Attempting a grow room.

[Bfg]

Hi all, I've been lurking and reading up long enough now, and have decided to crack on with making somewhere to grow.
My main concern is that my children have no idea, and that I don't get busted, so stealth is top priority.

As such the only place I can do this is under my shed!
Sooo, a mammoth task ahead just to be able to grow one or two plants at a time!
I starts today by ripping up the shed floor, which was tongue and groove which had been nailed in, so that was fun. Then the supports underneather were 45mm, and I can only find 47mm wood. So the first break to stealth is there will be a slight height difference, but I'm sure I can lose 2mm.
I pulled up several floor planks, and then cut the supports underneath too. This has given me a space about 1.6m long by 70cm wide in which to dig. I was originally planning on digging a hole 60cmx60cm, and as deep as I can reasonably go, hoping at least 1.2m, ideally about 1.5m. Then next to that, I intend to dig a shallower hole, the size of two plastic storage boxes. In this I will store a water reservoir, and in the other box the fan and filter. If that doesn't take forever and present me with loads of problems, then I may dig it out wider and include a separate veg box, and maybe a drying box if space allows.

Tomorrow I will finish replacing the flooring, but having turned the plank I removed into two seperate trapdoors. This work is covered by a close to truth story about getting rid of rats under the shed, and replacing some rotten supports. From then on I will have to be a bit more stealthy, not digging when the family are about, so basically only on days off during the week.
So then it will be a case of going out to the shed, locking myself in. Then moving things about within the shed so I can lift the trapdoor, break a hole through the cement floor, and then use post hole diggers to dig my hole.
Once dug, I plan to pour a concrete floor in, then build a 60x60cm box, and paint the inside white. Put wire around the outside and then drop it in the hole which will be about 70x70cm. (Unless it was easy to dig in which case I will go bigger) Then I'll pour concrete down the outside.
I forgot to mention I would have put in place a length of drain pipe entering into the bottom of the hole, about a foot from the bottom, which would then 90' turn and go up into the shed, as a passive intake for fresh air, and an exit hole near the top which the cool tube will connect to, then just outside the hole in a plastic box will be the fan and filter. This box will have a 110mm waste type pipe then going up into the shed to exhaust.
Hope this is making sense to someone other than me lol!
Once that is all done, I will build a frame, 4 corner pieces of 1x1 type timber, with a flat base and a flat top, both 60x60 cm. The plant pots will sit in this, and the light attached to the top. It will be a bit shorter than I dug the hole. I will put an eyelet in the top. I can then hide a pulley in a as drawer, and attach it to the shed roof and use it to lift the frame, complete with plants etc up. Do what i need to training or watering, then lower back down. I will build a lid that seals, to prevent insects getting in, or smells getting out!

I have decided to cut down on trips out to the shed, I will have a plastic box full of water, and use fish tank type pumps and small tubing to water the plants using a timer, with a similar pump in a tray that the pots sit in to pump the waste out.

That should do for now, I'll have to read through it later to check it makes sense!

What will probably happen is I'll start to dig and it'll be nothing but rubble in clay, causing me to abandon my plans lol...

Hope you like my idea, let me know if there are any glaring problems I haven't thought of,

Atb
Bfg

[Ginger-bud]

Man that's a plan !
I heard once that when digging holes u can fill your pockets with soil and let it fall out your trouser leg when your on yard time
I also grow in a shed and stealth was my main concern I lined the shed with kingspan and bought a tent then built a false wall at the back half of the shed so no one can see even when the main doors are open. Your plan sounds great but I'm not sure how much air movement your gonna get and also might get some damp down there. So will u put the lights on the back of trap door and reach down in to the hole to work on plants ?
Also my stealth never worked kids have both caught me but that's cos of to many trips to shed and leaving the doors open lol
I'd rather get caught with a tent than a purpose built groom/Joseph fritzel bunker in my shed haha
Good luck mate it's all in the planning

[rockhopper]

That sounds like a lot of work & expense in order to grow a couple of plants, would have personally gone for a good quality tent, clad the shed & make it out of bounds to the kids, the boogie man, rats, unsafe, poison, the list of reasons being endless, you're fundamentally building an outdoor swimming pool, albeit a small one, you'll need a contingency for flooding.
Whichever way you go, good luck

ATB

[Bfg]

I'm hoping air movement will be plenty, with a fan sucking out the top and a drainpipe size inlet, I think that should be plenty, with only 60x60cm? And maybe two plants?
No I won't reach down, that would be impossible. I envision that I'll open he shed floor, then the Swales lid of the box, then I will see the flat top of the frame work, with an eyelet in the top. I will clip a cord onto that, and through a pulley on the shed roof, I will then lift the framework up and out of the hole.

