Looking for opinions on folks that have grown in both specifically built their own cabinet. Cost vs reliability vs feathers etc. I have a thread on tents and which ones are good quality and it got me thinking about building a cabinet. The Gorilla and AC ones for a 4x8 are $300 and up. For you handy DIY guys here what could I build with that range compared to just buying a tent. I was thinking of using plywood for the deck, 1x2, 2x2 etc for the framing and then some sort of light weight paneling for the walls and roof and door/s. Any of you guys that have built something like thisā¦could you chime in on your opinion of this vs a tent.
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Iāve used tents, built cabinets, and finally a dedicated room. 
All of this was before the price of lumber went sky high, however. My favorite cabinet was my dual 150W CMH cabinet. I eventually converted it to LED and would have a perpetual harvest every 4-5 weeks.
The custom built rooms are what Iām using now. You can see the whole build here.
All in all, I like the custom built stuff, but it is a lot more expensive than just a tent.
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Iāve grown in about anything you can think of. you donāt custom-build a cab with the idea of saving money. itās mainly something you make for a weird space, an unconventional grow method, or hiding in plain sight.
new growers always wanna do āmoreā all the time. i would always recommend working smaller, not cheaperā¦
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I have built 4 cabs and 2 times a tent, tent is a great investment if your space allows it. Better to buy a small tent than to work with a big and shitty cabinet tbh, especially if your breaking local lawsā¦
IMHO the only other reason to build a cab is if you are currently broke, my first grow was done for 150$ by salvaging scraps, but it is really not ideal any you will still have to spend to get it āniceā.
Cheers and GL
eS
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I repurposed some shipping gaylords when the place I work at updated and bought new ones.
The flower ātentā is closed in this picture.
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My first tent was a cabinet. I used 2x2s for struts, 1/4" plywood for walls. Final size was 4.5ā wide x 4ā high x 2ā deep. It cost a lot more to build than buying tents but it was better than a tent in all but portability.
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I think you will spend more or less the same either way, tents are already made, is just assemble and go, good of you need to make it fo away fast.
The cabinets, I made mine out of 1x1 in bars for structure and drywall panels around, cheap and also easy bit tjen you jave ro drill holes for vents amd add a nice reflector plastic, you end up with a big closet and heavy,
Also the tents zippers are nice when it comes to keep light out, and on a closet you need to iuse some isolation rubbers on the doors so it seal well, many details to work on if you go diy,
But diy mean you can yake better advantage of room or some particular lamp.
I had tent made by me over 15 years ago and now I have a small closet.
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iād use a tent for ease of construction but have built many cabinets and a few closet conversions. hard to beat a cabinet or closet for stealth, but you gotta keep the smell down and thatās a touch harder. last cabinet i built was a temporary sexing room out of a cardboard box. if legalities are not a concern, iād go with a tent as far as cost goes, unless you have some lumber around for free.
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This is an awesome idea! These are the huge linen carts used by cleaners here.
@Taprootā¦great points made so far. Do you care how the cabinet looks? A 4x8 cabinet is bigger than most closets. It may be easier, cheaper, cleaner to frame out a "closetā and put up drywall. Thereās that one really nice cabinet when you Google āgrow cabā, but the guy wants a few grandā¦not sure if he sells the plans. Currently in an IKEA cabinet/closet; my growing isnāt obvious.
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The only reason I was thinking of building a cab was I want whatever to last a long time, my last experience with a tent, vivosun , was just ok at best. A few things I hated was having to get down on my knees to tend to the plants, my knees and back just canāt take that anymore. I was going to build a cab where the floor was about two feet off the ground. I guess I could build a base stand for a tent or something? Anybody built a base stand to raise up the tent? Getting old sucks.
Second thing I hated was the flipping zipper, it got jammed up a few times but unzipping and zipping one whole large door over and over was a pain. I wish tents had a way to incorporate a normal door that just easily swung open and closed. Maybe unzipping and zipping a large door would be easier if I didnāt have to get so low down. I also hate the flap of the unzipped door just laying there like a wet blankedā¦picky but I kinda hate it.
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Yeah, my closets are too small to even consider this.
Yes, basically the same thing.
They worked out great, because the wheels allowed me to do all work on them outside, then roll them into the back room of my walk out basement, once they were finished.
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you want a grow closet so you can use tables for the grow. thatās what i plan on doing at the farm, using a room and tables. high houses outside with a good filtration system for breeding. was gonna do it this year but it got ahead of me. but i got four plants out anyway. sorry, i got distracted. yeah, a room is what you need.
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I prefer building my own space if thatās an option. Thatās always been my preferred choice.
You can customize it exactly how you want it. You can build it any size you want it. Plus it should last longer if built well. I also prefer the rigid walls vs tent fabric. They last longer. They are easier to clean. You can also mount things to the walls (I had a window a/c unit mounted in my wall. It worked great to keep the inside of the flower room cool even though it wasnāt mounted in a window).
Tents are nice and convenient though! I do plan to pick up a tent to use for some breeding projects and maybe an extra veg space.
To me it really depends on your goal. If you want a more customized space, which it sounds like you do, then building it is the way to go!
I am actually planning to rebuild my veg and flower rooms this summer. I am super excited about it. I am going to hopefully finally build it how Iāve always wanted it. I have some nice upgrades planned.
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The windows AC is something I also thought about, does this just vent into the room and if so do you collect the water into a bucket somehow?
I saw some on Amazon awhile back. I really like the concept, except that the door was mostly window. It would be perfect for autos though. I searched for it just now and couldnāt find it though. Their choice of a transparent door probably killed the company.
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This maybe doesnāt apply here but I have a tent and a cabinet (store bought) and they both have advantages and disadvantages but my cabinet can blend in if necessary. The tent is dead obvious.
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I got started in boxes, then a whole room, then tents. After wearing out my tents, and due to the changes in port locations and what not, I went a total different route, I bought a 50 foot roll, that is 10ā wide, of Panda film, and sectioned off my area, into 3 separated areas. AND, I found a sweet spot for my last tent ever, that I use as a dedicated 18/6 space.
1 dedicated 6" exhaust system pulls to a big filter, in another room.
Ugly as sin, but it is the most enjoyable set up I made in the 24 years of indoor growing.
NO over reaching to the back spaces in a 4ā x 8ā x 6ā5" tent.
All the crouching down, to get in and out of the tents.
And, phuck zippers!! And, threadās along a zipper, are demons from hell, that a lighter cures well.
Now I walk in, I walk out, or I roll in my water tote, or roll in my plants, all of it, so MUCH easier now!!
The Panda film is very sturdy, stunning white on one side, pitch black on the other.
A simple fold makes light tight edges, and my crappy 20 year stapler, and small squares of carboard, fastened to my rafters like gang busters!
Tents are super convenient, well made, and an excellent invention, Iāve owned 5 over the years, but for me, my old ass, Panda Film Rules!
My veg area. 2 flower areas to the right.
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Yeah, you just set it up like you would in a window. You have the front part sealed into the grow room and the back part just hanging out into the other space (like it would outside the window)
I did keep a small tub underneath it to catch the dripping water.
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Iāve never grown in a tent, but I have converted a bunch of closets and pre-made storage cabinets to grow in. Couple years ago decided to build a custom cab to fit my space that I had in my laundry room. This will hold me over until I get in a bigger house and can have a dedicated room. I will say that if youāre looking to stay on a lower budget, I would go with a tent. I damn near tripled my budget I had estimated in the beginning of building this thing lol 
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