Crazy underground idea

So guys, I would appreciate any input because I feel like i have a great idea and it could work! I was thinking of building a 3ft by 3ft box out of plywood and then nailing it together to seal it up. i would put a lock on it. then I was thinking of digging a hole in my back yard that is as big as the box. If I fit the box in the ground so that it was snug, do you think I could grow out of the box? i could have an extension cord running an inch underground to the box. It would open up from the top. i would puit an exhaust fan inside, the tube for the fan would come out a hole in the box and underground and would come up under my house because my house is raised. i would put a screen on the end of the hose for the fan so nothing can get in. after that is done I would connect lights inside with some fans, and i would line the inner of the box with reflective material. The top of the box will lock and open up like a door. Tell me what you guys think!

you'd be better off making it out of concrete block and sealing it with something tar based. i'd be worried about moisture with plywood. how tall are you thinking of making the box?

3 feet high/deep. and can you explain on the concrete and tar idea?.. and what about moisture?

you gonna lay on your belly to work on em?

better off getting a garden shed or something.

tylerplumtree said:

3 feet high/deep. and can you explain on the concrete and tar idea?.. and what about moisture?

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it's just like building a basement essentially. when you use organic materials like wood they are susceptible to rot in high moisture environments. if it rains all that water is going to want to go in your room. even if you seal the plywood really well you are still gonna have rot issues in my opinion. for a space that small i think you could build something for about the same price with some concrete block and cement. the tar or drylock (masonry sealer) just keeps the moisture out of the concrete.

now that i think about it though it really doesn't sound like that fun of an idea. i mean; constantly bending down to get in your grow room. what if you access hatch leaks and you end up with a ton of water in your room? why not just get a little shed to grow in? no one ever goes in anyone's shed.

beatcha

Well I live with my grandmother, so I cant build a shed. anyone have any stealth ideas leaning towards the path that i am in. I need it to be as stealth as possible

Dude treated plywood will take years and years to rot, that said blocks is a better way to go just a lot harder. I would use an electric actuator to raise and lower it out of the ground.

kinda figured.....

move out before you grow an illegal plant

joe macclennan said:

you gonna lay on your belly to work on em?

better off getting a garden shed or something.

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^^^^^ This right here!!! ^^^^^^


There will be some suspicious people when you are opening up the ground and messing around laying on your belly. Like said, it will fill with water when it rains and the wood will rot.

I am all for an underground room, I want an underground room!! You would have to control every aspect of the environment in order to prevent molds and what not. That would be tough to do with a box buried in your yard.

i helped a guy work on this idea before

u are not accounting for some factors

1 your water table where is it
2 the venting point
3 the power into the box (how are u getting it there and protecting the sockets from water)
4 how are u going to access it
5 how are u going to water it
6 how to move the equipment around in there
7 if the plant is sick how are u going to work on it
8 where are u going to keep all the gear
9 your temp range ............how are u going to keep the intake air at the right temp and keep out the molds from outside


ok for dogs not to smell it the box needs atleast 6 feet of dirt on top of it (it is why ppl are buried 6 feet under that is the minal distance animals will not smell the body and dig it up

run a soil set up u still need to access the plant once every 3 days to check and water it ...........with hydro u need to check it every day to adjust the PH add water/feed


unless u have the money to do this correctly and long term doing what u are talking about is to much trouble and at most u get maybe 2 3 grows before the wood and other things fail and u are repairing them


so far the best method i have found is the false wall ...................build a garage and inside once the floor is poured u section part of it off and wall it up ..........use the child magnet locks for cabnets to hold on a section of drywall............that way u can get in and out easy and work on plants with it being inside u can control the temp of the air and keep them warm all year .................and with it in a garage it looks normal u go in there for 2 hours do your thing come out no one knows u were on plants it could be your car or lawnmower

2-drawer filing cabinet (with lock) and a fishtank on top - (to account for any otherwise out of the ordinary noises)

I'm with Justtough,
if you must do so thing in Grandmas house.
find an unused coat closet with attic over it.
build false wall w 1/4" sheet rock and 2x2 pine.

want to do an extra good job and make Granny Happy And make it so much easier to do and hide?

build her a Cedar closet, cedar planks vertical on all walls, then it's easy to hide a false wall with a door and hinges.
grannny will put her long term storage in it and won't be I and out often.

The Cedar smell will help mask the smell, not remove it.

Yep I did it effectively in a rental and got paid by a landlord to create a Cedar Closet ,( my Idea ) .
he reduced my rent to cover the Labor.
I built a Wall 2' off the Back wall with hidden doors in the Cedar planks.
Not built for growing, it's before I had a Gun Safe!

I showed it to the Landlord when I moved out ( Empty of course )

He paid me to repeat it in his home!

Caretkr, love the file cab, fish tank combo.
could try an Aquaponics with a 4 drawer cab and 50 gal "tall" tank!

slimj said:

Dude treated plywood will take years and years to rot, that said blocks is a better way to go just a lot harder. I would use an electric actuator to raise and lower it out of the ground.

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way off bud. maybe if he lives in Arizona. most other places have too much moisture. you could treat the wood with anything you wanted...still gonna rot out after 1-2 years.

plywood yes it would last if it was above ground for a while .............ran hits rolls off not on it all the time

unless the wood has been treated with anti fungus and mold chemicals it not going to work ( look at the moonshiners on tv they dug a underground area but since the wood was not treated and sealed right the mold took hold and the place is no good )

out of every possible sealing option nothing works well with wood ............i worked all this out while back

if u are dead set for a underground thing ...............here is how to do it rent a back hoe and find a hill on your land then cut into it .............buy one of those pods containers and then move it into the cut u made and bury it .........on the door u will need a barrell make a hole in the door barrell goes in u seal the barrell to the door the bottom of the barrell is cut out and the front of if has a locking lid to get in take the lid off crawl in

Growing in a closet would be way easier and much less suspicious!

ScoobyDoobyDoo said:

way off bud. maybe if he lives in Arizona. most other places have too much moisture. you could treat the wood with anything you wanted...still gonna rot out after 1-2 years.

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Then why do pressure treated posts sank in the ground last for decades?

Alexander Supertramp said:

Then why do pressure treated posts sank in the ground last for decades?

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they do not

they rot

tis one of the reasons why knee walls are preferable.

joe macclennan said:

they do not

they rot

tis one of the reasons why knee walls are preferable.

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also cause they aren't made out of plywood.