The Story of Building my GEOTHERMAL Greenhouse

In this video, I share the process of building my geothermal greenhouse. I start by explaining why I decided to build a geothermal greenhouse, and then I walk you through the steps I took to make it happen. I also share some tips for building your own geothermal greenhouse.

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00:00 The story of my geothermal greenhouse
01:25 Why I built a geothermal greenhouse
01:53 MAJOR obstacle to building it
02:22 The miniature class
02:58 Jack-hammering the mountainside
03:51 HUGE obstacle to geothermal
05:19 Work begins on geothermal system
05:23 Thermal mass (+Solar) is the name of the game
06:00 Why I used gabions for the raised bed
06:45 Raised bed and floor details
07:34 How I saved MONEY
09:00 The Compost heater idea
09:39 The structure is born
10:35 Tree work
10:50 The structure goes up
11:20 Making pallet wood shingles
11:30 Insulating the walls
12:00 Water system
12:15 Strawberry wall
12:46 The vestibule
13:20 How well does it work in the winter?
13:47 How well does it work in the summer?

Here are some of the products I use in this video:

Here are some of the key features of my geothermal greenhouse:

It uses a buried pipe to collect heat from the ground.
It has a raised beds made of gabions inside the greenhouse to act as a thermal mass.
It is made of wood and glass, and it is insulated with styrofoam and invasive plant barrier.
It has a workbench, a water storage tank, and a drip irrigation system.
It can stay 55 degrees warmer than the outside temperature on a cold winter day.
If you are interested in building a geothermal greenhouse, this video is for you! I share everything I learned along the way, so you can avoid the mistakes I made.

Credits:

#greenhouse #diy #greenhousefarming #diyprojects #inspiration #motivation

[WineberryHill]

I'm blown away by the positive response to my greenhouse project! THANK YOU EVERYONE VERY MUCH!. I'll be posting some videos about what's growing in it very soon!

[ZidaneSteiner]

I became 10x more impressed as the video went along and I saw how much work you did yourself and how resourceful you were in building this thing. I wasn’t expecting to watch the whole thing. But it was showing one cool thing after another. I think I’m going to try and follow a similar strategy when I finally tackle building by our own greenhouse. Thanks for the inspiration.

[Dezeo]

came for the greenhouse, stayed for the epic display of CAD (Cardboard Aided Design)

[SurvivalBetty]

My dad installed geo-thermal in his home. Watching him do it was amazing. Now we own the home and we love having it. I can't imagine ever going back.

[annakelly]

I’m in love with how much pride and excitement he has for his work - as he should!

[melissajensen]

I love the sheer aesthetic beauty and timeless solidity of your rocky hillside domain. Man did not come here to the Earth to serve money and corporations, we are here to create a Paradise Garden, just like you are doing.

[podskizee]

My god… I’ve never been more motivated. I’m currently going to an electrician trade school to earn a fantastic living, but to also learn how to wire up a system like this. My goal is to create similar content, but in the Northern Californian foothills, so I’m going to focus more on water retention and summer cooling (love the idea is positioning around deciduous trees)but I just love how practical and resourceful your design was.

I want to give everyone a huge tip. Most residential housing developments have massive amounts of 2x4 waste, and there is a high amount of new developments right now, so hunt around the large 40 yard dumpsters and you will find unlimited quality lumber with minor defects.

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[BigDaddyMichael]

I’m the 11th finisher! 🤦‍♂️🤭😇. One of my first summer jobs 78/79 was was a draftsman field hand for my next door surveyor neighbor who taught me how to draft out all his projects for the state of Maine. One of his project involved a passive solar log home. Looked like your greenhouse with black barrels mid floors, south facing wall of daylight cellar. Massive tiled floor and Stone Russian fireplace thermal heat masses. Your plan brought so many correct techniques. I had even painted a south facing back wall dark brown for the solar heat benefit., I saw benefits from some envelope homes being built into north side ground too. Great video and thank you for the excellent content. I’m a new fan.

