Help design a growbox on a shelf

I found a great spot in my basement utility room to build a growspace. The dimensions I have to work with are 43 1/2 inches wide, 23 1/2 inches deep, and 20 1/2 inches high. I'm thinking and LST'd or ScrOG'd microgrow would fit in here very nicely using small pots or cut down soda bottles (20 oz or 1 ltr). CFLs will be the way to go with so little headroom...I'd love to use a HPS, but I think I'd scortch my babies. If you think otherwise on the light, say so...I've got the knowledge to convert that $20 e-conolite 150W into a remote ballast with a cool tube.

So, I'm going to need to close in the two sides, the back, build a divider wall, and figure out some kinda door. I don't have power tools, though I might be able to borrow a drill if I can think of a good excuse (I'm not the handyman sort, so me borrowing a drill is kinda odd). I do have a good assortment of hand tools, however and I'm not afraid of DIYs and conversions.

I'm thinking of using that pressed wood/cardboard stuff that usually makes up the backs of cheap Ikea style dressers and cabinets for all the walls I need to make...it'll be easiest for me to cut holes in as needed (this removes a reason to need a drill...I can use a box knife). Nail in a length of 2x4 or similar across the front and back of the underside of the upper shelf and mount a couple of powerstrips, then use the plug-in lightbulb sockets. The shelf is mounted directly against two outside walls, so my intake ventilation will be placed on one of these sides to take advantage of the natural cooling there (with filtration, of course). I've got several computer fans lying about and at least one old PC power supply, or I think I have a couple 12v adapters I can strip the wires off of and wire them up. I've got to figure out where to put all the other electrical stuff (fan plugs, timers, whatever)...I want to keep it all as stealthy as I can.

Hopefully my paint-fu is strong enough to show whats up. Any help is greatly appreciated...I'll happily spread the +rep around.

you should have more highth to the box unless your growing in a 4 inch high tub.

good luck

They are pre-existing shelves, so makeing them taller isn't going to happen. That would be why I said LST or ScrOG to control plant height. Thanks for the input, do you have any other suggestions that might help me?

I'm on my first grow, and I don't have any experience with LST or SCROG, so can't help out much there. If you want a really cheap, simple door for your shelves, though, try some panda film and velcro. It's what I use for my whole closet. Just staple the panda film on one or two sides, and velcro the others.

If you need tools, just buy some at home depot, lowes, or walmart... pay with cash. Use them(but be gentle with them), and then return them when you're done... say it turns out you didn't need them, or they won't work for what you wanted, or something like that. They pretty much never ask any questions. Scribble your name illegibly on a receipt, and get all your money back.

Funnily enough, panda film and velcro was pretty much what I'm thinking. Are the velcro strips light/air tight? Still kicking around ventilation setup ideas. Also, I'm trying to figure out what kind of lighting I'm going to need to fill that space (how many/what wattage, can I get a HPS in there, etc.) I know I can make those 20 inches work for me...

The velcro's probably not air-tight, but if you close it carefully, it's pretty dang light tight, and as air tight as it needs to be, as long as you have proper intake/out-take, and it looks like you will. If you wanted, you could use universal carbon filter replacement(like $10), and use that as the soft side of the velcro... it actually comes with velcro anyway to wrap it around a filter. Then if any air is escaping through there, it's going through carbon.

So you think that exhaust system with the duct hose, two computer fans and the "T" intersection passive exhaust for the veg side will work OK? Maybe I should drop the ceiling on the veg side to cover up the duct work and give me a place for plugs and such? Anyone else have any brainstorms for the venting? Oh, and some +rep for Tsolrathe.