Note: as of this writing, a dual hose window kit on Amazon will cost you about $33.99; from Home Depot is $37.18. However, you can also buy foam inserts that fit into them for $35.99 because, apparently, the kits don’t keep out heat as well as you’d think.
Owned Supplies
Masking Tape
Painter’s Tape
Tape Measure
Sharpie
Scissors
Foam Knife
Utility Knife
Square
Vent Template
Process
Measurements
Orient the AC unit and figure out how hoses should be placed to figure out how much of the opening you’ll need to fill will the vent mount. Take your measurements which will tell you how much material is needed.
My window is 31″ x 58″ (W x H), with each opening about 28″. I’m working with an Ecoflow Wave 3 for which the hoses have 2 slightly different opening sizes. After orienting the machine and hoses for the space available, I knew that I needed the window to be open about as much as it can be.
NOTE:For a dual hose unit, try to place the exhaust hose higher than the intake hose since heat rises, and air under the hotter expelling air should be cooler. For a single hose unit, you won’t need to open the window as much
Materials
Gather any owned equipment, then procure necessary tools and materials (I ran out to Home Depot)
Note: My window has a screen, so I left it down and placed the vent hoses on the other side. If yours does not have a screen, it would probably be a good idea to factor in a mesh screen to prevent bugs entering the hoses when not in use. Products like Fiberglass Mesh Rolls, or Vent Mesh Rodent/Bird Screens are options.
Fitting
With supplies in hand, test the Rigid Foam Board on the window. Mine was best sitting inside the lip of the window jamb. If more material is needed, measure and mark with the Sharpie. Secure the foam board in place (either lower the window onto it, or use masking tape), then place each vent hose in its desired spot and trace with the Sharpie
Cutting
Time to make cuts! Depending on cutting location, make sure to put down a drop cloth, newspaper, or other covering for easy cleanup. The foam pieces will get everywhere
First off, I put together the main window panel by cutting the piece to make it whole using measurements (in my case about 8in). I used a Square and a Utility Knife to score both sides, then all that’s needed is a little bit of force to snap the piece off (I just used the edge of a chair for leverage)
Next are the holes! My Ecoflow happened to come with a Vent Hole Template, so I used Masking Tape to adhere that to each traced hole
I’m sure a jigsaw would be the easiest and cleanest way to accomplish this, but I wasn’t about to shell out another $200 for that (maybe at some point in the future).
So, I used a Utility Knife to cut the circular shape. Because the foam board was too thick for just the utility knife, I poked holes with a random tool (can be a screwdriver) and connected the lines with a Sharpie.
Then with the utility knife, I cut the round pattern and a cross pattern on either side to facilitate removal
At this point you can use any variety of methods to chip away at the foam (e.g.mallet, screwdriver, knife). I ended up using a Craft Knife to deepen the utility knife cuts all the way around, and it was excellent for smoothing out the holes
Mallet
Craft Knife
Super easy to trim any excess pieces this way
Assembly
Back upstairs! First up: making sure the main panel pieces fit into the window. Next, dry fit the hoses. Used the craft knife to make some adjustments.
Another dry fit of all pieces. Looks good!
Had the hoses oriented the wrong way at first
Now to connect the two pieces of the main panel with the HVAC Aluminum Foil Tape. I’ve never used that kind of tape before. It’s like putting on a vinyl where you have to peel away the backing. When attached, the hold feels extra strong, so be careful not to rush and mess it up.
After another dry fit
Exhaust above inlet because heat rises
Moving on: now to adhere the Double Reflective Insulation. This really is an optional thing, but I wanted to do this because manufacturer wording on the rigid foam boards notes that its only rated to 75F. Given the beating sun and 100F heat, I wanted something else to both block heat and afford a little more weather resistance to the panel.
Fun Note: The material is just like sunshades for a car. One of the favorite things I’ve ever bought are custom driver and passenger window shades for my car, and it literally uses the exact same material except with an edge liner to look pretty
To attach the insulator, use Masking or Painters’ Tape (painter’s is easier to remove) to adhere the material to the foam board, then cut to size. Then, use the HVAC Tape to secure it to the foam board.
Make sure you’re applying it to the proper side!
NOTE: This will add some width to the foam board, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but if it’s too tight, you may have to trim some off the foam. I left mine the way it was and just jammed it in there. It was a tight fit, but that works for sealing out weather and bugs. It is foam after all and will compress a little.
Cut the vent holes out with scissors. I left a little bit of excess material around the opening for a little more bug/weather barrier.