[mechelle]

Thank you and you are way too humble Imo. The forethought and years of being able to test on what works for your property season by season and all the random thought processes, problem solving and reaching out for reliable info and resources that really went into this projects success, is truly amazing. I also won't leave out your super supportive family and friends that made it all possible. What I really admire is how well grounded you are with the sourcing of free or near free materials and how well you balanced the overwhelming financial needs of this against your desire to complete your Greenhouse.

[DanTheMan]

Quick comment to acknowledge the quality of this video and its content!

[jamieanderson]

Me and my partner have watched your videos as we navigate our new house. You got me into woodworking and still working on stairs on my hill. Thank you for all your positive vibes.

[QDurden]

I love your property, the natural rock stairs, all the raised beds. The green house is awesome….. I love places that take a life time to build. Keep adding to it. 👍

[juliannejaz]

What a truly beautiful process of building you've shared with us! Like some others, it was my first time seeing any of your videos, and I found myself pulled along by one fabulous piece after another as you shared your thoughts and the what the act of building this structure - on your land - required. One of the things I most love about the art, and act, of building is that it brings one such exquisite problems to solve, and for the thoughtful person, represents such an exercise in creativity. Needless to say, I think you nailed it.

Very much appreciated the "cool wife sighting" - as well as your wife's able handling of the jackhammer! One last thought - I so appreciated how you walked us through your property, especially as you were coming up the stairs by the raised beds and stopped for a moment. I pointed out to my husband, unlike most folks, who endeavor to fence the deer "out, " instead you'd taken the approach of fencing the food "in." It makes my day to see that sort of thoughtfulness in action! Good on you for all your very hard work, and I look forward to watching more of your videos!

[markwojdan]

Upcycle, reuse, use what you have available. Earn what works, save money do more with what you got is what it's all about for nitch folks. Great video.

[iseejewelz]

it is BEAUTIFUL there, the house and surroundings. Just gorgeous

[guynorth]

Love your shirt 'Keep calm and pull weeds' - When I felt like a serious get away, just a relief from the current situation, nothing like visiting the garden and seeing what you can do to collect your thought. Enjoyed the video, awesome.

[willow-wfjf]

the greenhouse is beautiful....seems like it could be a nice place to sit in during the winter to enjoy the sunlight, heat, and greenery.

[NewEnglandgardening]

I bought one of those Harbor Freight greenhouses and never really utilized it. I did make a large cinderblock insulated foundation with the idea of burying pipe like you did but never finished it. You could also use a shade cloth during in the summer to reduce the heat. I bought one from Griffin greenhouse supply in Tewksbury. Looks like a nice greenhouse for citrus trees to over winter in.

[Matt-yyf]

Very nicely done.
I built something similar.
I built it as if it were a "pole building" I insulated it with used polystyrene from flat roofs & filled the cavity fully to 8" for an R40 in the walls, a R65 in the roof, & R20 sub-grade. I dug down 36" & filled the sub-grade with washed stone (for drainage) then topped it with paving stones.
The exterior & interior walls are covered in corrugated steel. Farm colors out & white inside to reflect sunlight around. It is oriented perfectly south facing. Vent windows low & high. As well as glass sliding doors on the East & West sides.
The glass window sashes are installed at 45°. This was calculated by considering the height of the sun during late January/early February (our coldest periods & the start of my wife's growing season). See, glass absorbs the sun rays best when it hits glass at a 90° angle. The harder the angle the more it reflects it out (summer time).
I kinda wished I'd installed the cool Geothermal system. I plan on using a wood burning stove for supplemental heat during the coldest part of the winter. I'll have several black 55gal drums flanking the stove for a thermal bank & to warm the water my wife feeds her plants.
Idk. Hope all this works out. Good luck everybody 0:39

[jasonbuzzard]

I'm about to construct a greenhouse on an odd-shaped piece of property. Thank you for the idea to utilize the shape. Your architect friend helped me as well. I do have a lifetime of construction experience, but that doesn't necessarily lend itself to the variety of ideas needed when working with different mediums.