Restoring a large polytunnel

quidsinquentin

Hi all

I'm currently restoring a large (25ft X 15ft) polytunnel on my allotment.

The tunnel was slightly damaged by fire during the previous owner tenancy. No serious damage to the frame which appears very sturdy, but all there is, IS the frame.

I need to recover it and build a new set of doors for one end, the other end still has usable doors. The burnt door end lost the brackets to hold the wood for the door and frame, so I need to replace those.

I was wondering if anyone has any advice or links to sites to get replacement parts (brackets) etc, or even general advice on using a polytunnel???

There's a fair bit of commercial stuff on Youtube but there's also nothing like practical experience advice imo.

Cheers all.

peter_the_piper

Try Northern Polytunnels, they supply sheets, bits and hot spot tape. Plus they do have online instruction manuals.
Have fun.


ps. Don't stretch the sheet too tight if a hot, sunny day as plastic shrinks in the cold.

kazwookie

Try an agricultural type farm shop for the backets.

Davesnave

First Tunnels have all the bits as in Peter's post.

They tend to be a little cheaper than Northern Polytunnels, but I found their stuff adequate and built a 95m2 tunnel with it. Still fine 9 years on.

Source the pressure treated wood locally from a proper timber yard, or farmers' supplier, not a DIY shed.


Think hard about ventilation. Doors at each end only is often not enough in high season.

quidsinquentin

Davesnave wrote: »

First Tunnels have all the bits as in Peter's post.

They tend to be a little cheaper than Northern Polytunnels, but I found their stuff adequate and built a 95m2 tunnel with it. Still fine 9 years on.

Source the pressure treated wood locally from a proper timber yard, or farmers' supplier, not a DIY shed.


Think hard about ventilation. Doors at each end only is often not enough in high season.

Really? Blimey, I thought doors at each end would be too much. Ta.

Thanks to all replies too.

Oh, btw, the previous owner left a giant roll of some kind of like cotton wool stuff that he appears to have wrapped around the frame - I'm presuming this was to prevent damage to the polythene rubbing against it.

Most of what was on the frame has gone now, but there's still this huge roll left and I was going to re-wrap the polytunnel frame again. Any advice for or against doing this...?

Davesnave

The'cotton wool stuff' is probably some kind of anti hot-spot protection that stops a hot frame damaging the polythene. Nowadays, it's usual to have this as a self adhesive foam strip, which is neater, I'd guess.


Ventilation's fine when the wind blows helpfully along the tunnel's axis, but it often doesn't, or there isn't any. I have side vents on my tunnel, but others manage without them.