Hoop house with metal roofing

I have a crazy question. Has anyone ever known of a hoop house being built with a metal roof? I'm looking for cheap square footage for a little hay storage but mainly as a barn for my sheep.1 3/8" fencing top rail is easy to find from local suppliers. Obviously, the hoops would need to be closer together(2' centers maybe?) but I would really love to hear from someone who has done it.

We're in southcentral Kentucky where I've only seen 12" of snow twice in my life. So, when we do get a big snow it wouldn't be a big deal to go out and sweep it off.  

Sounds like a quonset hut to me, except with those, the corrugated shell is the structural element, if I am not mistaken.

Interesting, though. Please let us know what you decide, and how you make out.

-CK

You mentioned pipe, but when you said metal roofing, my first thought was a wood skeleton so the metal panels can be screwed on.

To do this, cut 1/4 " or 3/8" plywood into 4" x 8ft strips. Double stack (but stagger the joints) and screw them together to get a suitable length. 20ft would be easy. Use 2 8ft and one 4ft (x2). If using 3/8" ply you would have a bendable board 3/4" thick x 20 ft long.

The nice part is all the avoided hardware and fasteners needed. Those boards can be screwed into a bottom band board of 2x6s. The metal panels screwed to the laminated plywood you made.

I'm not sure of your budget, but would these work?  We've used them successfully in the past:  https://www.versatube.com/building-kits/carports-shelters/stor_ports/

Wayne, that is a cool idea.
I've been noodling about  cutting strips of plywood or short lengths of 2x4 in arcs that would make up the circumference of a circle.

Your way  seems  easier.
I'm fond of hardboard, it has no glues,holds up amazingly well exposed to weather, is very flexible,and cheap.
It could actually be used instead of the metal roofing.

Another roof that might work is the normal plastic  sheeting, covered with used carpet,to protect the plastic from UV,hail and wind.

William, i first saw that technique about 20 years ago in a sunset book on greenhouses. Ive kept it in my mind palace.  Lol. Someday i will use it.

Here's the guy that I've talked to. He has no website and only uses facebook. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005560245229&lst=100004924170118%3A100005560245229%3A1519822119&sk=photos

The smallest building that he can get is 32'wide. a 32x72 or shorter is $2.75 per square foot just for the hoop kit and I provide the lumber for the walls. Larger that is $2.40 per sq ft. 32'x48'=1536'x$2.75 per sqft=$4224. Then I've still got to put it up and provide all of the lumber. Also, the replacement tarps are $.75 per sq ft right now, which is higher than #1 metal.

But his pictures will give you an idea of what I'm looking to build, I just need something closer to 20'x30'. I would like to have a metal roof so that it's pretty much worry free. I've seen it done with cattle panels but it wouldn't be large enough to suit my needs. My simple mind tells me that there's got to be a way of using top rail for hoops and screw the metal off to them.

Wayne-Thank you for the idea. I've seen this type of truss a long time ago and forgotten about them. I'll do some investigating and see what I come up with.  

Jared Blankenship wrote:I have a crazy question. Has anyone ever known of a hoop house being built with a metal roof? I'm looking for cheap square footage for a little hay storage but mainly as a barn for my sheep.1 3/8" fencing top rail is easy to find from local suppliers. Obviously, the hoops would need to be closer together(2' centers maybe?) but I would really love to hear from someone who has done it.

We're in southcentral Kentucky where I've only seen 12" of snow twice in my life. So, when we do get a big snow it wouldn't be a big deal to go out and sweep it off.  

We used a tarped hoop for chickens...it worked great.  
The downside was the tarp won't last forever....and it was very hot inside, even with both ends open.

Friends at Havencroft Farm use them for shelters for a variety of livestock.
This picture I found at their facebook site looks like there is some tin involved.  

