Making your own grow room

Hazedayz · Feb 25, 2023

Hey fellow growers,

So, I was wondering today what do you guys think of making your own grow room and not using a tent? What should be factored in? Like do you really need reflective sheeting etc. What about pests? Will pests be an even bigger issue without a tent? Or will it smell stronger and be harder to mange and also managing climate? Soooo many questions!

The reason I ask is that i grow in a small en-suite bathroom but the space is badly utilised. I can fit a 60x60 tent in there no problem but that’s all I can fit i could fit and squeeze in a 120x60 which would be perfect but it would be wall to wall and can only find tents that have the door on the long side which would be completely inaccessible. I would like a bigger space to grow in maybe get 1 or 2 more plants in there. So I thought about maybe making my own grow space without a tent I mean its seem perfect its a complete walk in shower so drainage at the bottom and pvc plastic walls but a dark colour so not very reflective. What’s your take on this?

(Sorry for all the questions you lot are just so helpful so I love to pick your brains and get all your information )

thank you in advance

Cirroji · Feb 25, 2023

after this grow i plan to double my lights and just use the entire bedroom for it . Expanded last time i had a tent and built my own enclosure in the basement. so happy to have a room upstairs now. used a shit ton of mylar but nowadays there's better reflective alternatives i believe.

go for the gold farmer!

steamroller · Feb 25, 2023

I lined my room with reflective insulation boards.

GrimReffer · Feb 25, 2023

Hazedayz said:
Hey fellow growers,

So, I was wondering today what do you guys think of making your own grow room and not using a tent? What should be factored in? Like do you really need reflective sheeting etc. What about pests? Will pests be an even bigger issue without a tent? Or will it smell stronger and be harder to mange and also managing climate? Soooo many questions!

The reason I ask is that i grow in a small en-suite bathroom but the space is badly utilised. I can fit a 60x60 tent in there no problem but that’s all I can fit i could fit and squeeze in a 120x60 which would be perfect but it would be wall to wall and can only find tents that have the door on the long side which would be completely inaccessible. I would like a bigger space to grow in maybe get 1 or 2 more plants in there. So I thought about maybe making my own grow space without a tent I mean its seem perfect its a complete walk in shower so drainage at the bottom and pvc plastic walls but a dark colour so not very reflective. What’s your take on this?

(Sorry for all the questions you lot are just so helpful so I love to pick your brains and get all your information )

thank you in advance

I used what’s caller panda film, it’s black on one side and white on the other and it works great for grow rooms.

Hazedayz · Feb 25, 2023

Great grow spaces, love them! So im gathering tents arnt really needed then and grow rooms are just as effective?

steamroller · Feb 25, 2023

For me the room is better.
No question at all.

BigBlonde · Feb 25, 2023

Is growing in the bathroom your only option? Can you provide a picture of the space you want to use?

Hazedayz said:
So im gathering tents arnt really needed then and grow rooms are just as effective?

That's true. Tents provide some nice features, though. One is that they can be a room within a room. The outer room is often called a "lung room." That helps to control the temperature and humidity inside the tent.

Hazedayz said:
Like do you really need reflective sheeting etc.

No. I understand white walls work well.

BigBlonde · Feb 25, 2023

steamroller said:
For me the room is better.
No question at all.

Great grow space!

Hazedayz · Feb 25, 2023

This is my space and unfortunately yea only space I have.

BigBlonde · Feb 25, 2023

I think those walls would be okay. I'd try it for a grow as it is to see how well they work. They look smooth and that means they'd be reflective. My only concern would be how or if they affect the light spectrum reflecting toward the plants. It probably wouldn't be hard to tape reflective material to the walls.

How would you hang the lights in there?

It looks like you have a lot of vertical space, which is a good thing. I would consider adding a short table or bench to make access to the plants easier and keep the soil warmer. The floor drain would be nice, but could be a home for gnats. You'd also have to pour some water down the drain occasionally to keep the trap full.

I would worry about having electrical devices so close to water and pipes. There's probably only one electrical outlet in the room, right?

Is that a vent to the outside at the top of the tent?

Hazedayz · Feb 25, 2023

Yea I have the same worry to be fair Ive taped the taps locked so no accidents happen got auto fire extinguisher in there for safe measures. The electricity comes from 1 plug socket and under the gap of the door. Yea that’s a vent going into the ventilation hole at the top of ceiling. I would have to drill holes and make a mount for lights I guess.

GuySmiley · Feb 25, 2023

I can't remember where, but a while ago I read something saying that flat, white wall paint isn't that much less reflective than the shiny aluminum looking stuff. The rolls of shiny mylar never seem to lay flat on a wall. It's prone to having waves and bubbles which can cause hot spots being focused at your plants.

elusiveshame · Feb 25, 2023

GuySmiley said:
I can't remember where, but a while ago I read something saying that flat, white wall paint isn't that much less reflective than the shiny aluminum looking stuff. The rolls of shiny mylar never seem to lay flat on a wall. It's prone to having waves and bubbles which can cause hot spots being focused at your plants.

