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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It can be done but wayyy different than a basement where the temps stay the same
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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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How about a geodesic dome?
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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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 
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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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I’m in a similar situation… can’t use the house but can’t blow up the yard either 
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.
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…
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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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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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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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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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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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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I grow in my shed, affectionately called the “Growage”.
It started out as a 9’ x 16’ interior, I added a 4’ extension to one side, removed the roll up door and framed it in. Put a new roof on.
Insulated under 3/4" floor, walls and ceiling. That addition is where I have my two tents, a 4x4 with extension on taller side and a 3x3 next to it. Between them are my two 12 gallon reservoirs.
I hung blackout curtains in front of the tents, occasionally I’ll run auto’s in front of my tool box. 24 hours on.
I bought a larger window ac unit, cut a hole in the wall. Nice size dehumidifier when needed. In the coldest parts of winter I exhaust back inside. With all LED now I’m finding the 3x3 runs cool with a 300w unit. Next winter a MH/HPS air-cooled hood will most likely go back in. These heat the space much easier. I also have a few 1500w oil filled radiator heaters.
I just started rearranging things, got rid of some tools as I’m now retired and ordered a third tent.
I also have a 4x2x40" tall seedling and cloning cabinet in there. As well as an old foldable camper table and office chair, mini fridge and TV.
It could take some time to dial in but you’ll eventually find a way to make it work. I had no choice… 
Get to work, and enjoy the rewards.
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I really appreciate it @VAkish! Shopping around for the right height shed right now, and starting to think it may be easier to just build it my self. I can reclaim quite a bit of lumber & 2in insulation board from my greenhouse over the next month before I move…
Thanks for the input!
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Appreciate the electrical knowledge @sfzombie13! Thankfully one of my buddies in town is quite knowledgeable w/ electrical matters so I’ll press gang him into helping when the time comes.
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Appreciate the expertise @thainer! I’m thinking this may be the route to take as I’d like to maximize the indoor space while not taking up prime garden space in the yard.
I’ll look into your suggestions!
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@amumayuk very true, would be nice to have room to expand… I calculated that I’m currently using 56 square feet to grow in, so I’d need a shed at least 80sq ft to have some extra room, and may as well get something around 100sqft
@GCBudz this is exactly what I’m picturing!! Awesome purpose built space. I also was thinking about moving my mini fridge out there to keep brews stocked next to the ladies… great minds & all
I’m curious if you ran conduit & created a new breaker for the shed, or just run off of a dedicated outlet? Are temperature/humidity swings more aggressive than you expected? And also if there was something you’d do differently from the jump, what would that be?
I’m thinking it won’t be too crazy hard to pull this off, and a super fun new project. Really appreciate you chiming in, helps to see proof of concept.
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I bought the house with garage built on concrete slab, had electric baseboard heat and plenty of outlets. House and garage built by my father in law… he passed shortly after and I never met him.
Electric is run underground beneath end of driveway. I’m not electrical savvy to describe in further detail. I have moved a few outlets around to separate each tent into its own circuit. Necessary when I ran ballasts and bulbs.
I wish I had water to shed, I run the hose into and fill a 20 gallon tote once a week to mix for reservoirs. Usually enough to also take care of any handfeeding also. When in stretch every 5 days…
Humidity I only worry if it’s high, then the dehuey kicks on. Low humidity slows plants down… but they grow. Last few seasons have been mild, and humidity during winter came up and things have improved. Exhausting inside helps too.
I just run with it, figure out the pressing issues as I go.
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