Insulated Greenhouse and Shed Update - 1 Year Later

My website: woodspirit.net/
Link to tools I use: woodspirit.net/products-i-use/ I thought I would do an update on how my greenhouse has worked over the last year and answer a few of the common questions I am asked about it.

[@janonthemtn]

Kayak that you built? OMG! You are amazing!!!!Shed/greenhouse is very nice.Plants did very well.

[@evelynsouzaferreira4593]

Really nice, thanks for the update. Glad you dropped the music :)

[@fpvforever1790]

I have a couple of greenhouses and now i am trying to start watercress inside and in one of the greenhouses . it is 0 degrees here. watercress is suppose to be the most healthy. u r a hardworker. outstanding job MR.

[@zpoedog]

Thanks for this video. It was nice to watch the build and then your update. John

[@IdRatherMakeItMyself-Net]

Thank you and you are welcome.

[@jamescrain2]

Those water-filled bins for "heat batteries" are a great idea!

[@TonyBLumpkin]

Been looking quite a bit at insulated greenhouse ideas. (I'm at 8,000 ft in Colorado.) This is the best design I've seen so far. Amazing job!

[@davidderby3628]

Thanks for the update a year later utilizing the overhang of the building was incredible food for my mind that the greenhouse is truly the gym your water Bank slash thermal Bank I thought about doing that with the greenhouse but I've never seen anyone else do that more food for thought beyond all the good food you probably enjoyed eating from your little garden in the greenhouse thank you for sharing

[@metaspencer]

Cool update! I liked seeing the original build ... those banks of water barrels are cool and smart. nice to see

[@IdRatherMakeItMyself-Net]

Thanks.

[@djf8619]

Very nice building. Good ideas used.

[@IdRatherMakeItMyself-Net]

+DJ f thanks

[@Blog4Justice]

Impressive. Thanks for sharing.

[@zinaustro]

Nice work!

[@paullemay3218]

What an awesome job. I really enjoyed watching. Thank you for sharing. Have you considered painting the outside of the water heat sink tubs black? Just wondered if that would capture more heat for you in the fall and winter months. Looks like you are really enjoying your green house/shed and back yard garden. All the best to you and your family.

[@bjstefaniuk]

Great videos and excellent use of space. If you paint the water containers black, they'll absorb the sun's energy faster and achieve higher temperatures, thus emitting more heat and for a longer period.

[@IdRatherMakeItMyself-Net]

Yeah, I was thinking about painting them black. It would have been nicer had the totes I bought already been that color.

[@theuglykwan]

Maybe some reflective material would help too, depending on how the light hits the inside walls.

[@jensen139]

This is amazing! I live in the UP of Michigan and am researching greenhouses.

[@notredox2]

Lovely video content! Forgive me for chiming in, I am interested in your opinion. Have you heard the talk about - Mahorrla Wooden Paradise Method (do a search on google)? It is a good one off product for building better sheds and woodworking minus the hard work. Ive heard some incredible things about it and my old buddy Taylor after many years got great results with it.

[@ShogunJimi]

Nice - interesting to see different set ups

[@IdRatherMakeItMyself-Net]

Thanks Jimi.

[@chillymack2321]

Place a heated blanket behind water for night time heat 😉

[@moises8390]

EXELENTE !!!!

[@rkarmen1000]

Thanks

[@empyreancomet7323]

I like the green house

[@Ko3n3k33]

What is the width of the greenhouse before it slants back in? and height at the peak? Looks like you optimized that space very well.

[@josecantu6843]

Nice job

[@IdRatherMakeItMyself-Net]

Thanks Jose.

[@JuliannaHarding]

I thought you were going to explain how you built it. Do you have another video of that?

[@alrachid2]

Go Wisconsin!

[@davidward1782]

A really nice job done by an expert but I was wondering what the overall cost of the build was, as a pensioner with limited finance i'd like to give this a go, I have two greenhouses already built from reclaimed materials but I need a third.

[@jpesicka999]

I would consider supplemental lighting for heat in the winter if you dont want them to freeze.

[@IdRatherMakeItMyself-Net]

+Jacob with the kicks I only grow cold tolerant plants during the winter and let them freeze. They come back fine about this time of the year

[@woodville8873]

Glad to see its holding up, that was a great build. After a year do you wish you made it bigger? I know the space was an issue, just wondering.

[@IdRatherMakeItMyself-Net]

You know, I am really happy with the size of the greenhouse. I really don't need anymore than what I have.

[@tgambill85]

Where does one order those green water containers that take the roof runoff?

[@tlicious121]

I've been trying to figure out how to do this, so really appreciate your videos. About how warm is the greenhouse on your coldest days? Thanks in advance.

[@IdRatherMakeItMyself-Net]

We can get down to -40 degrees F but usually our coldest is around -20 F (-29 C). When it gets that cold it will get down to about 20 degrees F inside the greenhouse (-7 C). That's usually only for a day or two and when the sun and temperature come back it will warm up to around 32 F (0 C). It usually says warm enough for things to stay alive in until the end of December and in March it gets warm enough for the plants to start growing again.

[@chrisballas3356]

great job Mark. only comment is don't put treated wood near your raised garden. I think that wood will be fine for a long time. doesn't have to be perfect. I think 2x6 pine would last 2 years maybe 3 year round outside as a raised garden. Maybe you get 5-10 yrs indoors with your 2x4's

[@dutchcourage7312]

tnx for sharing, maybe a tip: black toads work better than green ones.