It shouldn't cost too much, I have a couple bags of cement, will need a couple more. But I have most of the wood already, bits left over from turning the attic into a playroom for the kids. After that it's all the usual stuff, fan, filter, lights, water pumps...

When I did the attic, I thought about blocking off a section of the eaves, but a) it would have been very cramped, and almost impossible to check on . Also would definiately be heard by someone, and I'm not sure blaming the noises on the boiler/central heating and bathroom fan would work for long.
Blocking off all or part of the shed isn't an option. My stepson is 11, and starting to get more curious about things. Also I just need all the storage space!
I know it's a lot of work, but I'm desperate to get some better quality stuff, and stop paying for it! Also I'd like to switch to eating rather than smoking, but having tried it before I'll need a lot more than I can afford to buy...
Once it's done, if it works then it will last, and be very stealth.
I don't think I will get damp issues, as dray air from the shed will be sucked in, to a sealed box.
I was more worried about the temperature. In the ground it will be very well insulated, I just wonder whether it will get too hot or too cold, or be just right. Don't know whether to use 150 or 250hpd. Will just have to experiment I think.
I was even thinking that I wouldn't need as much extraction as the standard 4" ruck/RBI fans, and was thinking if I should look for a lower power fan, to save on electricity and noise.
Thanks for stopping in, hoping for lots of input lol to help me plan as I build. I've planned it a thousand times in my head, but as I haven't really done this before there will no doubt be lots of learning curves!
Will put pics up tomorrow of the floor and hopefully a working trapdoor.. :-/

[Ginger-bud]

Sounds an elaborate plan mate and also sounds like you've stared out the window dreaming about it for ages !
It will be a big lump to keep lifting in and out even with two pots and fully grown plants it will still require some hoisting to get it out the hole. Got to work with what you got tho and sounds like you've put alot of thought in to it.
Being in the ground should keep in warmer in winter and cooler in summer
Just don't let the trap door go when your down there digging or we might not hear from u again lol

[Bfg]

Haha, that wouldn't be good!
And yes, been imagining it for a long time. Gone through several various ideas, but I think this is the only real way forward.

[Type M]

Would love to see this in picture as you crack on BFG. Good luck

[Bfg]

The floor is back down! Split into two trapdoors, I'll only need to get in the second one if something goes wrong with the fan and filter though as I'm planning for them to go that end.
I look dan but obvious, as I used the circular saw out of laziness, so the gap is a tad bigger than ideal, but once I've dirties the fresh cut ends, it will be less noticeable. Plus, unless anyone is looking for it, I doubt they'll notice anything. And if anyone does, I think my cover story will hold. ' I had to take the floor up to get rid of rats, when I did the under neath supports were rotten, and so I had to cut it all up and replace etc.'
I'll try and figure out how to post a few pics.

Next is to break the concrete base, and start digging! I don't want to use the grinder in there, far to dusty. So to get as neat an edge as possible, I will drill holes every inch or so, and then smash it out up to the holes. The rough edges will be hidden by new concrete after.

[Bfg]

[Bfg]

Sorry for the above post, getting used to the attackig process lol


Floor planks peeled up, new supports put in place

Attachment 338252
All screwed back down, but onto new supports so the whole section is now liftable

Attachment 338253
Cut into two separate trapdoors.

Just need to provide extra support underneath for when I knock out the concrete underneath.

As you am see, I've not measured everything and it's a bit of a knock together, but as I'm the only person who will ever see it ( other than you lot reading this) I'm not bothered, so long as it's sturdy enough and does what it needs to!