PVC Sukkah / Symbolic Wilderness Shelter

by gyaker

8.9K427

Intro: PVC Sukkah / Symbolic Wilderness Shelter

This Instructable describes how to build a PVC Sukkah (for the jewish holiday of Sukkot). It stores small in the off-season, and it assembles leisurely in about 3 hours by just one person.You could probably shave off as much as an hour with 2 people, and it may be sub-2-hours with 3 people.

STEP 1: Assemble Parts and Tools

Piping (the first time you build this you'll have to cut the PVC piping to size). Alll pipe is 1.25"

  • 7 x 10' PVC Pipe
  • 5 x 8' PVC Pipe
  • 1 x 7' PVC Pipe

Fittings

  • 7 x 3-Way Elbow PVC Fitting, Furniture Grade, 1-1/4"
  • 2 x 90 degree Elbow PVC Fitting, Furniture Grade, 1-1/4"
  • 1 x Slip Tee PVC Fitting, Furniture Grade, 1-1/4"

Other

  • 3 x 10' x 8' Canvas Tarps with grommets
  • 2 x bags 6" Ball bungee
  • 1 x spool jute twine (or similar)
  • 3 x 10' Galvanized Metal Corner Bead (or similar)
  • 2x 10'+ x 6' reed fencing
  • 6+ Tent stakes + rope

Suppliers:

  • Formufit fittings: either Amazon or Direct from formufit
  • Canvas tarps and ball bungee: tarpsplus.com
  • Twine, corner bead, 1.25" PVC pipe, reed fencing: home depot

Tools

  • camping mallet
  • pocket knife
  • 6' ladder

STEP 2: Assemble the Frame

There are different ways to assemble the frame, depending especially on how many people are helping. I'll explain how I assembled the sukkah alone, but you should use your best judgement.

N.B.: find the flattest plot of land you can

  1. Lay out the 3 x 10' sill pieces that set on the ground, and connect with 3 x 3-way fittings.
  2. Add the 1x 7' bottom sill piece. You will note it stops short creating a door way.
  3. Add elbows pointing upward so that they frame the doorway.
  4. Now Insert 3 of the upright 8' pieces.
  5. Build 1x 10' top length with a 3-way fitting on each end and 2x 10' top length with only 1 3-way fitting on the end.
  6. Insert the top 10' length into the back side of the Sukkah, then insert the remaining 2 lengths completing the top.
  7. Slip the slip-T on the final 10' top length, and set this 10' top length in the open 2x 3-way fittings.
  8. Insert the final 8' upright in the elbow and slip-T.

Use 2 lengths of corner bead across the top of the Sukkah to support the roof. The corner beads, as they are bent at 90 degrees, are very strong (when positioned pointing upward) and lightweight. There is probably a better solution, but this works.It's challenging to affix them with twine. A zip tie could be used instead; you'll have to figure this part out yourself.

STEP 3: Affix the Canvas Walls

The bungee balls are fairly self explanatory - you will pass the bungee cord -folded over- through a grommet, then wrap the bungee loop over the ball.

  1. Connect the top of the tarp to the top PVC post first
  2. Connect the sides of the tarp to the PVC corners second.

STEP 4: Cover the Sukkah With a Roof

I rolled over the reed-fence roof. This solution is good because it will store year to year, but you may use freshly cut branches for more authenticity.

STEP 5: Stake the Sukkah to Earth

Stake the Sukkah just in case it gets windy - it will act as a sail otherwise. See the photographs for how I wrap string around the upper corners and then stake it to ground.

Now hang decorations and enjoy your temporary structure!

4 Comments

verycoolsarah 2 years ago

is it possible to make this sukkah with smaller length of pvc pipe so it is easier to store? I'm realizing my house doesn't have room for 10 feet of pvc pipe and am wondering if it would be possible to connect two pieces of smaller pipe for the same result.

gyaker 2 years ago

Yes you can.
You should reduce (i.e. cut) the 7x 10' pieces and the 1x 7' piece all by the same amount.
You might also want to reduce the 5x 8' lengths of PVC pipe by the same amount so the proportions stay nice, though not necessary.
I'd suggest against using smaller pipe with couplings to achieve a more storable Sukkah. Just reduce the total length. This is only for the sake of simplicity and not losing any extra pieces.

lawrieA 5 years ago

Im at Home Depot, as Im reading i realize in the parts needed list there is no mention of the “sill” parts. What are they for exactly? I’m thinking it’s for the front panel with the door. Why were t those items included in the list?
Thank you!

gyaker 5 years ago

Should not have used a jargony word. The sill is basically the horizontal base piece. The picture in step 2 shows the 3 "sill" tubes of PVC pipe arranged in an upside down U pattern, lying on the ground. Actually you caught a goof - I wrote "7 x 10' PVC Pipe" but the procedure calls those pieces out as 9'. I'm not sure which it is exactly. I'll have to measure, but just cut 7 of those pieces equally - 3 of them are the sill, and 4 of them are the horizontal pieces that make the roof.

FIXED: they are 10'. So it's correct in the parts list, and i'll fix in the procedure.

This means that the sukkah is 100 square feet in area, fwiw