I think many of the shelters are tarped or a combination.
They work quite well.
Here's a link to the fb page https://www.facebook.com/Havencroft-Farm-1750335228593822/

EDIT...now I read above that you weren't interested in a hoop with cattle panels

Hi Jared,

I will try to get pictures and post them. We have built two hoop house structures and put metal on them. We bought the hoop benders online. We have two hoop benders on that gives a 20 foot wide hoop and one that makes a 10 foot wide hoop. We first built a 48 foot by 20 foot wide hoop house that we covered with a billboard tarp. That worked okay but we had to replace the tarp after a storm with a new tarp. When we placed those hoops we actually put them in the ground with cement so we couldn't move them easily later. WE used metal fence rail for the hoops and for the three horizontal support rails that went the length of the hoop structure. Last summer we got a great deal on metal siding at our local auction. So we put metal siding the 20 by 48 hoop house. Since couldn't move the arches, it isn't as nice as it could have been as the arches aren't quite all the same height and we had to seal the overlap with some roofing tape but it still keeps the water and wind off much better than the tarps were doing.
We did not use wood at all. We used metal to metal screws that go through the sheet metal into the arches. The metal covered hoop structure did fine even wit h10 inches of snow on it. The hoops are four feet a part. If you were getting regular big snows you might want to go 2 foot apart on the hoops. We are in North Central Ohio.  We keep goats in this big hoop house during kidding season. We used to keep hay in it.

However, the first sheet metal structure we made is a 10 foot by 10 foot chicken coop. We used four hoops and sheet metal. We did not put any wood on the hoops to screw the sheet metal into exIcept on the ends of the arches where the door and window were put in.. We screwed the sheet metal directly into the metal fence rail hoops. It worked great and it makes a very nice strong structure. ONce we got the metal up it really stiffened the entire building up and it is very solid. We have been using this hoop house sheet metal chicken coop for several years now and I am very happy with it. I did set the base of the structure up on a 2"x8" board all the way around, but it is just sitting there. I did the normal building of the hoop house with a metal base that the hoops fasten into with the fence rail connectors that you buy at lowes or home depot. This hoop sheet metal chicken coop has never moved in the wind and has never had a problem shedding snow. It wouldn't even have any leaks if I hadn't reused the metal siding. Since it was reused the metal siding had holes in it from the screws and nails that had previously been in it. You can buy the metal to metal sheet metal screws at Lowes or Home Depot or Menards you just have to be careful and make sure you get the metal to metal ones and not the metal to wood ones. In the picture of the inside of the chicken coop I did use wood to put in roosts and wood to support the roosts.

I am going to build another hoop sheet metal building to make an additional goat house that also holds a round bale feeder this summer.  This will be a structure for the goats to be in in the winter when I can't use rotational grazing.  The tarps on hoop houses don't work well with goats unless you have the tarps above goat rubbing height.

You  don't have to use wood when putting metal on a metal hoop house.  The buildings work well and are pretty easy to put up.  

where the short ends of the metal overlap on the big 20x48 hoop house, we put a bead of silicone in between the metal and then we put the six inch wide butyl roofing tape over the seams. This stopped the leaks. On one side, I didn't put silicone between the metal and the we did still get some leaks. I am going to fix that this summer.

good luck and as I said I will try to get pictures.

Bonnie

About ten years ago I bought a bender from a vendor on EBay, for producing a 20' diameter hoop. Using 3 pcs of the top rail you refer to. He had worked the arc of the bender out just right. I just took a look at it and, no he has no name on it. But I think he sent a cd with it, If you need that I can try to find it. I did mine 28' long, 2' OC and covered with corrugated polycarbonate. Wound up with more leaks than I wanted due to my bad lap system, so I overlaid 7/16 OSB on the top 1/3,  installed to the tubes with self tapping screws. Then I shingled the osb. So, almost exactly what you envision. The osb bends to this gentle arc fine, if laid lengthwise and staggered. Obviously would not conform if laid the opposite way. Still cheaper than ply, and fine if you cover. If you want to go metal like corrugated, you will have to lay lengthwise also, and you will get leaks unless you can obtain sheets the full length of your building. ( it is the end over end joints that will leak) You can lap the lengthwise joints enough to prevent leaks there. You may be able to get full length sheets from a real steel supplier, not big box.
BTW the link you sent is just a fabric building, there are tons of those online, such as Clear Span etc. Most of quality are to large for you though.

Standard metal sheet wont bend well.  You will find that it will kink if bent to sharply, or splay wider in the middle if on a gentle curve.

