ReikoX's Workshop Rebuild 2020

[ReikoX]

Part I - The Layout

So I’ve been wanting to upgrade my grow room for over a year now. My original plan was to redo the room after I got my yearly bonus. Unfortunately life got in the way, funds ran out, and I just kept growing.

Let’s start with what my workshop looks like currently. This is a top down view. The top and right side walls are exterior walls, 3’ underground. The other two walls are adjacent to living spaces in the 1/2 basement.

There are a couple of things that I don’t like about this room. First are the interior walls of the room itself. The walls themselves are framed, but instead of having sheetrock on them, they have paneling. I’ve hated this damn paneling since I moved in. Another issue I have is the door frame is about three inches too tall. This leaves a huge gap under the door.

Workshop - current configuration

I have been trying to figure out the layout for quite some time now. I’ve started a discussion with @Mr.Sparkle about the layout of the room. The room is essentially 10’ x 10’. My original idea was to split the room up with two 5’ x 5’ rooms. But I didn’t want to get rid of my workbench or cab. I’ve grown attached to the no-till cab and the workbench is awesome for pressing rosin etc. The problem with this layout is there is not only 22" between the workbench and the wall, but I could fit my other cab in the “veg” side. This layout also required the use of pocket doors because there is no way to open the doors with only 22" of clearance.

Workshop - version 1.3

The next thing I tried was cutting the workbench in half and turning it 90 degrees. I didn’t like the idea of cutting the workbench, plus it left a lot of unusable space in the grow room. It did solve the issue of having to use the pocket doors though.

Workshop - version 1.4

After some thought, I decided maybe it would be better to run a 4’ x 5’ room instead of a 5’ x 5’ room… It would give me more room to keep the workbench and still be plenty of room to grow. Now we are getting somewhere.

Workshop - version 1.5

I figured a 4’ x 4’ grow area would be easier to light, so I played with having two 4’ x 4’ areas and a small drying area. I didn’t really have enough room for the drying closet, it was only about 14" wide, not very useful.

Workshop - version 1.6

That’s when @Mr.Sparkle uggested doing a 60/40 split of the area. This gives me a little bit more room in the veg area, I can put up cabinets or tents for drying and use this area for autos as well. Once I saw the sketch, I was sold.

Workshop - version 1.7

A while later, while smoking a doobie in the workshop, I was trying to visualize the space. I grabbed my tape measure and had a wonderful discovery. My room is actually closer to 10’ x 11.5’. This gives me a whole lot more room than I thought. In fact, I can turn that workbench around without having to cut it. Finally, I decided I wanted to run a bigger flower side than the veg side. After a few more iterations, I settled on this design.

Workshop - version 2.4

[dequilo]

this is going to be good

thanks for sharing with us

Dequilo

[DavesNotHere]

Pretty fancy. Looks like you’re plants are gonna spend their lives at the Rittz lol

[ChronicMcBudz]

I’m definitely along for the ride. Cant wait to see it all together!

[orange]

Love this stuff. Curious to see it turn out.

Def fix the shit entrance door frame. Fuckin cheap SW builders…

Pocket doors notoriously hard to light proof. U really wanna go there?

How much height you got floor to ceiling? What about doing veg & dry side stacked? Whats under or above the work bench?

U said yer attached to the cab but why put a cab inside a room? Seems like a redundant waste.

AC or Swamp Cooler? Vent each grow room outside separately fer breedin? Wheres yer air intake?

[ReikoX]

@dequilo

this is going to be good

thanks for sharing with us

Yeah, I’ve been looking forward to it for a while now.

@DavesNotHere

Pretty fancy. Looks like you’re plants are gonna spend their lives at the Rittz lol

My moto for this build is “go big or go home”.

@ChronicMcBudz

I’m definitely along for the ride. Cant wait to see it all together!

Welcome, this should be a fun ride!

@orange

Def fix the shit entrance door frame. Fuckin cheap SW builders…

Like painted paneling instead of sheetrock.

@orange

Pocket doors notoriously hard to light proof. U really wanna go there?

No, I dont and now that I found out the room is bigger, I wont need to use them.

@orange

How much height you got floor to ceiling? What about doing veg & dry side stacked? Whats under or above the work bench?

I have 7’ ceilings, a huge upgrade from 30" of cabinet space. I decided I am just going to buy a freeze dryer and turn most of it into fresh frozen bubble/rosin. The rosin press is on top of the workbench and under is is storage for amendments, etc.

@orange

U said yer attached to the cab but why put a cab inside a room? Seems like a redundant waste

Yes, it is. That idea has been scrapped. I will likely just keep the doors with all the stickers for decoration and part out the rest.

@orange

AC or Swamp Cooler? Vent each grow room outside separately fer breedin? Wheres yer air intake?

I have an AC in the workshop, this area will be the lung room a d I will condition the air in there. Yes, both rooms will be filtered both intake and exhaust. I haven’t worked it out yet, I haven’t really worked out the electrical plan either.

---

Keep the questions coming folks. Help be my Muse!

[orange]

Good call on scrappin the cab n pocket doors.

