Each end is made of 2 - 4 x 4 treated posts 8 feet long. These are half lapped and joined at a 90* angle. There are 2 (3/8 or ½" – 3" long) bolts holding the joint together. There is a 2 x 4 cross brace screwed in about a foot below the peak (on the inside side). These are just scraps. This makes an A that is about 6 feet high and about 11 ½ feet across at the bottom.

I used 2 x 6’s 14 feet to attach the 2 A’s together. I want to be able to use the 2 x 6 to hold up an extension that would cover the end of my pond so I went with bigger boards. You can use any size/length you need. One year I used 6’ fence boards (I have lots of these around) to attach them and that worked just fine. I actually kept it together for a few years – moved it all over the yard and it held up just fine. It made a great greenhouse for starting plants, too. It took 2 or 3 people to move it. I wanted something I could put up on my own now.

The top 2 x 6’s are attached just below the lap joint – about 4 inches from the peak (I didn’t want to drill into the joint). The bottom ones are attached about 5 ½ feet lower (or about 18 inches from the bottom). These are attached with 2 bolts in each end (3/8" x 3 ½ or 4 inches long) Use washers with them or you can’t get them apart in the spring.

There are 6’ fence boards attached (on the outside of the 2 x 6’s) every 2 ½ or 3 ' - they are screwed into the top board and just hang over the bottom one. These keep the snow sliding off the plastic.

Design issues -- Since the 2 x 6’s aren’t right at the top there is a gap. I took some rope and wrapped it around the boards and then put more fence boards on top of the rope. I think if I had gotten the 2 x 6’s a little closer to the top the fence boards would have laid right on them. You need something up there to keep the plastic from caving in with a snow load. Next year I may just get a couple more boards to make it neat and tidy at the top. The way I have it now I have to pad the peak of the 4 x 4’s so the plastic isn’t stressed over the point.

I cover it with 6 mil plastic if I have it. This year I was short and could only find 4 mil so I left the partial piece of 6 mil underneath and put the 4 mil on top. The 6 mil lasts a few years but I think the 4 mil I will need to replace yearly. It hangs down into the water on the sides. Once the snow and ice come it is airtight.

The 2 points of this all are:

1) the 2 A frames. Once I got them together I’m not taking them apart again.
2) you can use any size to connect them if you remember it takes 2 boards on each side to make it stable.

Beyond that – get creative!

Hope I helped. Any questions?
sam