Left a lip on purpose
Hose dry fit
Later, I ended up securing each hole with 4 pieces of HVAC Tape because I realized that air movement might balloon out the space between the insulation and the foam board.
That little space between the foam and the insulator is just asking for air to flow into it, billowing things out
Taped it up
Finishing Up
We’re pretty much done at this point! Go ahead and place it all into the window, place all the hoses, and check out your handiwork!
You can see the window screen I left in place to help with bugs
Everything fits snugly
The only thing left to do is to seal the cracks around the foam board and the vent hoses.
I used Masking Tape for easy removal, but if you want something better, buy some Removable Window Sealing Tape (XFasten brand on Amazon is $11.99, appears to be based in Florida).
DONE!
Finished!
Outside view
When you want to remove it quickly, just pull the masking tape
Notes
The whole system works well, and removal is as easy as removing tape
Sound is a problem, though. I can hear everything outside. Like birds in the morning. When you’re getting your best sleep. I considered some soundproof paneling to put in front of it but then realized that I don’t use the unit too much unless there’s a heat wave. Not only that, but the panels are pretty expensive.
It also makes my room smell like an attic with all the outdoor smells. Perhaps it would be different if I’d used the Window Sealing Tape?
Temporary/disassembly-possible enclosure for patio and deck plants using PVC pipe and hardware cloth, featuring doors
Why
Thieving squirrels, birds, and deer yet still allowing pollinators, air, sun, and rain through
Time and Effort
Time: Several hours to 1 day (maybe more)
Difficulty: Moderate (depends on your equipment and material situation)
This is what started it all. My beautiful cantaloupe brazenly stolen and eaten right in front of my eyes by a crafty yet cute squirrel
Materials and Cost
All materials bought from Amazon and Home Depot
Material
1″ 4ft PVC Pipe
1″ 6ft PVC Pipe
16-gauge 2′ x 50′ Hardware Cloth Roll
200′ 16-gauge Galvanized Steel Wire
1″ PVC Hinges
1″ 90 Degree Elbow Fitting
1″ 3-Way Fitting
1″ Tee Fitting
Cabinet Hardware Pulls
Quantity
12 pipes
5 pipes
31ft
0.5 Roll
4 Hinges
8 Fittings
8 Fittings
2 Fittings
2 Pulls
TOTAL
Use Price
$80.40
$43.99
$24.80
$3.97
$36.68
$11.84
$26.00
$3.94
$4.38
$236.00
Owned Supplies:
Needle Nose Pliers
Linesman’s Pliers
Diagonal Cutting Pliers
Ratcheting PVC Cutter
Sharpie
Measuring Tape
Digital Calipers
Rubber Mallet
Bits/Driver
Screw Gauge
Planning and Schematics
Note: Drawings not to scale
Dimensions (L x W x H)
Outer Dimensions: 45″ x 22″ x 53″
Door Dimensions: 20.5″ x 49″
Fitting Dimensions
3-Way (Formufit brand – 8 qty)
1¼ ” + 1⅜” = 2⅝” length
1.25in + 1.375in = 2.625in
90 Degree (Charlotte Pipe brand – 8 qty)
1½” + 1⅛” = 2⅝”
1.5in + 1.125in = 2.625in
Tee (Charlotte Pipe brand – 2 qty)
⅞” + 1⅜” + ⅞” = 3⅛”
0.875in + 1.375in + 0.875in = 3.125in
Pipe Lengths
Remember that the ends of the pipes will fit into the fittings. All measurements are approximate. Actual item dimensions may vary
Outer Frame
42″ pipe (4 qty) – Length
19″ pipe (4 qty) – Width
50″ pipe (5 qty) – Height
Doors
17.5″pipe (4 qty) – Width
46.5″ pipe (4 qty) – Height
Overall Weight
1 in, 4 ft PVC pipe = 1.4lbs
Overall Weight of Enclosure: ~37lbs
Author’s Note
From start to finish, conception to assembly, this took a total of 3 days of time. Not counting waiting for parts, choosing parts, etc. The idea started way back in 2022 when I was having issues with squirrels stealing my tomatoes. I dreamed up and drew up plans, even going as far as to buying much of the materials to do it (originally out of wood and composite wood). However, the squirrels quit stealing my stuff until this year when my vegetables and fruit disappeared one by one. The final straw was the baby cantaloupe! WARTIME. Since it would be placed on the deck instead of the ground like the original plans intended, I needed a less weighty option and therefore chose PVC pipe. Armed with the original plans, I altered them. You can plan all you’d like, but doing is completely different! So started the 3 day-total-time journey (really, it took about a week waiting for all the pieces). Many, many calculations, miscalculations, frustrations, and even blood shedding later, I’ve – at this writing – mostly completed the project. Just a few minor tweaks and a test run before finalizing the hardware.
