I am beyond impressed with this product. I have never had a greenhouse or built a greenhouse, much less a dome. Let me give a quick summary then I’ll go into more detail.

Summary:

-Parts arrived as ordered and to spec.

-I primed the pvc to protect the greenhouse plastic.

-Assembly was time consuming but the instruction manual (and videos) were spot on.

-I ordered a lot of my product from Agtec as they had thicker greenhouse film and more customizable sizes.

-Attaching thicker film is notably harder but possible.

-The door and vent take a little engineering knowhow.

-The finished product is outstanding, sturdy, and (not surprisingly) HOT haha.

Detail:

First of all, I’m proof one person with average skill can accomplish this on their own.

I live in northern Wisconsin where the climate is widely variable by season. Very cold snowy winters and very humid hot summers. Wind storms year round. I researched this for over a year trying to figure out what I wanted to do. Ultimately I decided the longevity of something sturdy to hold up to the heavy winds and snows (and falling tree branches on my wooded lot) took priority over the price and simplicity of a simple Home Depot greenhouse. 

With that in mind, I eventually decided on the 25ft 3V 3/8 dual hub greenhouse dome. I have basic construction and handyman skills and tools but cutting and drilling 120 pvc pipes and dealing with all the scrap seemed a bit much to take on for someone with a more-than-full-time job. So I decided against the hubs only kit. I was pleasantly surprised how quickly it shipped and not a single piece missing. They even send extra zip ties for the oopsies and little additions.

I did heed the warnings and spray primed the pvc to protect the plastic. Particularly since I’m hoping to get several years before replacing, this was important. One thing I didn’t consider is the colored tape they use to mark each piece was covered by the primer, but you can easily scratch it off to see the colors. 

Assembly was simple but VERY time consuming. My fingers were numb from all the zip ties. I mentioned I did this by myself. Two people would probably speed up the whole build and plastic covering by about 10x. You need a third hand all the time. But it’s possible. The instructions are spot on and nearly idiot-proof. The doors and vents require a little more ingenuity but more on that soon. One thing to remember is this is a dome and you’re working with straight pieces in straight cut holes in the hubs. So the higher you go the more flexing and popping occurs. I probably zip tied each piece tighter than was necessary as everything will get pulled tight by the end anyway. 

As I said the assembly was easy. The real challenge is the covering. I had an interior and exterior layer. They recommend doing the interior first but that layer was delayed in shipping so I started with the exterior. Not sure it made a functional difference with installation, however, installing the inside layer after the outer layer was on (and before doors and vents) made it unbearably hot and humid even at 55 degrees and cloudy. So I’d recommend following the instructions and doing the inside first lol. 

I used Agtec for most supplies because they offer some thicker plastic and smaller cuts appropriate for smaller greenhouses. I wanted something crazy durable so I ordered 12mil woven film for the outside. The inside is 6mil. Both are anti-condensation. The 12 mil is probably too thick but I did manage to get it strapped to the hubs. Thinner plastic would be easier but regardless, this is the hardest part to do without a second person.

I took the 5 lower 2nd tier hubs and ran a galvanized cable around them, tightening with a wire clamp. I ran the cable down to a standard concrete block and attached it there. 5 blocks should be more than sufficient to hold it down from anything short of a tornado. However I didn’t consider how the cable may rub the plastic so I’ll keep an eye on that. 

The door I decided to hinge on the top vs the way they demonstrate it. I then attached a pulley to the hub above the door. I tied a cord to the bottom of the door, up through the pulley, then down to a simple latch hook. The rope can be pulled down, opening the door, and hooked to the cable on the nearest concrete block. 

The vent is trickier. What I decided to do was take a 2x4 and run it perpendicular to two pvc struts. I attached it with pipe hanger brackets. I then did the same with the vent struts. Because they’re at an angle, the struts can’t slide through the brackets. Then I installed a temperature-driven automatic vent opener to the two boards. (My only injury came from trying to assemble the opener for installation…had nothing to do with the dome itself.) 

Getting some good industrial strength transparent tape will go a long way in getting the seams to your satisfaction. The biggest problem I encountered was trying to put square plastic on a sphere. You end up with a lot of folds. I wasn’t confident cutting it so I just folded it over, but I’m sure splicing and taping would look nicer and be easier to work with.

I monkeyed on this for a couple hours every day for about 2 weeks, plus a couple full days. So I’d imagine I have a good 40-50 hours into this. But again, I was by myself and used a plastic much harder to work with than what is recommended.

Still do do is get some solar fans and a WiFi temp/humidity gauge installed so my girlfriend can keep tabs on the greenhouse climate. I can already tell I’ll probably need another vent cuz it gets hot in there! I’ll also probably need some type of rodent fence because I didn’t build a knee wall or anything that prevents gaps at the ground. Actually was hoping that would help with the ventilation. In the winter, cheap bubble wrap is the plan to seal up any unwanted gaps. 

I’m happy to support an American business and I commend Zip Tie Domes for a well-designed, well-instructed, well-manufactured product! Thank you!

Dale