@ReikoX

I have 7’ ceilings, a huge upgrade from 30" of cabinet space. I decided I am just going to buy a freeze dryer and turn most of it into fresh frozen bubble/rosin. The rosin press is on top of the workbench and under is is storage for amendments, etc.

Yeah n you can always just dry in the room too cuz of 10% humidity and cool temps from yer AC right?

How important is odor control or pollen isolation to you?

All 4 walls poured concrete? Cinder block typical SW prison block style?

Do them exterior walls face south or west n if so is they shaded or do them walls heat up n radiate heat all summer? Curious if u take down panelin n replace it w 2" foam insulation inside 2x2 framing n drywall over top?

[ReikoX]

@orange

Yeah n you can always just dry in the room too cuz of 10% humidity and cool temps from yer AC right?

Yes, I could always dry in the flowering or lung rooms.

@orange

How important is odor control or pollen isolation to you?

Very, I will be filtering exhaust and intake.

@orange

All 4 walls poured concrete? Cinder block typical SW prison block style?

Two walls in the room are poured concrete 3’ deep, then framed and insulated with siding for the remaining 4’.

@orange

Do them exterior walls face south or west n if so is they shaded or do them walls heat up n radiate heat all summer? Curious if u take down panelin n replace it w 2" foam insulation inside 2x2 framing n drywall over top?

Yes one faces south (lung room) and gets full sun in the summer. The other faces west and is shaded from my neighbor’s house. Yes. I plan to remove the paneling, foam insulation and new sheetrock.

[Badfishy1]

Good luck my man. Awesome plan

[orange]

How much power u got going in there n is u gonna rewire fer more? Cant see needin more n 30amp fer yer sq footage. Hows it distro now? Location of outlets etc.

Inside yer grow areas is you goin to paint drywall white errr make shiny surfaces with rtech/mylar? Think growmau5 n migro YT channels both did comparisons.

@ReikoX

Two walls in the room are poured concrete 3’ deep, then framed and insulated with siding for the remaining 4’.

Guessin this is them 2 external walls?

@ReikoX

Very, I will be filtering exhaust and intake.

How? What products 2 filter intake n what u tryin to remove? Exhaust im guessin just smell filters?

[ReikoX]

@orange I want to take a moment to say thank you for engaging in this discussion with me. It really helps me to make sure I have everything planned out.

@orange

How much power u got going in there n is u gonna rewire fer more? Cant see needin more n 30amp fer yer sq footage. Hows it distro now? Location of outlets etc.

I’ll go into more detail on the electrical plans in part IV. (Hehe, haven’t even posted part II yet) but I will have a 20 amp circuit run to the workshop for the flowering/veg rooms and I already have a 15 amp circuit for the lung room (AC, dehumidifier, etc).

@orange

Inside yer grow areas is you goin to paint drywall white errr make shiny surfaces with rtech/mylar?

I’m leaning toward a titanium paint. It is easiest to apply and clean. Plus in a year or so, I can quickly slap a new coat of paint on it.

@orange

How? What products 2 filter intake n what u tryin to remove? Exhaust im guessin just smell filters?

Still working on the intake, but I plan to use a furnace filter to keep out dust and pet hair. Mainly the pet hair, it’s terrible, but I love my dog anyway.

[Sunvalley]

Good luck with the upgrade bro… looking fwd to seeing it up and running

[ReikoX]

Part II - Flowering

Now that I have the layout pretty much worked out, I turned my attention to the flowering room. This past year, I have experimented with a couple of different methods of growing, but still prefer the no-till bed. I really enjoy the process of feeding my plants by hand, it allows me to spend some time observing the plant for issues. Spending time with my plants is very therapeutic for me. Back when I was thinking of doing a 4’ x 4’ room, I knew I wanted to do a living soil, but I was torn between doing four 25-gallon pots or one 100-gallon pot.

Workshop - version 1.7.1 - four 25-gallon pots

Workshop - version 1.7.2 - one 100-gallon pots

Once I settled on the 4’ x 6’ room, I realized this is basically three 2’ x 4’ areas combined, This is roughly the same size as my no-till cabinet, so I decided on three no-till beds on castors. This way, I can easily move the beds for maintenance and cleanup. This setup would also allow me to run perpetually if I wanted to, but I have preferred to run full cycles in the past. The plan for the bed is to have a base made of wood and covered in pond liner. This will then have a custom made 30-gallon fabric bed that fits inside the base, just like I made for my previous cab. The base will allow the bed to be moved as well as catching any runoff that may occur.

Workshop - version 2.10

With the soil beds all figured out, I turned my attention to the lighting. I was debating building a ChilLED light kit or getting a Fluence SPYDRx. The issue is, these are both designed for a square area like a 5’ x 5’. So, I started taking inventory of what I currently have. I already have two identical lights for my workbench, and the parts to build a third. The only thing I’m missing is an extra HLG-240H-24B driver. I decided that, since I wouldn’t have to pay for a whole new light rig, I would experiment with some supplemental lighting. I decided to run two Emerson boards, and two Exotic Spectrum boards from Rapid LED.