Overarching Question: Does it actually work???
As of August 2025: YES, IT WORKS successfully against thieving squirrels! They tried, hard with no success! (see Notes section for more)
Calculating, Measuring, Cutting, Assembling the Frame
Easily the most time-consuming part. Using the specialized PVC cutter and also a digital caliper saved a lot of time. Just setting up the frame is easy. The hard part is fitting the doors properly without creating too much of a gap (trying to prevent critter entry after all) around the door and frame while remembering that the fittings add more length to each side (calculations are done for you already in the schematics above). On top of that, there’s the consideration of hardware cloth size to make as the hardware cloth is best wrapping around the pipe. If this was wood, it would be easier to just create a removable frame around the outside of the cloth. Lots of re-measuring and re-cutting until I got it right (or close enough).
Use a rubber mallet to make sure the pieces are snug in the fittings
Hinges and Handles
This was more complicated than it needed to be. Hardware included with the (unthreaded) cheapo Handles are just too short to span the 1 in width of the PVC pipe. Without buying more or having to run out to a store, I delved into my giant box of random screws. Thankfully, I managed to find 4 that were both long enough and the right size (screw and thread gauges are useful). The Hinges snapped easily onto the PVC and mostly stay in place. And no wonder they stay in, because it gouges the plastic like no other if you remove and slide them around, so make sure you’ve measured where you want them first.
WARNING: Fasten any hinges before fastening handles so that the handles are oriented properly, or at least mark locations well. Because I waited a year, my handles are now in a wonky orientation
May 2025 – Hinge Permanence
Finally decided to screw in the hinges. I was way too lazy to take the entire cabinet apart for the winter, but it ended up enduring the winter just fine
Used an 11/64″ bit, lined up the hinges on the pipe, and went for it. Ended up using random screws that I happened to have, so they’re all mismatchedand ended up rusting over the summer
Attaching the Hardware Cloth
This is 16-gauge hardware cloth which is hard to find in stores (at least where I am). It’s big enough to allow pollinators, water, and air into the enclosure, but small enough to thwart rodent and avian robbers. This was the limiting factor for size of the enclosure as the cloth I used was only 2ft wide (they sell them larger). And no, chicken wire is not recommended. Not only are the holes too large, but the wire is weak. Also, to note, because this enclosure sits on the deck, there is no need for bottom coverage. If I were to use the wooden schematics made to sit on the ground, then it would be fully enclosed by wood, or extra cloth would need to be sunk into the ground (1-2 ft deep) to deter diggers.
The exceedingly time-consuming and physically painful part of this was the issue of how to attach hardware cloth to PVC. Without spending a fortune, I decided on a roll of general-purpose galvanized steel wire and some pliers. However, given how long it took to secure everything (5 hours! In the baking sun and even through a short downpour), I’ve been thinking of a better attachment method (See NOTES section)
Twisty-ties from lettuce are nice and long
Navigating corners
Cut to bend
Overlapping pieces
Temporary twisty ties to hold two vertical pieces of hardware cloth together
Bending these under
3rd layer of overlap (top, back, and side)
Twisting the Galvanized Steel Wire with Pliers
After much trial and error, I found that this was the fastest way (at least by hand) to tie off the 16-gauge steel wire (perhaps I should have used something smaller)
Cut
Thread and orient
Grab with lineman’s pliers
Twist
Keep twisting (be careful, though, twisting in the same spot too fast and hard will snap it)
Tight
Fun fact: If you feel the metal after twisting, it’ll feel really hot
Grab some needle nose pliers and bend it away from poking people
Safer!
Keep Going Until Completion
What’s annoying is that tying off the hardware cloth with wire will cause random pockets where it bows out. Just keep on until everything is secure. Be aware that the ends of the hardware cloth and the steel wire are very sharp!
While the camera didn’t focus on it, cut out pieces to make room for the handles
Trimming excess of doors
Trimming ends to prevent scratching of feet or deck
Where doors meet. While doesn’t look ideal, it works because touching wire acts like a latch to hold them together
Hinges can still be manipulated since they’re not yet screwed in
Note the spacing between the hinge hardware. You can open or close the space just by twisting the hinge (hence why it hasn’t been secured until the end)
Complete!
