Designed for Strength · Cold Weather Rated
Designed by a licensed Professional Engineer with 30+ years in structural and thermal performance — not a catalog kit that buckles under your first heavy snow load.
What We Build
For homesteaders, market gardeners and farms extending their season or producing through winter — without structures that fail in year two.
NRCS EQIP eligible · 2 mm hail-impact rated
For hobby gardeners who want year-round growing without the year-round heating bill.
~200 ft2 · 71% light transmissibility · diffused light for even growth
For buyers who want professional oversight, partial labor, or a visual walkthrough before they commit — without paying full contractor markup.
Piecemeal labor pricing · on-site support available · $300 digital 3D visualization at your property
The Honest Comparison
Poly-film high-tunnels are common because they're cheap upfront. The problem: More than half of poly-film tunnels don't make it past five years. Film tears. Connectors corrode. The frame sags under a wet snow load that a properly designed structure sheds without a thought.
Four-layer polycarbonate is a different product category. It's an insulated, structural panel — the same glazing material used in permanent commercial structures — not a seasonal cover you replace every two seasons.
Why CatchSunlight greenhouses are better
Littlefield Produce
FarmandHive
Compare & Contrast
★★★★★"Growing lettuce and beets in January at 0°F outside. Russ's engineering expertise is unmatched — and the value is unlike anything else on the market."
★★★★★"The NRCS grant made it affordable, the installation was straightforward, and it's still going strong after three brutal winters. I can't imagine going back to poly-film."
★★★★★"No heating costs, and it's built to last. I was skeptical about the price at first — now I tell everyone it's the best investment I've made on the property."
Why the Engineering Matters
Russ Livesay is a licensed Professional Engineer in both Mechanical and Fire Protection Engineering, and one of only two people in Idaho to hold the ICC's Master Code Professional designation — the highest credential in the building and fire code field, requiring roughly 18 separate proctored exams. Two master's degrees. Thirty-plus years of applied engineering experience.
That isn't a résumé flex. It means when Russ specifies 14-gauge galvanized steel tubing for the frame, it's because he's calculated the failure modes — the snow loads that bend thinner steel, the thermal cycling that fatigues cheaper fasteners, the point at which a poly-film tunnel becomes an expensive pile of plastic. Every CatchSunlight kit reflects those considerations.
Meet Russ and read the full story →USDA NRCS EQIP Program
The USDA's NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) funds high-tunnel greenhouse construction as a conservation practice. For a 1,000 sq ft structure, the grant typically covers around $8,000 — reimbursed after installation and inspection.
CatchSunlight systems are NRCS EQIP compliant by design. Most applicants are approved. For applications and paperwork, contact your local NRCS/USDA Service Center directly — they administer the program and are the right resource for eligibility and application questions.
NRCS field office representatives can help with the application process.
Reimbursed after installation. Most applicants approved.
See how the grant works →
Building Your Own Design?
Designing and building your own greenhouse frame? You can glaze it with the exact same 6mm 4-layer polycarbonate that goes on every CatchSunlight kit — sold individually in 7' × 19' panels, available in 6mm, 8mm, and 12mm thicknesses, all backed by a 10-year warranty against cracking and significant yellowing.
We also stock the H-channel trim, butt-joint connectors, and gasketed washers needed for a clean, weathertight install — the same hardware our own crews use on every build.
Shop Polycarbonate Panels →Thoughtful design. Honest pricing. Serving harsh-climate growers across the West.
Greenhouses: 3179 W 2700 N · Arco, Idaho
Mailing: 320 N. Water St. 3179 W 2700 N · Arco, Idaho