Workshop - version 2.10-flowering

The following illustration shows the light and the different spectrum I have available. The layout is such that each bed will have a ladder style light over it and the supplemental spectrum boards on the side. Starting with the rack, each rack has six 2700K SolStrips (yellow) for flowering and three 5000K Solstips (blue) for veg running at at 40W each. The supplemental spectrum boards each run about 30W and both have two channels that can be independently controlled with a PWM controller. The Emerson board (red) has a combination of Photo Red (650-670nm) and Far Red (720-740). The Exotic Specturm board (purple) has a combination of UVA (390-400nm) and Infrared (840-870nm). With these, and my Bluefish LED controller, I will be able to dim each channel of lights independently. This will allow me to do things such as adding far red before lights on and lights off, simulating sunrise/sunset, and changing spectrum and intensity for flowering and veg. Each of these channels (represented by a different color) will also be able to be turned on and off independently using a Sonoff wireless timer.

Workshop - version 2.10-flowering lights

Exhaust is still a work in progress, but the plan is for a ACInfinity Cloudline T8 with carbon filter and a couple oscillating fans for circulation. This will be covered in more detail later along with electrical.

[orange]

Good call on 3x notill beds on castors w built in catchment trays. A+++

Layout of space n workshop v 2.10 is ruff tho cuz u cant ez get at all 3 beds w yer door position. Gotta do some grow yoga to get at yer stuff in back n that 1 side. Like havin a phone thats 2 big fer yer hands. Better 2 have a full door that opens. Better 2 put flower close to your entrance door n give it a full side door that opens fully fer ez access. imo

Latest research sez blue spectrum fer veg is a waste of photons. Midpower white LED in 3000k or 3500k has enuff blue in it to keep plants compact. Smokem if u gotem but dont build new w blue. Keep the UVA n near UV to minimal usage per day at most couple hours sez latest science.

How u gonna manage raisin lights if one bed is lots taller n the others? Each of yer 7 fixtures (mains + supps) adjustable? Gonna be a rats nest wiring nitemare w all them gadgets n gizmo controllers.

Howz yer airflow gonna go? Cloudline T8 is seriously oversized fer yer space especially w low humidity even if yer drawin thru both chambers. Save bux n go w T6. Curious 2 see how u isolate n filter out pollen fer chucks. Thouhgt bout drawin from flower into veg n filterin there so you have more headroom to raise lights?

[ReikoX]

@orange

Layout of space n workshop v 2.10 is ruff tho cuz u cant ez get at all 3 beds w yer door position.

Good point. I may go back to the workbench under the window and then move the door to the center of that side. Then I should have no problem getting in there with my sprayer.

@orange

Smokem if u gotem but dont build new w blue.

I got them and they are already rolled up ready to smoke.

@orange

How u gonna manage raisin lights if one bed is lots taller n the others? Each of yer 7 fixtures (mains + supps) adjustable? Gonna be a rats nest wiring nitemare w all them gadgets n gizmo controllers.

The plan is to have each of them on ratcheting hangers, but I am hoping there wont be a whole lot of fiddling with them. I have a subflooring that should make managing the wiring a bit easier. Still it will be a challenge.

@orange

Howz yer airflow gonna go?

The plan is to have each chamber independent of one another. I am still undecided between a T8/T6 or downsizing to a T6/T4. I still need to do the calculations to see which is more appropriate.

@orange

Curious 2 see how u isolate n filter out pollen fer chucks.

Usually when I do a chuck, the plants are kept small and pollination happens in a seperate area of the house. This is also where I quarantine new cuttings.

@orange

Thouhgt bout drawin from flower into veg n filterin there so you have more headroom to raise lights?

I’ll have to think about this too, I usually like to pull through veg to help keep lights off temps lower. Having the extra headroom is not a bad idea since I have 7’ ceilings.

[Johnnybsmokin]

Looking forward to the final builds and the results it can bring you, good luck, but I’m sure you won’t need it tho

Cheers Johnny

[twistedinfinity]

I wish I had any amount of these drawing and planning tendencies inside me haha… look forward to seeing it all come together!

[cannabissequoia]

@DavesNotHere

Pretty fancy. Looks like you’re plants are gonna spend their lives at the Rittz lol

That first image reminded me of every small apartment kitchen (elevation cutaway, nice ceiling extractor) heheh @ReikoX be workin on some HotPockets

[ReikoX]

@Johnnybsmokin

Looking forward to the final builds and the results it can bring you, good luck

Me too, hopefully it doesnt take me too long. I miss growing already.

@twistedinfinity

I wish I had any amount of these drawing and planning tendencies inside me haha…

I’ve been using this program, Sketchup, for over 10 years now. It is a pretty simple program, and being able to arrange things virtually is invaluable.

@cannabissequoia

heheh @ReikoX be workin on some HotPockets

That’s the next hyped strain name! Better add a ‘z’ to avoid trademarks. HotPocketz!

[ReikoX]

I ment to mention the program is free and web based (now). Check it out at app.sketchup.com