Building a Grow Shed Two separate rooms or two tents?

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Growasourusrex

Growasourusrex

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Hey Guys,

Long time reader but a first-time poster on this blog.

I'm about to embark on a DIY grow shed for my yard. I think the shed will either be a 12x16 with one 6x12 flower room and one 6x4 veg room. the other option is to use my 4x4 tent and purchase a 5x9 because I can't seem to find the right-sized tent for my ideal build.

I haven't even broken ground yet on the shed so even the shape or size of the shed is subject to change with the right reasoning.

Main questions/concerns
  1. Is it better to build two separate rooms or have two tents (even if the tents are not the ideal size)
    1. If I have two separate rooms, can i still have the main portion of the shed be a lung room for the veg and flower room? Ideally, I'd like to have one mini split keeping this thing in check.
  2. Is a veg room even worth the hassle in a Rdwc build? I can just make one giant room and run normal grows like I have done previously
    1. I could run one giant 18 site (2 rows of 9) in a 6x16

Some limitations are as follows;
  1. I am going to be running this thing mostly off solar and batteries; therefore, having the whole thing be two grow rooms just becomes very expensive because of having the battery storage to keep all the lights, mini split, water chiller, pumps....etc running when the sun is down.
  2. I have access to one 25 amp outlet about 100 feet away from where the shed will be and I'm most probably going to run an 18000 BTU mini split off it
  3. I already have one 1/4 JBJ water chiller and ideally don't need to spend another grand on a water chiller
  4. I want one main flower room and my goal is to "fully" automate the process using a Raspberry Pi and having two flower rooms would significantly increase my upfront costs.
  5. I need to run a carbon filter and would like to keep the smelly down as much as possible.
  6. Ideally, I don't want to run more than 3 LEDS that cover a 5x5 area (to keep the energy use down)
Stuff I already have that may impact your opinion
  1. 1/4 HP water chiller
  2. 6-inch AC infinity fan
  3. 4x4 gorilla grow tent
  4. 1000w Growpro LED
  5. water pumps air pumps etc
ibb.co

20231014-170328 hosted at ImgBB

Image 20231014-170328 hosted in ImgBB
ibb.co ibb.co

Things I know I need to buy/build regardless of the route we decide.
  1. More AC infinity fans
  2. Carbon filter
  3. Build a tailored hydro system for the rooms we decide are best for the space
  4. A shed (lol)


Given all my RDWC skills pretty much come from this blog I figured id ask you guys what you think my best course of action is. Please ask any and all questions and don't be hesitant to critique my plans.

I attached my shit sketch of my idea of the ideal shed.

ibb.co

20231014-170328 hosted at ImgBB

Image 20231014-170328 hosted in ImgBB
ibb.co ibb.co

I also, i don't know why, rendered a shed up for fun and it looks like this

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Contemporary-Shed-for-Yard hosted at ImgBB

Image Contemporary-Shed-for-Yard hosted in ImgBB
ibb.co ibb.co

All my experience over the years is with RDWC so that's the route I'll most probably be taking.

Below is the quote I got from a solar company that will be running 10 460 W solar panels and will buy a few more batteries that I got quoted for to store as much power as I need to keep my lights/pumps running while the sun is down.


For fun here are some pictures of my previous grows.

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20220306-184441 hosted at ImgBB

Image 20220306-184441 hosted in ImgBB
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IMG-20220127-212049 hosted at ImgBB

Image IMG-20220127-212049 hosted in ImgBB
ibb.co ibb.co
ibb.co

20220306-184434 hosted at ImgBB

Image 20220306-184434 hosted in ImgBB
ibb.co ibb.co
ibb.co

20231014-170328 hosted at ImgBB

Image 20231014-170328 hosted in ImgBB
ibb.co ibb.co
ibb.co

Contemporary-Shed-for-Yard hosted at ImgBB

Image Contemporary-Shed-for-Yard hosted in ImgBB
ibb.co ibb.co



I appreciate any and all insight in advanced and will bring you guys along for the whole shed build and hydro build. If you have any questions regarding anything please please ask.

Thank you all ahead of time.
 
