Six fittings cover most of what you’ll ever build
These aren’t illustrations — they’re the actual catalogue parts, rendered exactly as you’ll see them in the builder. Pipe structures are made of embarrassingly few shapes: learn these six and you can read any project plan.
PVC pipe projects people actually build
Rigid PVC pipe plus a handful of tees, elbows and crosses covers a surprising amount of backyard engineering. Start any of these projects from a blank sheet — same palette, same rules.
Greenhouse & hoop house
Stop hunting for PVC greenhouse plans — draw your own: arcs, purlins and door bracing counted to the last cross before you cut a single pipe.
Chicken coop & run
A light frame you can actually move around the yard. See where every corner joint goes before buying.
Furniture & shelving
PVC pipe furniture without welding: garage shelves, a shoe rack, a drying rack, a side table.
Kids fort & playhouse
A frame that survives being climbed on — plan the bracing in 3D, not after the first collapse.
Trellis & plant supports
Tomato cages, bean towers, garden arches. Cheap pipe, few joints, done in an afternoon.
Carts, stands & holders
A kayak cart, a banner stand, a fishing rod holder — the long tail of things pipe was never meant for.
Three steps from idea to shopping list
Pick your parts
Pipes, tees, elbows, crosses — a catalogue of real fittings with real sizes, not abstract tubes.
Snap them together
Parts click onto each other’s ports. Wrong diameter simply won’t connect — the check works while you build.
Take the list to the store
The frame becomes a parts list: name, size, quantity, pipe lengths. On your phone, ready for the aisle.
You don’t leave with a picture. You leave with a cut list.
This is the greenhouse from the top of the page, taken apart: every pipe length and every fitting, counted. Pipe projects fail at the store, not at the drawing — so the drawing has to end in a list.
Quantities come from the actual frame, joint by joint — not from a rule of thumb. Change the span and the list changes with it.
FAQ
Is the PVC pipe builder really free?
Yes. No sign-up, no ads, no trial that expires. Open it in the browser and build.
Do I need CAD experience?
No. If you can drag parts on a screen, you can use it. There are no layers, no command line, no month of tutorials.
Can I design a PVC greenhouse or hoop house with it?
Yes — a rigid frame from straight pipe and fittings is exactly what the builder does best. You get the full skeleton and a parts list with every pipe length.
Does it use Schedule 40 PVC or metric pipe?
Both — the builder shows your market. In the US it is Schedule 40 PVC: pipe, couplings, elbows, tees, crosses, caps, reducers and ball valves from 1/2 to 3 inch (valves up to 2 inch), plus furniture-style 3-, 4-, 5- and 6-way fittings up to 1-1/4 inch. Elsewhere it is metric polypropylene (PPR) and HDPE. In DIY mode the shelf only holds what your store sells.
Will it work for pipe furniture and shelving?
Yes. Straight pipe, tees and elbows are exactly what pipe furniture is made of: a shelf unit, a rack, a clothes rail, a small table. The builder counts every length and every fitting for you.
What pipes and fittings are in the catalogue?
Real items with real dimensions: Schedule 40 PVC 1/2–3 inch with slip fittings, solvent-weld ball valves up to 2 inch and 3-way to 6-way furniture fittings up to 1-1/4 inch for the US; PPR 16–63 mm and HDPE elsewhere. The list is not just metres of pipe — it says how many 10-ft lengths to buy and the exact cut length of every piece, socket depth included.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. It’s a web app: phone, tablet or desktop, any modern browser, nothing to install.