Solution 1.  Cut it into short lengths.  Treat them like shingles with a 1 foot overlap.  I think you could get away with 4-6 foot lengths this way.  Test the idea with some old ratty roofing.  This will make for a somewhat drafty building.

Soluiton 2.  Lay it cross ways, so the ridges run the length of the the building.   This will collect snow.

Solution 3.  Run it at a shallow slope obliquely.  This will be a paint in the bum fitting pieces, but it the ridges run at a 10% grade, then in snow and light rain a lot of the water will run off one end where you can collect it.

How about a bow roof instead?  http://thehomesteadingboards.com/forums/construction-and-diy-projects-1/a-bow-roof-cabin/

Ban Dinh wrote:How about a bow roof instead?  http://thehomesteadingboards.com/forums/construction-and-diy-projects-1/a-bow-roof-cabin/

OP wants to use metal roofing.

I dislike shingles.

* petroleum product.

* Last only about 15-25 years.

* Not designed for vertical application.

Thanks everybody! I'm interested in the hoops for economic reasons. I think it would be the quickest, easiest, and most cost efficient method of framing a roof.
Bonnie and Michael, do you know what size you tubing is? I can buy 1 3/8" and 1 5/8" at a local supplier in two different wall thicknesses.

Hi Jared,

For the buildings that we made, we used the chain link fence top rail that is 1 and 3/8 inch that we got at Lowe's or Home Depot whichever one had it cheaper.  You are supposed to be able to bend the heavier walled conduit that you can pick up in the electrical department, but then you need connectors. The chain link comes with one end smaller so you don't need a connector. The small end slips in to the other end of the fence rail.  We have had the bigger 20 x 48 building up for 7 years and the 10 ft by 10 ft chicken coop has been up for over 3 years. The bigger hoop house went through two billboard tarps and now one winter with metal (8 months with metal ).  The hoops bend really easy, I can bend them myself. I have also made a green 10 ft by 10 ft green house with the metal hoops. Even with the hoops attached to a metal base, I could move the green house around by hand. So when I was building the chicken coop, I was able to move it around by hand by myself to get it set up on the wooden base that I sat it on.

Goodluck!

Bonnie

http://www.tarps.com/fittings2.htm

I use these fittings for putting the hoops on the metal base and for making corners.  

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Blue-Hawk-Gray-Metal-Steel-Fence-Panel-Clamp-Set/4651615

I put a sheet metal screw in those extra round holes you see in the panel clamp. It makes a goo solid corner and it also holds the hoops on the base very nicely and for a very low price at $1.38.  

When I put the top and side bracing horizontal bars on, I often use hose clamp or I will use metal brackets/braces that you can buy in the building supply area.

Came across a picture of a hoop house, where instead of metal roofing, they used vinyl siding to cover the hoop.
Claimed it was cheaper in the long run compared to the cost of good-quality tarps, which had to be replaced
every couple years.

Bonnie, Aloha From Professor T'Voh Ha in Hawaii!

I joined this website primarily just TO THANK YOU! You are a Godsend and a genuine confirmation to prayers! You have offered instructions and ideas that easily will save me many tens of thousands of dollars! You see, I have been brainstorming and designing a different application for what you did with the hoop house metal panel covering, however while at the beach today I got a notion that what I was designing left out the variable of IF THOSE PANELS COULD BEND and BE SCREWED into metal circular posts after bending and hold the shape!

Well you have confirmed that they will, and offered photographic proof! This erased any doubt in "the Professors" mind! Me heart leaps with joy and a calm confidence has now erased any question on the matter from my mind.

So, As we say in Hawaii...Mahalo! (means thank you!)

I do have a couple of queries.

Are the panels used in hop house photo 1, like this one?
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Metal-Sales-14-ft-Classic-Rib-Steel-Roof-Panel-in-Charcoal-2313517/204255196

Did you use the metal to metal color coordinated screws with the integrated rubber sealing washer?

Did you pre-drill anything or can you just screw right through an undrilled panel and into the support pipe?

What do you mean about "short end of panels?"