Mostly. No locking hardware yet. Coming back to this 2 years after the fact, I’m still holding strong with just a ball bungee through the 2 handles.
Welcome home, cantaloupe plant!
3 total bungee cords to hold in place while in testing phase. Works really well
Given the space at the bottom where something can push its way in, all I did was place a spare paver brick and voila!
Winter Cover
The aim was to have it deconstructable, but I was too lazy, so I decided to use it as sort of a winterized greenhouseish thing. My region is Zone 7B USDA hardiness. Two options (so far) for winterization.
Plastic Sheeting
Suitable for mild winters with low duration freezing periods, about 20-40F.
Material
6 mil Greenhouse Plastic Sheeting 12′ x 25′ (much too large)
Zip Ties
Packing Tape (for corners)
Pictures!
Plastic Sheeting. I bought entirely too much. Probably needed half of that.
6 mil thickness
Zip tie securing and tape for the corners
Cut it off for neat appearance
Left openings around seams for ventilation and access
Poked a few drainage/vent holes in the top with a screwdriver
Plastic Sheeting Winterizing Results
2 months: hard freeze early December for 1-2 weeks, and it’s dipped as low as the teens. So far so good. The plants seem to be doing just fine in there. I have hard neck garlic, strawberry, my blueberry plant, and onions.
Post-Winter: For about 5ish years, the winter had been pretty mild. 2024-2025 winter was normal for this area which translates to periods of very cold and snow. Unfortunately, that meant that my plastic layers did NOT work well enough. If temperatures stay around 20-40F, then the plastic is fine. If there are hard freezes for extended periods of time, this is not good enough. All of my plants died except the strawberry which didn’t mind at all and looks amazing (in a 10-gallon fabric pot). The blueberry mostly died but finally started sprouting new shoots from the root late June 2025. I was disappointed and will update again this fall when I set up the new version of this using hard plastic walls instead of the sheeting. Stay tuned!
Twin-Wall Polycarbonate Sheet
4′ x 2′ x 0.24” Polycarbonate Green House Panels. They’re a rigid plastic sheeting that are shatterproof which supposedly allows them to withstand severe weather, and keeps the greenhouse both warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The working temperature range is: -42°F to 248°F (-44°C to 120°C)
Stay-tuned! I will attempt to attach this to the structure and report when I’m successful!
Notes
9/2025 – Added a snap-on door stop made with a 3D printer to prevent the doors from swinging too hard inward. Easy to drill and permanently attach to PVC pipe if desired. Throughout the growing season, had plants inside then enclosure that were able to be pollinated no problem. Doors made it easy to access plants. Ended up moving the corn plants inside after squirrel robbery. The enclosure was a tad too short for the corn, so tassels extended out, but successfully thwarted squirrels that tried hard to get into the corn (they obliterated the corn tassels trying to pull the entire plant out). Success!! Just bought the polycarbonate panels for a new attempt at creating a cold frame for the winter. Still have yet to attach actual door latches and am still using a ball
Ball Bungee Cord is easy to use
Door stop that just snaps onto the PVC. Can be permanently fastened. This is not at the moment
August 2024 – It’s been almost a month since test phase started, and squirrels have left it completely alone. No evidence of rotting, so good airflow, pollinators busily doing their thing, vines climbing the cloth like a trellis… altogether very happy with its function. Even the bungee cords perform well and are easy to remove. Still have not secured hinges or installed latches… and I’m not sure I want to. It would make for a refined product, but the bungee cords work well.
August 2025 – Squirrels robbed me of corn, so moved the pot into the enclosure. SUCCESS!!! First true test against the rodents. They desperately wanted the corn, but could not get in. They even tried to pull the corn up through the top by yanking on the tassels. All that did was rip the tassels off the plant. They never got inside! Yay!! It WORKS!!!
If I were to do it again, I would do several things:
Buy hardware cloth that’s wide enough to not need so much overlap. Like, one that can span from one side, to the back, and to the other side. The top can be separate.
If using the galvanized steel wire method of attachment, then buy a Wire Twister Tool for Drill. Not only would that save tons of time, but physical fatigue
Measure the placement of the hinges before snapping them on
Paint it green or brown. White is so stark in the garden! Or if you have expendable income, then buy Formufit’s colored PVC
Figure out a different way to attach the hardware cloth (Ideas are all expensive yet removeable: 2in Rubber Cable Clamps, 2 in Binder Rings, 6in Steel Wire Twist Barrel Keychains, etc.)
