Need Advice For Building Grow Room Inside Existing Secret Room

[BlackBeard]

Hi all

The house I live in has a secret room accessible though the attic which I'd like to grow in, nothing mad just a 1.2m x 2.4m grow area with a bit of height as I have a 1000 watt DE light for flowering, this needs to be done as cheaply as possible and then upgrades made down the line.

As you can see from the photos the place needs a full clean up, needs floor laying as well as insulation for the roof.

There is what looks to be some form of mold on some of the wood (still structurally sound), is it best to clean this off and cover it or clean it off and then seal it with some sort of paint or wood treatment?

Any ideas and advice is welcome, I am in the UK and eveything seems to be more expensive here than it is for you guys over in the USA.

BlackBeard

 

[trickle]

Personally I would put a layer of thick plastic over everything in there, secure it properly, and then build walls/floor/whatever... start at the top and then do the floor. Probably the cheapest option for a dust and vapor barrier

 

[BlackBeard]

I was thinking the same sort of thing as I have a 20m roll of heavy duty plastic sheeting, so I thought clean the place out then staple that to the wood working from the top down.

 

[trickle]

Nice! I'm cheap and usually just use 6mil lol 20m should really do it
Careful with staples, I prefer short roofing screws with the rubber/metal washers (your plastic won't rip out in winds/vacuum) - easy to remove too.

 

[GrowGod]

Brick walls! How old is that house?

 

[BlackBeard]

Trickle - putting duct tape on the plastic before stapling stops it from tearing too, but your way sounds like it'll last longer.

GrowGod - it's Victorian era, so well built, we can hear next doors music from outside though both our windows but nothing through the walls.

 

[DGP]

If your state isn't legal yet you will want to defiantly put up some reflective material and really good insulation. Some states will fly over areas with IR cameras etc and can see right where all the grows are. You would want to insulate well anyway for efficiency but look into ways to block a heat/IR signature from the air.

Looks like it would make a really nice grow space. Also, be careful when you work on the build because that mold could really make you sick. I would wear a canister respirator when your putting in the insulation and sealing the room.

Dee

 

[BlackBeard]

I've got a good few rolls of roof insulation to put up and will look into blocking IR, I thought they can only get a picture of the outer walls?
I would get around that by circulating the air in the room around the tent and mixing that with air in another room to keep it all a constant temp.

Good call on the mold, I've got a good respirator mask and they do filters for it for mold spores etc.
I've also got some mold spray I've used before, which seems to kill it all and keep it away for a good while so I'll go over it with that before I do anything else up there.

BlackBeard

 

[DGP]

I've got a good few rolls of roof insulation to put up and will look into blocking IR, I thought they can only get a picture of the outer walls?
I would get around that by circulating the air in the room around the tent and mixing that with air in another room to keep it all a constant temp.

Good call on the mold, I've got a good respirator mask and they do filters for it for mold spores etc.
I've also got some mold spray I've used before, which seems to kill it all and keep it away for a good while so I'll go over it with that before I do anything else up there.

BlackBeard

Sounds like a good plan. I don't know about the laws in your state but here in OR before it was legalized they used to fly over with IR and other sensors as well as having the ANG fly over with helicopters for daytime observation. I remember the news covering it to try and scare all the growers. Now they still do fly overs to do outdoor plant counts.

Would be good to get copies online of all your local and state laws so you at least understand the situation. Now that we are legal I have to read even more laws because they keep amending them and writing rules and just making it more complex and convoluted (the job of government is to F everything up).

Dee

 

[kansabis]

I would seal a that wood and brick with something that will resist rot and moisture/mold. If you just put plastic over it and add the heat and moisture from the grow you will end up with more and worse mold than what is there now.

 

[dan1989]

Hi all

The house I live in has a secret room accessible though the attic which I'd like to grow in, nothing mad just a 1.2m x 2.4m grow area with a bit of height as I have a 1000 watt DE light for flowering, this needs to be done as cheaply as possible and then upgrades made down the line.

As you can see from the photos the place needs a full clean up, needs floor laying as well as insulation for the roof.

There is what looks to be some form of mold on some of the wood (still structurally sound), is it best to clean this off and cover it or clean it off and then seal it with some sort of paint or wood treatment?

Any ideas and advice is welcome, I am in the UK and eveything seems to be more expensive here than it is for you guys over in the USA.

BlackBeard

Lucky fucker I'm in UK you're living in the house I want lol secret room but mine will be behind a bookcase :D

 

[dan1989]

Depends really if you're renting or buying, if it were my own home I'd be going the whole hog and knocking holes in the roof and everything, fully lined out and insulated.

 

[DGP]

I would seal a that wood and brick with something that will resist rot and moisture/mold. If you just put plastic over it and add the heat and moisture from the grow you will end up with more and worse mold than what is there now.

Very good suggestion.....

 

[BlackBeard]

I would seal a that wood and brick with something that will resist rot and moisture/mold. If you just put plastic over it and add the heat and moisture from the grow you will end up with more and worse mold than what is there now.

Yeah that's probably the best move, it won't cost much for some wood sealant and masonry paint, I think I've seen both with anti fungal additives too.

Lucky fucker I'm in UK you're living in the house I want lol secret room but mine will be behind a bookcase :D

Depends really if you're renting or buying, if it were my own home I'd be going the whole hog and knocking holes in the roof and everything, fully lined out and insulated.

Yeah I did get lucky with this place, I didn't even know about the hidden room until I'd been here about a month and decided to have a look in the loft.

Unfortunately I don't have the money to go crazy on a mental build as I'm in and out of work due to illness which is why I need to get back to growing my own medicine as I just can't afford to pay the stupid prices people charge here, starting from seed takes a fair while for the first harvest too so I just need to get setup fast and cheap.

