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Cover Sheet
University of Idaho Office of Community Partnerships Project Proposal


Date submitted: April 20, 2014
Project Title: Efficient Greenhouse
Student PI/Team Leader: Terrence Stevenson
Student E-Mail Address: [email protected]
Major, College, Level in School, and Expected Graduation Date:
Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, Junior, May 2015
Team Members: none
Academic Advisor: S. Jung
Project Advisor: none
Project Dates: July 1, 2014 August 1, 2014
Amount Requested: $1875.95
Project Synopsis: The basis of this project is to find a way for members of the any community
especially those in colder climates to be able to grow their own vegetables all year round. The growing
season in colder climates is very short and it can be difficult for families to maintain a healthy diet when
fresh produce may not be readily available. The goal of this project is to create a way for communities to
grow vegetables especially to help lower income families.

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Table of Contents
Section 1: Project Goals and Description ...................................................................................................... 3
Project Goals and Description ............................................................................................................... 3
Project Outcomes ................................................................................................................................. 3
Outreach Approach ............................................................................................................................... 3
Participation and Support ..................................................................................................................... 3
Project Administration .......................................................................................................................... 4
Section 2: Plan for Future Action .................................................................................................................. 4
Section 3: Team Member Qualifications ...................................................................................................... 4
Section 4: Budget .......................................................................................................................................... 4
Budget Analysis ..................................................................................................................................... 5


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Section 1: Project Goals and Description

Project Goals and Description
This project addresses the need to provide nutritious food for lower income families, especially
those with growing children who are unable to keep fresh vegetables on the table through the
harsh winter months when work tends to slow down for many people. This grant would go
towards building an underground greenhouse which can be easily maintained all year round. If
the greenhouse can be easily and quickly built and is able to grow vegetables through the
winter, especially greens such as spinach which cannot be stored long after they have been
picked then this project will be a success. This greenhouse is built in the ground below frost
depth for maximum insulation, this allows the heat which is enters through the glass roof to be
retained throughout the night to protect the plants. This design focuses on longevity and
functionality. After the initial work and cost of building the greenhouse has been paid the
benefits can be reaped for a very long time.
This greenhouse will be in the ground eight feet with one foot sticking out of the ground. All
walls will be ten feet long. A concrete footing will be poured around the exterior upon which
CMU block will be laid. The roof will be double paned glass, ideally from old sliding glass doors
and the roof will be sloped from one foot above the ground surface on the north side down to
the ground surface on the south side. This will allow ample sunlight to enter the structure to
allow the plants to thrive. A doorway with concrete steps and block walls going down to it will
be poured on one side of the greenhouse to allow entry. Inside a short wall, 16 inches tall, will
be erected two feet from the south side of the room and spanning the length of the room. This
will allow for soil to be held in place in a raised garden bed which will see the maximum amount
of sunlight during daylight hours.
Project Outcomes
For this project to be a success, a greenhouse must be designed and built that will be durable,
functional, effective and have a long useful life. An initial design is included below, but this is
open to discussion by interested members of the community including employees and students
at the University of Idaho.
Outreach Approach
This project will require some labor for the construction process, the best way to find this would
be various clubs and organizations such as Engineering Outreach and ASCE. Some of these
organizations are looking for community service projects and this would be a perfect candidate.
The best way to get in touch with these and ask the support of their members would be to
contact a representative from each organization and request time during one of their meetings
for a presentation.
Participation and Support
The key to the success of this project is community support. There are communities such as Arco
ID who have tried versions of this in the past, but the problem is getting a good greenhouse
design to start with. The simplest designs generally involve draping plastic across some sort of
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frame and then starting on the garden inside. This works well for the spring and fall seasons, but
provides inadequate protection for the plants during harsh winters.
Project Administration
Ideally this project can be completed in less than a month, from acquiring all materials to
completing the construction process. By the end of the month the garden should be completely
planted, this will allow sufficient time for the plants to become established before the weather
gets cold. This is essential because observations of the plants is necessary to determine how
well the greenhouse is functioning over the winter.
Section 2: Plan for Future Action

If this project is a success, the next order of business will be to propose this design to communities such
as Moscow, ID. If the communities can be persuaded to supply an area of land and the necessary
equipment, building materials could be donated or purchased through future grants to build these
greenhouses. Ideally this would be a community project, perhaps even an eagle scout project in which
members of the community would come together to build the greenhouse and then work to maintain
the garden inside. Obviously any greenhouse of this design built for a community would be much longer
in order to support more families, but this initial design will be sufficient for testing purposes.
Section 3: Team Member Qualifications

Members of the team must have a desire to work and not be afraid to get dirty. An attempt will be
made to have a local contractor with excavation experience come out to observe the project site to give
opinions on how the construction process should proceed. An attempt will also be made to use a
backhoe from the university of they own one for excavation of the project.
Section 4: Budget

This project relies heavily on donations by local contractors. Upon approval of this grant the team must
meet with local contractors to see if they would be willing to donate the use of some older equipment
for the duration of this project. This is not anticipated to be a problem as several of these contractors
are personal friends of the Team Leader. A complete budget is detailed below in Table 1.
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Budget Analysis

Table 1 Budget Analysis
OCPP Community Grant Budget Template
Requested funds
1. Equipment/Capital Expenditure
cement mixer donation
concrete saw donation
circular saw donation
drill donation
grout pump donation
backhoe donation
Total $0
2. Travel
Picking up materials in Lewiston (2 trips) $13.65
Total $13.65
3.Other direct costs
materials and supplies
CMU $422.40
rebar (5/8") $346.50
concrete $400.00
mortar $137.25
grout $200.00
windows donation
2x4's $27.50
plywood $28.65
Total $1,562.30
4. Personnel
Contractor services donation
Backhoe operator $300.00
Total $300.00
Total Budget Request $1,875.95