Oh yes! Like I said I joined just to say a sincere MAhalo, But AFTER UNDERSTANDING what this website is all about, I Am so happy I have found it. I have a 4.0 GPA in Sustainability and Holistic Health, and was raised on a Mini Farm, built my own ponds, backyard putt putt golf course, invented a way to grow organic foods using 90% less water and soil, and NO WEEDING or hydroponics required!

I have even spent some happy years living in rural Ohio, Garfiled, Twinsburg, Akron, Canton, etc. So I KNOW how dynamic the weather can be! So the fact that your steel panel hoop houses endure that is a wonderful testimony!

I look forward to YEARS of caring, sharing, and learning with everyone here!

God bless and be well!

Aloha

T'Voh

You are welcome and I am glad that it was helpful.  

For your questions.

Yes, the metal panels are just like the ones you can get at home depot or other hardware stores.  

I didn't use the color coordinated screws as we just bought the TeK Screws at Lowes or Home Depot. Lowes has a better selection of the screws. Yes the screws have the rubber sealing washer. You can of course use color coordinated screws we just went with the cheaper plain gray ones.

The short end of the metal panel.  It is long on two sides and short on two sides.  When we put them on our long hoop house, we put a bead of silicone on the short end of the panel then when we laid the next panel on top you have to over lap it some to prevent leaks. The silicone on the short end bonds the two short ends together so it doesn't leak or doesn't leak nearly as much.  

I guess I should put up pics of my chicken tractors. I make them similar to hoop houses with gray pvc conduit that fastens onto the fence rail bottom. I use either metal panels or the lighter plastic panels to cover the hoops and only have wire on the small ends.

I also have a chicken hoop house that is ten by ten that is an experiment.  I used one inch gray pvc plastic conduit instead of metal hoops.  I covered it with metal panels. It is over two years old now and going strong. We just had two snow storms come through and had over 12 inches of snowfall.  No problems at all.  I did keep the base metal fence rail and it is sitting on 4 inch by 4 inch pressure treated lumber.  

Keep up the great work!  

Bonnie

I forgot to answer one of your questions.

You do not have to pre-drill when screwing through the metal panels into the metal pipes. The self tapping metal to metal screws can go right through the panel and the metal pipes.  You can pre drill if you want to through.  

Bonnie

Aloha and MAhalo for your kind consideration and time in answering my queries!

When I was in Ohio and we had that much snow it was time to beak out the snow wing and the sleds, head to off into the forest to a place we named Seven Hills and enjoy a day of sledding and fun!

My older brother would make a fire inside a thicket of trees for us to keep warm by. It was good, clean, cheap fun all day long and when we returned home full of joyful exhaustion we were welcomed with hot cocoa, a hot bath, and a good long sound nights sleep!

Dear Lady, I desire to see any and all photos you have relative to these projects. Also the exact screws you used and the exact sealant. If you like her is my email address whee you can send them, and also we can communicate on other project details without risking overages or irrelevancies on the web server. I Am new to this and want to be polite and sever space does cost money, so I Am mindful and considerate of such things.  Alohaman4ever@gmail.com

Mahalo once again! and

Kulia I Ka Nu  (strive for the highest!)

God bless and be well!

T'Voh Ha

An idea;

If cost is the most important factor another avenue would be to harvest bamboo and steam it to the desired curve and lash the lengths together to create the hoop house shape and attach the roofing to that. Strength of the structure would go up the more lengths of bamboo added to the frame.

Aloha James!

This is EXACTLY why I love this forum, people like you! Everyone here just pitches in with a positive mindset and Can DO attitudes! This is exactly how humans are supposed to live and work together!

James I love your idea and will use it on other pending projects. Here in Hawaii bamboo is plentiful and makes very lasting and charming structures when done right! So Mahalo Sir James!

For the main purpose now at hand the steel panels are an ANSWER TO PRAYER particularly due to the fine photos showing it already being done in Ohio, and the awesome descriptions and instructions from Bonnie Johnson, on how she did it! She sounds like a woman straight out of Proverbs 31!

As  I said I Am NEW to this forum, but I Am coming to realize through you and Bonnie that there are likely very many more people here with the same intelligence, perspectives, and positive attitudes about caring, sharing, and getting things done! I have nearly every issue of The Mother EARTH NEWS IN MY POSSESSION (on USB drive) and was a subscriber when they started back in 1970! This forum is a fine companion for those materials because the attitudes are the same, yet  unique perspective if offered here as well!
 