You’d want to staple or secure the Mylar to the wall, otherwise it’s going to be noisy as hell with a small fan blowing.

Also I don’t think it’s reflective enough to focus light like that. If that were the case, you’d have evidence of it with tents sucking in due to negative pressure. They aren’t mirrors, after all.

AnimalHouse · Feb 25, 2023

I once used tent but today I use a spare bedroom. The tent is still in there but I use it for drying and storage.
Not too many people build out cabs nowadays but I'd prefer that over a tent as well.
My room is 10'x10' but my grow space inside it is only 4'x10' and I use three CLW SolarSystem lights to cover it. Plants are finished in 7 gallon containers and I usually grow 6-9 plants per crop, each plant being approx 3'x3'x4'.

So when it comes to reflective walls I'm a bit on the fence. Yes I have reflective panels in my room. Made from the same material found inside HID reflectors. But my room is also painted black and I have a lot of art on the walls too so I don't believe reflective walls are that important. And my motto has always been if I need to depend on light bouncing off the walls then I just need better grow lights.
I've grown dozens of crops in this room and never once felt yield or quality lacked due to lack of reflective walls but totally get doing it plus it makes it look better and sometimes helps prevent mold.

Pros of a room are they're 100% customizable. Head room up to the ceiling is nice. Wall mount and ceiling fans are very useful. You can have things like a water storage tank, work table, a chair etc. I put down anti-fatigue flooring in my room too. The room is an enjoyable place to be and not something I just peek into. I boarded up the window on both side and stuck a window unit AC in there for snug custom fit and used the rest of the space to wall mount all my sparky and controllers. Outlets on all four walls is nice but I also ran a dedicated circuit for my lights. Water tank in the closet space.

Only con really IMO is you need to cut thru the ceiling to run exhaust into an attic or roof vent like I do. For many renters, cutting that hole in the ceiling is out of the question but if you own the home, go for it!

Bugs are bugs and they'll get you if they can. Preventative measures like keeping things clean, not having an ez way for them to get in, and not using things that have been outside inside the room works well

weedycellar · Feb 25, 2023

I'm growing in a root cellar with minimal supplies and using emergency blankets and reflective foam to bounce the light back to the plants. I'm sure if you make a room any better than what i currently have going on, it will work fine.

Cool_Beans · Feb 25, 2023

Great space to work with imo + utilities. No brainer imo, but I really like building shit.

steamroller · Feb 25, 2023

AnimalHouse said:
So when it comes to reflective walls I'm a bit on the fence. Yes I have reflective panels in my room. Made from the same material found inside HID reflectors. But my room is also painted black and I have a lot of art on the walls too so I don't believe reflective walls are that important. And my motto has always been if I need to depend on light bouncing off the walls then I just need better grow lights.
I've grown dozens of crops in this room and never once felt yield or quality lacked due to lack of reflective walls but totally get doing it plus it makes it look better and sometimes helps prevent mold.

Your grow always looks stellar!
I have always scratched my head at the stickers. It is not just you.
I like the red highlighted remark you made.
Take control!

BigBlonde · Feb 25, 2023

Hazedayz said:
I would have to drill holes and make a mount for lights I guess.

Maybe not. It's probably best not to do anything destructive that needs to be fixed when you move. I'd probably try to construct something from hardware store stuff, or maybe repurpose something like a clothes rack from craigslist. I'm imagining long pieces of wood with double-sided tape attaching them to the walls. Another board or a closet pole could connect them and support the light.

elusiveshame · Feb 25, 2023

BigBlonde said:
Maybe not. It's probably best not to do anything destructive that needs to be fixed when you move. I'd probably try to construct something from hardware store stuff, or maybe repurpose something like a clothes rack from craigslist. I'm imagining long pieces of wood with double-sided tape attaching them to the walls. Another board or a closet pole could connect them and support the light.

You’ll do more damage with removing double sided tape than screwing a hole in the wall. One will tear the sheet rock paper, the other is filled with $5 putty :p

Zen_Seeker · Feb 25, 2023

You have a lot of good answers and people here.

White was used long before reflective material with good results. In a pinch the emergency silver thermal blankets work. Cheap and can be found at most big stores or dollar stores.

Put a hygrometer in the location you want to grow. If you can’t manage the temperature & humidity or traffic is a problem then a tent is a better option.

How does one shower with a tent?️
Humidity control not a problem?

Making your own grow room

Making your own grow room

Hazedayz

Cirroji

man i'm just a hotdog

steamroller

GrimReffer

Hazedayz

steamroller

BigBlonde

BigBlonde

Hazedayz

Attachments

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Hazedayz

GuySmiley

elusiveshame

AnimalHouse

weedycellar

Cool_Beans

steamroller

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Making your own grow room

Making your own grow room

Hazedayz

Cirroji

man i'm just a hotdog

steamroller

GrimReffer

Hazedayz

steamroller

BigBlonde

BigBlonde

Hazedayz

Attachments

BigBlonde

Hazedayz

GuySmiley

elusiveshame

AnimalHouse

weedycellar

Cool_Beans

steamroller

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