[@matermark]

Love your greenhouse! You did a great job on this, especially how much was unassisted! I have 1 question. Isn't the greenhouse section with the polycarbonate supposed to be a certain angle to allow full sun penetration? I think the rise or slope (depending which way you look at things) should be somewhere in the 20-25 degrees range (from horizontal) for the northern hemisphere and northern states. I've read some sites were like 23 or 24 degrees, it depends what lattitude you are at. I think there's a formula to calculate the angle. Bigelow Brook Farm mentions a degree in their KZbin videos for their location. It is almost the reverse of yours. In other words, the side with less slope (flatter) should have the poly, and the steep side should have the roofing. I think the goal is to have the roof 90 degrees perpendicular to the sun; at its highest point of intensity the sun is in the southern sky, at around 10 or 11 o'clock if looking from east to west, and it changes during the season. Also, I think you can prevent condensation between layers in the polycarb by putting duct tape over the top & bottom ends first, and using greenhouse washers that look like fender washers but with rubber backing. Hope this helps.

[@IdRatherMakeItMyself-Net]

Yes, I believe the angle formula is your latitude plus 15. Mine is pretty close to that.

[@msredneck001]

Nice build! Where did you source the polycarbonate roof panels?

[@msredneck001]

I'd Rather Make It Myself thanks for the quick reply. I will check Lowes(all we have). Or may order off net.

[@dannyfletcher6912]

what part of wisconsin are you in.

[@chamqual6480]

Are those tubs made to hold water? Did they freeze at all in the winter? I am going to build a similar greenhouse this year and also was going to use water as a heat sink... was worried about my water containers cracking if they froze. thanks!

[@IdRatherMakeItMyself-Net]

There will be a little ice that forms in some of them - usually the ones on the lowest shelves. It hasn't ever formed more than a thin sheet of ice in them. I haven't had any crack on me.

[@lopezrx]

Any idea on material costs for just the green house?

[@WoodenRaccoonHands]

Rick McCoy there would be no point him saying the cost. Wood cost varies so much from place to place. Go online and check the price of a shit ton of 4x4s. They are expensive but will last a long time.

[@wvt5825]

When I build my greenhouse shed, I will be using insulation instead of layering wood

[@cupbowlspoonforkknif]

I've been thinking about heat sinks. To me it doesn't make sense to have such a thick container like a box or barrel shape. The water in the center is not doing much. Wouldn't it be better to have a container that's only a few inches thick? The higher surface area to volume would facilitate more heat exchange both in heating and releasing that heat.

[@IdRatherMakeItMyself-Net]

+David D probably. The difficulty would be in finding the right shaped containers while still having enough volume.

[@theuglykwan]

Steel gas fuel tanks might be suitable. Those are tall and not too thick.

[@cupbowlspoonforkknif]

That's a good idea

[@kimberlyoboyle451]

Are you in zone 5?

[@IdRatherMakeItMyself-Net]

No. I'm in zone 4.

[@kimberlyoboyle451]

Oh impressive! Ok so this is something I can consider would help me here upstate NY :) I don't need a heated greenhouse, just a shelter for cold-hardy potted plants/cuttings to reduce the drying winds.

[@nathanlief]

I would suggest not using treated lumber near a garden as they can leach chemicals into the soil. I would suggest cedar.

[@kansaIainen]

Treated lumber contains copper, nothing else. Copper is the same stuff they make drinking water pipes.

[@llaneelyort5599]

what r the names of these chemicals?

[@kansaIainen]

Copper Naphthenate, copper HDO (Bis-(N-cyclohexyldiazeniumdioxy)-copper or CuHDO), copper chromate, copper citrate, acid copper chromate, and ammoniacal copper zinc arsenate (ACZA).

[@alrachid2]

That is absolutely wrong and it is well known that treated lumber has formaldehyde in it. ( www.nchh.org/Resources/Building-Materials-and-Products/Potential-Chemicals-Found-in-Building-Materials.aspx )There is documentaries specifically about the "portable homes" that were constructed after hurricane Katrina to try to give people somewhere to live. They were thrown together really quickly without much design and after Katrina they were sold to places all over the US. People that lived inside of them often because sick or got cancer due to the high chemical concentration inside with poor ventilation.

[@bjornsulzbach1820]

@jaako Laurila ...... I just selected one ingredient randomly ......... "copper chromate" "May cause cancer in humans. Effects may be delayed. Chronic exposure to water insoluble hexavalent chromium compounds has been shown to be associated with lung cancer and gastrointestinal tract tumors" www.molbase.com/en/msds_13548-42-0-moldata-1544264.html

[@fballarmy35f]

Whats the point of an insulated greenhouse if all the plants still died in the winter?

[@IdRatherMakeItMyself-Net]

It extends my season without any use of electricity. I can harvest until December which is about three months longer than normal. I can also start plants in the spring in early March or even late February when normally I would have to wait until April.

[@vladislavsokolov6227]

There are many factors in creating an amazing design. One resource I found that succeeds in merging these is the Wilfs Shed Formula (google it if you're interested) without a doubt the most incredible info that I have ever heard of. look at this unbelievable resource.

[@1marceltony]

Treated wood BAD BAD idea....use cement blocks or untreated wood

[@IdRatherMakeItMyself-Net]

+moe roy no. Its not bad at all. The wood is not in contact with the soil and it provides insulating value.

[@walterriebe1823]

You should not put treated lumber indoors, check on that, it's toxic.

[@IdRatherMakeItMyself-Net]

+walter riebe Treated lumber is not a problem for this application since we don't live in the space.

[@walterriebe1823]

Ok, that's good

[@anthonysinclair5721]

I may be mistaken but I've heard that some of the treated wood contains arsenic and it slowly leaches out and into the surrounding soil , vegetables , etc.

[@anthonysinclair5721]

Oh yeah , love the green house!

[@anthonysinclair5721]

(greenhouse) : )

[@roperk7964]

L