Below is a schematic picture of a greenhouse or aviary dome (I may build both versions). The struts of the dome are color coded by size, and the covering (aviary wire or plastic sheeting) is blue.
The dome can be scaled to the size desired. Use the scale factors listed below, and add an inch on each end for the drilled holes. For a ten foot radius dome (about 300 square feet of usable floor space), the dimensions (for 1/2 inch electrical conduit) would be:
|
For a 20 foot radius dome (about 1200 square feet of first floor area, with a ceiling over 25 feet high), 3/4 inch conduit would be used:
|
For a greenhouse, the dome would be covered in clear plastic, such as 8 mil polyethylene. For an aviary, it would be covered with aviary wire (also called poultry wire or chicken wire) on all sides, top and bottom, then roofed with tarp or opaque plastic, and walled (in the winter) with clear plastic. Aviary wire is about $0.15 per square foot, and 8 mil plastic is bout $0.02 per sqaure foot. The aviary wire is laced onto the struts with galvanized steel wire. The plastic is glued to the struts in a shingle arrangement, with upper sheets overlapping lower for better waterproofing.