Last edited:
Growasourusrex

Growasourusrex

6
1
W

watsongreenthumb

4
3
I have built a few grow sheds and personally I much prefer a room to a tent, just much easier to hang everything where you want it like fans and whatnot. It looks like you have some entry area when you first come in the shed, thats important and you can put a change of shoes out there, sounds silly but one of the sheds I built for a buddy and he had issues from walking through the grass and bringing bugs into his room. one other thing I would recommend is to spend the extra buck to get the 105" 2x4's for framing the walls, tall ceilings are nice.

what were you planning to do for lighting? do you want the whole 12x6 area lit? It would be much easier and cheaper to run a sub panel out to the shed that to run it basically off grid on solar.

So about the mini split, one room with tents makes that part easier but you can run an inline fan pulling air into and out of the rooms, have done it with an AC in the flower room and then pulling air and co2 back and fourth between the veg and flower room with inline fans, we used basic centrifugal fans but ac infinity would make it easier to get really tight environmental control. it worked well though, veg room was always hotter and more humid than the flower room, right in the sweet spot, and saved the cost of buying ac, dehu for veg as well as got the benefits of co2.

very cool with using the rasberry pi, was planning to do something like that myself but ended up needing to get something reliable quickly to control everything and knowing electronics arent my forte just broke down and bought an agrowtech doser/ph controller.
 
Last edited:
jadins_journey

jadins_journey

Supporter
1,325
263
I grow perpetual in a yard barn as we call them around here. There's a few thoughts that come to mind, first is have a separate veg system but leave the tents alone.

Enviromental controls are the biggest hurdle for stand alone grows like this. Don't cheap out here

jj
 
Growasourusrex

Growasourusrex

6
1
watsongreenthumb said:
I have built a few grow sheds and personally I much prefer a room to a tent, just much easier to hang everything where you want it like fans and whatnot. It looks like you have some entry area when you first come in the shed, thats important and you can put a change of shoes out there, sounds silly but one of the sheds I built for a buddy and he had issues from walking through the grass and bringing bugs into his room. one other thing I would recommend is to spend the extra buck to get the 105" 2x4's for framing the walls, tall ceilings are nice.

what were you planning to do for lighting? do you want the whole 12x6 area lit? It would be much easier and cheaper to run a sub panel out to the shed that to run it basically off grid on solar.

So about the mini split, one room with tents makes that part easier but you can run an inline fan pulling air into and out of the rooms, have done it with an AC in the flower room and then pulling air and co2 back and fourth between the veg and flower room with inline fans, we used basic centrifugal fans but ac infinity would make it easier to get really tight environmental control. it worked well though, veg room was always hotter and more humid than the flower room, right in the sweet spot, and saved the cost of buying ac, dehu for veg as well as got the benefits of co2.

very cool with using the rasberry pi, was planning to do something like that myself but ended up needing to get something reliable quickly to control everything and knowing electronics arent my forte just broke down and bought an agrowtech doser/ph controller.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the super thorough response. Ill try and address everything in order.

For lighting, I was thinking about getting 2 more LEDs to cover a 5x5 area and I think that would be enough lighting for the room.
Mars Hydro LED lights. if you have any better suggestions for lighting please let me know.

In regards to using a sub panel and running a line, there are two problems I sorta see with this.
  1. The shed will be at my grandparents' house for its first 2-3 years (As I'm saving up to buy my own house) therefore, the shed will have to be moved in 2/3 years wherever I go. I already priced this out and know it will be fine.
  2. this leaves me between a rock and a hard place, do I pick either
    1. run a conduit and PVC 300 or so feet to a shed with 100a wire (roughly 1.4k is my estimates are right) but this will be completely lost when I move the shed which kind of sucks. or...
    2. splurge on solar, take advantage of the government tax credits, and build a solar system I can easily pack up and bring with me on the road when I move.
Solar will certainly cost me 5-6x the price (before tax credits) of running a wire but the potential of literally leaving 2k in the ground doesn't feel awesome.

I do have one outlet, that's 25amps about 100 feet from where the shed is but I have a feeling this won't even be enough for the mini split let alone the whole shed

What would you do in this situation?

How do you have the veg room and flower room sharing air without light leaks?

given the flower room only wants 12 hours of light when the veg room needs 18+, i sorta worry that light would be able to leak through.

My last question is about my worry with bugs, I did design an intermediate room to walk into and remove shoes but I still worry about the proximity. any tips or advice to remedy this?

