first time, choose a classic arched structure. Water pipes are ideal for this. Greenhouse construction takes place in four stages:
- foundation construction
- frame making,
- registration of face parts,
- installation of covering material.
Merits
This material has the following advantages:
- cheapness in relation to ready options of greenhouses,
- size variability to fit your needs,
- simple installation on the garden, even a teenager will cope
- transportability, easy to transfer to another bed,
- environmental friendliness, does not emit volatile substances and does not harm crops planted in such greenhouses,
- fire resistance, polypropylene - non-combustible material,
- durability, it is not exposed to adverse environmental factors,
- flexibility.
Greenhouse design
Before you start building a greenhouse, you first need to design and calculate the necessary materials for construction. We will be repelled from the compiled drawing.
We will use polypropylene pipes for hot water, as they are the most durable. The diameter in our case is 12 mm, which is more than enough to hold the weight of the film. Edged boards for the construction of the base should be taken dry and smooth. The timber for the framework of the end walls can be used in smaller sizes, since it does not bear a significant load, and the structural strength of such a replacement will not decrease.
For the construction of such materials are needed:
- a thick-walled polypropylene pipe with a diameter of 12 mm, a length of 6 m in an amount of 15 pcs., a pipe 10 m long is necessary for a longitudinal stiffener,
- valves with a diameter of 10 mm, length 75 cm in the amount of 34 pieces,
- durable polyethylene film 0.5–1 mm thick, it is better to take a reinforced film,
- 35 and 50 mm wood screws,
- plastic clamps,
- direct hangers for drywall or mounting paper tape
- slats 2 * 1 cm, length 70 cm - 28 pcs.,
- boards for a frame of 10 * 2 cm, length 3.6 m - 2 pcs., 10 m - 2 pcs.
The dimensions of the bars for the end frame
To create an end frame, you need bar sizes:
- 0.45 m - 2 pcs.,
- 0.6 m - 4 pcs.,
- 1.23 m - 2 pcs.,
- 1.4 m - 2 pcs.,
- 1.7 m - 2 pcs.,
- 3.6 m - 2 pcs.
Stages of the frame assembly:
- The frame for both ends is assembled according to the scheme shown in the figure below.
The assembly of the end frame of the timber should be made according to the scheme
- Next, we put the finished frame on the frame and fasten to it with screws. To strengthen it, cut off pieces of timber 4 * 5 by 70 cm. In all four pieces, one of the ends is cut off at 45 degrees and fastened to the frame and frame.
Strengthening the frame is done by bracing to the frame
- After fixing the end cages and arcs, you can begin to stiffen the structure. In order for all the edges of the greenhouse to be interconnected, it is necessary to skip the longitudinal pipe along the entire length of the greenhouse along the inside of the ribs and connect them to the upper points with plastic ties.
The strapping of the longitudinal stiffener with transverse ribs is carried out by plastic ties.
- This is the construction we should have in the end.
Fully assembled frame of a greenhouse without defects looks like this
- We cover the entire area of the frame with a film, making sure that it covers all the ends to the ground. Fasten it to the frame with rails on one side. Slightly pulling the film, similarly fasten the second side. Fixing is better to start from the center, moving to the ends. The film should be mounted in warm and sunny weather to prevent its sagging during the operation of the greenhouse.
Stretching the film and fixing the slats is desirable to do good weather.
- Now gently stretch the film on the end, folds are formed to the edges and fasten with strips in the same way as they did on the sides of the structure. We perform the same operations with the second end. Place a space under the door a little smaller than the actual, so that the allowance for the turn-up inside the greenhouse remains.
Door assembly
First, measure the doorway, which turned out in fact. We cut off from a bar 5 * 4 two pieces of 1.15 m and two each of 1.62 m. We assemble the rectangle of the door with screws. Diagonally fasten the diagonal of the rail 2 * 3 for the stiffness of the door. Attach hinges to the door leaf. We cover the door with a film so that it protrudes at the edges for 5–7 cm, and fasten it around the perimeter with thin slats. We wrap the protruding film around the door frame and fasten it. Screw the handle and insert the door leaf into the opening. We put under the door gaskets of the material at hand to adjust the gap of 5-7 mm and fasten the curtains to the end frame.
Well, that's the finish - the greenhouse is ready.
Video: greenhouse greenhouse from polypropylene pipes
It is easy to make a greenhouse out of polypropylene pipes with your own hands, but you need to choose a mounting technology. The quality of materials, reliability of fasteners, compliance with the rules of installation are the key to durability of the greenhouse.