Ideal Grow Shed Buildout

Growroom Design
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#1

Hello there OG family!

I have to move soon, so my beloved basement grow is going to have to move. I have secured a pretty rad new house & am thinking the best way to have a grow space is to install a shed in the yard & run power to it from the house.

I’ve been browsing sheds and I’m curious if any of you have any insight on how to do it the most professionally/cheapest/safest.

I currently run x2 optic 650s LED’s in a 4x8 flower tent, an 8 light t5 fixture in a 4x4 mother tent, and a 4 light t5 fixture in a 2x4 seedling/clone tent.

I don’t need any more space… but I want it!

Also things to consider: I live in the rocky mountains so winters can get pretty chilly. Intending to Insulate the shit out of whatever shed I end up getting.

So I’m thinking about getting either an 8x10, 10x10, or 8x12 shed to turn into a grow room. My current vision is either:

  1. get a wood shed, frame out a 5x10 (or a shade smaller) room; then have two tents in extra space for moms/clones with a workbench, reservoirs, tools/fertilizer, etc.

  2. get a cheaper metal shed, keep the same tent set up and upgrade later.

in either situation I will be insulating the shed & attempting to get it wired directly from the house. Barring that, I’ll isolate an outdoor outlet & run 2 extension cords into the shed for the x4 lights I plan on running.

I’m wondering if you guys have any input or recommendations? I’d like to not break the bank, and sheds are already between $600-$1500 so I’m leaning towards getting a shed I can grow into, and setting up the tents I have… But the idea of having a larger flower/mother/clone area in a purpose built shed by springtime is exciting me!

Let me know how you would do it, how I should do it, or just drop a meme. Grow on homies & stoked to hear what you all think I should do! Plus I’ll update you all with pics as this venture continues!

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#2

I see alot of those sheds on craigslist / facebook marketplace for cheap or even free in my area… I currently have a powered 8x12 that needs a new floor installed. Remember tho even a well insulated shed will need supplemental heat and or cooling…

If you have the skills. building one would be cheapest, saw 15 2x4 in the 70% discount bin at the depot last night… $18 for the pile…

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#3

thanks for the reply, I agree re: supplemental heating/cooling, but I’m hoping with ample insulation I can maintain an ambient temp in winter without drawing an insane amount of power & running a heater non stop. If I can get away with running an oil radiator heater sparingly to heat the space that’s ideal for me.

Hoping I can get at least 8-10 months of relatively worry free growing w/o having to constantly check heat/temp. Or maybe it’s finally time to automate & get some sensors I can check on my phone…

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#4

Been mulling over building a 8x10 soda pop can passive solar heater for one outside wall, should work well in winter, my greenhouse is a toasty 74 degrees on a 32 day in full sun. no sun = cold… not sure what to do with it in summer tho… lots of hot air to vent as is… https://www.instructables.com/How-to-Build-a-Soda-Can-Heater/

If trying to get those tents inside, I would sway bigger than needed so you can move around a bit…

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#5

exactly, I have just enough space as is in by basement, would be nice not to lose too much elbow room… probably a 10x10 or 8x12 would make the most sense

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#6

still gunna be a tight fit… could always just section off and build dedicated rooms…

4x8 flower tent - 4x4 mother tent - 2x4 seedling/clone tent - if insulating your gunna lose inside wall space so, deduct … My 8x12 is that on the outside, walls are 2x4 studs so 7" inside each way gone…

Get the tape measure out and mark it all out in the yard to see how it fits inside

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#7

I grow in my shed on the east coast. I got one 4x12 section fixed up for growing the other side is 12x16. The biggest problem I have is temp and humidity. It’s hard to pull air in and out without a climate controlled lung room. Best of luck it can be a challenge

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#8

thanks for the input! I’m currently not running any air exchange besides venting my tents in the basement space I grow in, as humidity isn’t really a problem here, but temperature I’m sure will be. So at least at first I was thinking that I would skip the carbon filter & forced air intake to see how it works, but will add that in if necessary. Definitely in the minority opinion re: air intake, but I’ve never found it to be too necessary on the home level if the space isn’t hermetically sealed & has adequate ambient conditions.

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#9

It can be done but wayyy different than a basement where the temps stay the same

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#10

did you insulate your shed? and if you did, do you feel like that regulated the temp swings somewhat?

planning on having a humidifier/dehumidifier fighting to maintain the humidity in there, and I’m hoping that through thorough insulation & timing my lights to come on during the cold hours in the dead of winter that I can offset some of the heating… but this could also be a pipe dream.

what kinds of swings are you seeing routinely? and what is your solution for it? This is why I’m debating automation for the temp/humidity in there.

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#11

How about a geodesic dome?

https://trilliumdomes.com/

Can be built with clear panels so you have a greenhouse.
Or just plain wood panels so it’s a dome shaped shed.
Or you can mix it up, have the sides of the dome made with wood panels and clear ones at the top.