To summarize my questions

  1. how do you keep light from veg and flower separate while having them share air?
    1. inline fans and ducting with bends?
  2. How do we make sure bugs don't find their way to my plants given that its a shed
  3. what would your suggestion for lighting be?
  4. Given the shed has to be moved, would you invest 10k into solar that will pay for itself over time or spend 2k on a separate line and panel?
Thanks in advance
 
Growasourusrex

Growasourusrex

6
1
jadins_journey said:
I grow perpetual in a yard barn as we call them around here. There's a few thoughts that come to mind, first is have a separate veg system but leave the tents alone.

Enviromental controls are the biggest hurdle for stand alone grows like this. Don't cheap out here

jj
Click to expand...
I just ordered this dehumidifier


and I plan on buying either a 12000 BTU or 18000 BTU Senville mini split for the whole place.

I also think that during the build I'm going to have to use solid foam board insulation for the highest R-value i can get.

What measures besides dehumidifier and AC did you have to achieve the results you were looking for on your barn build?
 
jadins_journey

jadins_journey

Supporter
1,325
263
Thats one nice de-humidifier!

The #1 issue for builds like ours is electricity. The mini split and dehumidifier are going to take a huge chuck of the available amps. It can get tricky to send power to an outbuilding, find someone you can trust local to guide you through. You've dropped some cash and I'd hate to see it waisted.

jj
 
Growasourusrex

Growasourusrex

6
1
jadins_journey said:
Thats one nice de-humidifier!

The #1 issue for builds like ours is electricity. The mini split and dehumidifier are going to take a huge chuck of the available amps. It can get tricky to send power to an outbuilding, find someone you can trust local to guide you through. You've dropped some cash and I'd hate to see it waisted.

jj
Click to expand...
Thanks, appreciate the insight and advice.
 
FirstLight

FirstLight

23
13
Growasourusrex said:
Thanks for the super thorough response. Ill try and address everything in order.

For lighting, I was thinking about getting 2 more LEDs to cover a 5x5 area and I think that would be enough lighting for the room.
Mars Hydro LED lights. if you have any better suggestions for lighting please let me know.

In regards to using a sub panel and running a line, there are two problems I sorta see with this.
  1. The shed will be at my grandparents' house for its first 2-3 years (As I'm saving up to buy my own house) therefore, the shed will have to be moved in 2/3 years wherever I go. I already priced this out and know it will be fine.
  2. this leaves me between a rock and a hard place, do I pick either
    1. run a conduit and PVC 300 or so feet to a shed with 100a wire (roughly 1.4k is my estimates are right) but this will be completely lost when I move the shed which kind of sucks. or...
    2. splurge on solar, take advantage of the government tax credits, and build a solar system I can easily pack up and bring with me on the road when I move.
Solar will certainly cost me 5-6x the price (before tax credits) of running a wire but the potential of literally leaving 2k in the ground doesn't feel awesome.

I do have one outlet, that's 25amps about 100 feet from where the shed is but I have a feeling this won't even be enough for the mini split let alone the whole shed

What would you do in this situation?

How do you have the veg room and flower room sharing air without light leaks?

given the flower room only wants 12 hours of light when the veg room needs 18+, i sorta worry that light would be able to leak through.

My last question is about my worry with bugs, I did design an intermediate room to walk into and remove shoes but I still worry about the proximity. any tips or advice to remedy this?

To summarize my questions

  1. how do you keep light from veg and flower separate while having them share air?
    1. inline fans and ducting with bends?
  2. How do we make sure bugs don't find their way to my plants given that its a shed
  3. what would your suggestion for lighting be?
  4. Given the shed has to be moved, would you invest 10k into solar that will pay for itself over time or spend 2k on a separate line and panel?
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

I’m new here, but not to growing herb.
I have a barn which I am building out a couple rooms as well.

I just did my first run with the lights above.
My best indoor grow for sure.
While the lights were not the sole reason
For success. They are the best LED’s I have
Used.

It was a 5x5 space and that light probably will do more space
 
Trash_2002

Trash_2002

1,450
263
if its possible a room always better than a tent.. tents are a PITA.
For veg they are great tho.. but for flowering i hate tents.
 
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