Please, anyone else with ideas do keep them coming! Nothing is too weird, unusual, or crazy! I Am even considering making a BAMBOO PYRAMID! I already have the corrosion proof metal connectors! It IS going to be an awesome multi-purpose structure!

Mahalo to you all for helping me and making me feel like FAMILY!

as always...
Kulia I Ka Nu'U (Strive for the highest!)

God bless and be well!

T'Voh Ha

Bonnie Johnson wrote:I forgot to answer one of your questions.

You do not have to pre-drill when screwing through the metal panels into the metal pipes. The self tapping metal to metal screws can go right through the panel and the metal pipes.  You can pre drill if you want to through.  

Bonnie

I find that pre-drilling is a good idea as it avoids damage to the gasket; the screw will punch through the roofing, but this usually results in jagged metal remnants sticking up, which can tear the gasket... and the gasket is all that keeps the water out!

It is pretty quick to pre-drill a bunch of sheets at once, before they go onto the structure... but hitting the pipe just right is a much narrower target than a 3.5" wide purlin or a solid roof deck!

Yes pre-drilling sounds like a good idea. It does work well when you are putting sheet metal on structures that are nice and stiff and you can count on where the framing member will be. However in my experience putting metal on the hoops, the hoops are not held in place as rigidly and they are never quite where you expect them. So you can't just drill the holes in the sheet metal and have the fence rail pipes always be where you want them to be.  My husband thought we could do the pre drilling of the sheet metal but it did not work.   The hoops may also have a bit of a twist or bend to them as you cant always get them perfect.  Once you get the metal on the hoop structure, things stiffen up and look pretty good.  If you are using the Tek Screws that are for metal to metal, they are self tapping and drill their own hole.

I have never had a problem with leaking around the gasket when we don't pre drill. I have put up and helped put up many metal roofs even on the house we owned before this one and we did not pre drill.  I have a metal roof that I installed on my feed shed and my green house. I didn't pre drill.  I guess everyone may have a different experience.  Heck I reused the metal screws and gaskets I put on the roof of my green house and it isn't leaking.  The clear poly carbonate I put on the first year got too brittle and was breaking so I took the acrylic down and reused the screws from that to put the metal roof on.  I am eventually going to have to replace the side walls that are the same acrylic/polycarbonate but I am hoping to have more time to get that done.  I bought the corrugated acrylic/polycarbonate at Lowes. I won't buy that again.  The clear polycarbonate we put on the hay hut  to let light in was purchased at Mendards or Home Depot and it is holding up really well.

Aloha Bonnie!
Well I Am finally on my land now and have 300+ watts of solar electric to start with!

Bonnie you have encouraged me greatly! So much that I Am considering purchasing a tubing bender and actually making the entire structures from scratch instead of buying a pre-made collection of parts.

So what I'd like to ask you now is about the maximum height of any of the metal panel hoop houses you created. Interestingly the U.S. Navy back in the 1940s original quanset hut design is for 20 x 48 like the one building you covered.

Height is a consideration for comfortable living space though, and since the walls curve in at the top I Am thinking about a few feet of straight pipe at the base with the hoops on top.

Your designs are PROVEN IN THE REAL WORLD OHIO SNOWBELT! I will have nothing like these snow loads in the tropics, so I trust the reality of what you have created.

Q 1-a)  
So what is the max height x width that you have built so far? (Length does not seem to be much of a concern for load bearing so I will customize length as desired.)

1) What is the spacing between the ribs?
2) How many purlins did you use?
3) What is the diameter of the pipe used?
4) Do you have any specialized hardware and sources you would suggest for me?
5) Did you do anything like add trusses and such to the hoops?

That's all for now an Mahalo for your kindness, expertise and support!
God bless and be well!
T'Voh Ha

Also if anyone is interested here is the U.S.Navy link to the Quanset Hut Assemble Manuals!

https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/seabee/explore/online-reading-room/Publications/quonset-hut-manuals0.html

God bless and be well!
T'Voh Ha