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#12

I like the idea, but I think I have to be a bit more subtle with the neighbors. I built a greenhouse at my current rental and will be sad to see the big outdoor seasons go. I may still toss out a few plants in small pots a few weeks before the light changes, but also may just take a break from outdoor & try to automate my indoor in a climate controlled shed so I can leave for a week or two at a time & have a friend top off the reservoir. Lofty goals :joy:

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#13

i would make sure to run a conduit with electric to the shed. you don’t want to run those on extension cords, especially if you share anything on the circuit. make sure to do it right and not start a fire or have electrical issues in the shed. i’d hate to see a breaker trip and ruin a grow.

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#14

I’m in a similar situation… can’t use the house but can’t blow up the yard either :unamused:

Outdoor temps & sun exposure vary a lot so it’s hard to prescribe a setup that will work well anywhere & everywhere.

Insulation & lung-room are essential.

An OGer did an underground bunker:

I’ve toyed with the idea of a clear roof or the small round skylights. Light dep type curtains on wires might be important for that situation.

Another consideration is the harvest & drying… May want to figure that part out first.

:evergreen_tree:

#15

this is what I’m worried of, and exactly why I was thinking this was necessary. My issue is going to be figuring out an electrician who can do that without alerting my new landlords… :joy:

Already anticipating having to take a quick break on the cycle to make sure everything gets built right. Have a run finishing last week of March/first week of April & I’m moving at the same time… I’d love to get everything up and running by end of April hopefully.

Thanks for the input, is this a relatively straightforward process from your understanding? My knowledge on electrical matters is weak at best.

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#16

very good point… until now I’ve been drying in the root cellar in the basement as it holds around the right mark most of the year (50ish% humidity, always between 55-63 degrees.) so with a supplemental humidifier it’s awesome.

I hadn’t started to think about this wrinkle yet… Maybe the move would be to erect a 4x4 tent in my living room for 2 weeks every harvest & use for drying… Thanks for the input, I’ll start to think about this now!

And on the point of temp swings: am I crazy in thinking that if I get a large enough shed to hold my tents, insulate the hell out of it inside (and maybe some sort of sun shade over it) & on the floor, then run a fresh air intake via window AC unit that the space wouldn’t be able to keep within a range of temps? at warmest in the summer it’ll hit 100 degrees here (but not regularly) with lows in the winter sometimes to -20 (but not regularly). I used to grow in an old converted barn & the pot refill/work station areas would routinely hit 85-90 degrees in the full heat of the summer, and each insulated room had no problem staying within 70-78 during the day with DE HPS on full blast.

So I’m thinking w/ a super insulated shed w/ shade cover & maybe semi reflective paint on the outside I shouldn’t run in to too much trouble keeping the space cool w/ a normal sized window AC. I had a friend run a 4x4 tent and an aerocloner in a shed in his yard so I’m sure he has some goof input as well. Thoughts/experience are definitely wanted through! Any growers who’ve gone the shed route let me know!

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#17

Yes it’s insulated. R13 roll insulation in the walls and then 1 inch insulation board everywhere including the ceiling and floor. I heat it with an electric heater in winter and cool with a portable ac in the summer. I also put it on footing and foundation to help with wind and temp under it.

Keeping temps and humidity in check is where the challenge is. When you put that many plants and pots in an enclosed room the humidity gets high quick. My temps don’t get as cold here but my heater runs a lot when it’s cold. It’s going to be tough for you to keep the floor warm in the winter with your temps.

It’s not going to be cheap for you to do this without doing everything yourself. You will definitely need to do the electric right with separate breakers in the shed. It’s a lot of electricity running everything you will need.

Feel free to reach out to me if you’ve got any questions

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#18

it’s easy enough to do by yourself if you’re careful and have some sense. turn off the main breaker too. i work with it hot but know what i’m doing. as long as you have room for a spare breaker you can do it yourself but you’re renting so may not want to do that. ideally you want the conduit to be 18" down to code, in wv anyway, but realistically as long as nobody is digging 4-6" will work. if you don’t want to add a breaker you can plug it in an outlet as long as nothing else is on the circuit. you can also get armored cable rated for direct burial and put a plug on the end of it to plug into the outlet to save the trouble of running conduit. i forgot what the electrical armored cable is called. that way you don’t even have to turn off the power first. just run all the other stuff before you plug it in. make sure it’s at least a 20 amp circuit. you may need to use two if you pull too much power.

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#19

35 year carpenter you can do it but one mentioned 2x4 walls r13 insulation that would be minimal at best you live in the rockys just think about how many times the heater furnace whatever comes on in the house to keep warm the only way you will keep it warm enough is to insulate insulate insulate 2x6 wall is r20 border line like i am thinking r40 like in a ceil in new construction any electricians in the chat i am sure that one heater will take up the breaker it is plugged into in the house another plug separate for the rest led lite and fans filters the likes my money 2x2 2x3 stud wall 24 inch on centers its a shed then another on the inside so yes two seperate walls its called a thermal break cheapest way to get really think warm walls

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#20

just because i learned you aleays need more space then planned id build 12x16

it also is a good number to prevent unnecessary material loss(plywood cutings)

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