BlackBeard

 

[MissBotany]

Sounds like a good plan. I don't know about the laws in your state but here in OR before it was legalized they used to fly over with IR and other sensors as well as having the ANG fly over with helicopters for daytime observation. I remember the news covering it to try and scare all the growers. Now they still do fly overs to do outdoor plant counts.

Would be good to get copies online of all your local and state laws so you at least understand the situation. Now that we are legal I have to read even more laws because they keep amending them and writing rules and just making it more complex and convoluted (the job of government is to F everything up).

Dee

In my state, they rarely do fly overs with FLIR. It is extremely expensive for the police to do this. Also, not many police departments have access to their own helicopter with FLIR. Typically they have to rent the electric company’s helicopter for a few hours and that can run them $$$$$. They usually only bring it out when there is a man hunt. That being said, if they come across a potential grow area, they document it and look into it later. Keep in mind, one little 600w hps light is not going to put off enough heat to attract the police. (LEDs put off practically zero heat so you’ll be safe with those in the attic.) However, if you go with HID, HPS lights or any light that puts off a ton of heat and you’re in the attic, you might be the only house with no snow on the roof in the dead of winter. That WILL draw some serious attention.

Usually the houses, sheds, storage units, etc with large grows (think many hot grow lights) will to put off enough heat to be picked up on a FLIR fly/drive by. Now that’s not enough evidence to get a search warrant because it’s considered a breach of privacy. They will further investigate you by searching through your trash, energy consumption, smell, unusual traffic to your home (if you’re selling),etc. Then they will be able to get a judge to approve a search warrant and you’re basically screwed.

 

[BlackBeard]

Yeah here in the UK they have even less money for stuff like helicopters with FLIR.
I'll be fully insulating the roof and will probably give it another layer before winter rolls around again just to be safe but I'll be venting the warm air into the downstairs of the house anyway so shouldn't have heat sig in the loft.

I'll be using a 1000 DE for flower, I've never used LEDs are they actually worth using now? as for a long time they were not viable except to add extra wavelengths to main lighting.

We don't have many people come round here anyway and I don't sell, and even if I did I wouldn't be as stupid as to have people come to my house! lol
I've always been careful of disposing of waste and nute bottles etc by either putting plastic bottles directly in a recycle centre (after wiping all prints off), all roots, plant scraps and such used to be mixed with used cat litter and taken to the dump.

BlackBeard

 

[MissBotany]

Yeah here in the UK they have even less money for stuff like helicopters with FLIR.
I'll be fully insulating the roof and will probably give it another layer before winter rolls around again just to be safe but I'll be venting the warm air into the downstairs of the house anyway so shouldn't have heat sig in the loft.

I'll be using a 1000 DE for flower, I've never used LEDs are they actually worth using now? as for a long time they were not viable except to add extra wavelengths to main lighting.

We don't have many people come round here anyway and I don't sell, and even if I did I wouldn't be as stupid as to have people come to my house! lol
I've always been careful of disposing of waste and nute bottles etc by either putting plastic bottles directly in a recycle centre (after wiping all prints off), all roots, plant scraps and such used to be mixed with used cat litter and taken to the dump.

BlackBeard

You’re good then! Biggest reason people get caught is because they’re selling. Selling comes with people talking and usually the people selling have a large grow operation which comes with a lot of heat emitting lights.

There’s more knowledgeable people on here that can give advice on lights but the general consensus on new cobs and quantum boards is positive. I just ordered a quantum board.

 

[BlackBeard]

Right I'll have to look into LEDs then, I need something to veg with too sot hat might be a good option as with the full loft overhaul I won't really have £200 to get a 315 ceramic straight away.

BlackBeard

 

[dan1989]

You're on a budget so how about a timber frame (try salvaging some 8x4 pallets, loads of engineering firms burn these to get rid of them) you will only have to chop a few inches off each length. In fact pallets are usually made with 4 long lengths of timber and 3 or 4 short bits so maybe you'll only need one pallet to build your frame. Some sheets of 8x4 mdf are cheap at B&Q and you can get them cut to size to suit your frame which we'll assume you've got for free. Wood screws are pennies obviously and some silicon mastic for sealing the edges isn't very expensive. You'll screw the mdf on the outside and for insulation I'd just buy a pack of rockwool sheets and some cans of contact adhesive and stick then on the outside. You've got a tapered roof so you might have to get creative with the saw, I don't know your background but I can tell you it's pretty easy to do. Jigsaw for cutting extraction holes etc. As for where to extract to, which you'll need to do if you don't want mold is another question, but you would have to have dealt with that anyway. I'm not a carpenter, I obviously don't want to be too specific but my job requires me to be able to build pretty much anything from sheet metal, structural steel, wood etc so I can give you some solid help if you need it. I just don't do electrical. Failed that part at college :D I kind of get the impression you're someone who works with their hands, but I could be wrong.

 

[BlackBeard]

Using pallets is a great idea, I didn't even think of that.
I wasn't sure which to use, MDF or OSB.
I did think about making the frame with the panels removable on both sides and the front for ease of working as I'm looking at going the hydro root for the moment, would possibly need some form of sealing flap on each panel though.

I've got most of the tools I'll need already including cutter drills for the extraction holes.

I'll be venting into the house so shouldn't have any mold problems up there, I will however run my intake through a hepa filter to be safe from anything that might get dragged in.

Yeah you're right, I do work with my hands, I used to do a bit of plumbing and electrical and then picked up more making hydro systems and setting up grow rooms, I'm capable with the carpentry too, especially something as simple as a grow box.

BlackBeard