New Grower

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bnestars

Member
In my spare time, I am a computer geek sort of guy. I have never really been much of a do-it-yourself kind of person. I have been drooling over one of those pre-made all-in-one grow closets. I finally saved up the money to buy one, but just couldn't bring myself to hand over the $3,500.00 for it.

So, I decided I would become a do-it-yourself kind of person. I watched some you-tube videos and discovered an awesome program called Sketch-Up. Having done some 3D video game programming, I leaned to use SketchUp in about 20 minutes. There are only a handful of buttons you need to learn to use. It is very easy to learn, and I would not have been able to build my closet without it.

Once I was able to completely visualize the dimensions of my closet in virtual 3D space, I took a trip to Home Depot and bought some supplies. And some more supplies. And some more supplies. The grand total for this project, including a circular saw and a drill (I didn't own ANY tools whatsoever) currently stands at $1,179.97. This project probably could have been accomplished for less than that, as I have a lot of wasted materials due to the learning curve. I still saved myself $2320.03 and I have 45 more cubic feet of grow space than the pre-made closet. Of most value, however, is the experience and tremendous sense of accomplishment I got from doing it myself.

The project is not yet complete, although I shouldn't have to make more than one or two more trips back to Home Depot for a few small things. Today, I am installing the outer walls and preparing the interior for paint. I might even get around to painting today. I hope to have it completed before the end of the day tomorrow. My first seed sprouted this morning, so the race is on.

I am sharing all of this with you because it is killing me not being able to tell my friends and family what I am up to. This is the most ambitious project I have ever undertaken on my own.

The Floor



A wall frame


Wall frames up


1000 watt HPS/MH reflector


Activated carbon air filter and fan
 
cannakis

cannakis

Well-Known Member
bnestars said:
In my spare time, I am a computer geek sort of guy. I have never really been much of a do-it-yourself kind of person. I have been drooling over one of those pre-made all-in-one grow closets. I finally saved up the money to buy one, but just couldn't bring myself to hand over the $3,500.00 for it.

So, I decided I would become a do-it-yourself kind of person. I watched some you-tube videos and discovered an awesome program called Sketch-Up. Having done some 3D video game programming, I leaned to use SketchUp in about 20 minutes. There are only a handful of buttons you need to learn to use. It is very easy to learn, and I would not have been able to build my closet without it.

Once I was able to completely visualize the dimensions of my closet in virtual 3D space, I took a trip to Home Depot and bought some supplies. And some more supplies. And some more supplies. The grand total for this project, including a circular saw and a drill (I didn't own ANY tools whatsoever) currently stands at $1,179.97. This project probably could have been accomplished for less than that, as I have a lot of wasted materials due to the learning curve. I still saved myself $2320.03 and I have 45 more cubic feet of grow space than the pre-made closet. Of most value, however, is the experience and tremendous sense of accomplishment I got from doing it myself.

The project is not yet complete, although I shouldn't have to make more than one or two more trips back to Home Depot for a few small things. Today, I am installing the outer walls and preparing the interior for paint. I might even get around to painting today. I hope to have it completed before the end of the day tomorrow. My first seed sprouted this morning, so the race is on.

I am sharing all of this with you because it is killing me not being able to tell my friends and family what I am up to. This is the most ambitious project I have ever undertaken on my own.

The Floor



A wall frame


Wall frames up


1000 watt HPS/MH reflector


Activated carbon air filter and fan
Click to expand...
Good job, and now you have Tools a true Investment for the rest of your life... But Now everything is made shotty and only lasts a couple years now instead of Decades like previously like my dads old Corded Power Drill still running stronger than any other shitty drill today.

And like you said your experience... How do you get to Carnegie Hall?! Practice!

Tell your Good Close Friends or Family whom you trust and blaze with, and even if you don't if it's someone you know loves you and won't rat the do, it is Great to have people on your side.
 
cannakis

cannakis

Well-Known Member
cannakis said:
Good job, and now you have Tools a true Investment for the rest of your life... But Now everything is made shotty and only lasts a couple years now instead of Decades like previously like my dads old Corded Power Drill still running stronger than any other shitty drill today.

And like you said your experience... How do you get to Carnegie Hall?! Practice!

Tell your Good Close Friends or Family whom you trust and blaze with, and even if you don't if it's someone you know loves you and won't rat the do, it is Great to have people on your side.
Click to expand...
Just remember keep your mouth shut no matter how excited you get... Don't start to get comfortable... That's when you Fuck Up.
 
vostok

vostok

Well-Known Member
Nice...! but a 4x4 foot tent is even cheaper, but you are on theme for building your own home, or even your own geek type computer bunker lol ...lol
 
B

bnestars

Member
Thanks for the encouraging replies. I want to tell my dad and my brother sooo bad. Neither of them know I am even capable of building something like this. I want to rub it in their faces. But, I am sticking to the golden grower's rule: keep your mouth shut.

Unfortunately, tents aren't are good choice for me. Given circumstances, the closet it my best option.

I have been putting the door off because I wasn't exactly sure how I wanted to do it. I finally decided to have the door sit completely inside the door frame so the entire front of the cabinet is flush.


I also added some 2X2 pieces to make an inner frame for the door to sit against when its closed. I lined the outside of this inner frame with some compression tape stuff. Should make a nice seal.


In the back, I drilled some 3 inch holes to allow air to flow under the floor. I drilled 2 more 3 inch holes in the floor near the front of the cabinet.


I made some little slots to hold air filters up next to the intake holes on the back side. I will remove the wrappers from the filters once I get everything in place.


I also got the light and exhaust system hung and squared away. I was surprised at how small my grow space suddenly became. I forgot one freaking duct clamp and by the time I got to this point, Home Depot had already closed for the day, so add one more thing to the ever shrinking to-do list.


With the light turned off and moved down, you can see the rest of the exhaust system.


I got the door caulked up this morning, but I still haven't got around to painting it. I am beat and tomorrow is Monday. Not much left to do. I am getting really excited. I have been on the fence about growing in soil or in hydroponics, and finally decided to go with hydro. I am going to do deep water culture in 3 gallon buckets with 8" net pots. I have ordered supplies to create an easy drain system so I can drain all 9 buckets at one time. I will still have to fill them from the top. I might one day order an ebb and flow controller and try that out, but for now, I am done spending money. The supplies for the hydro setup will arrive sometime in the middle of the week. Then, I can finally stop building and start growing!
 
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bnestars

Member
I sure hope the 1000 watt won't be too hot. The closet is sitting in an air conditioned room. I usually keep the air on about 68. It is also exhausted with a 440cfm fan. I haven't really had it on long enough to see how hot it gets. Fingers crossed.

EDIT: Also, it has an adjustable ballast so I can turn it all the way down to 500 watt. Just remembered that. Should be ok either way.

EDIT: I turned on the lights and fan and hooked the filter up to the light fixture and let it run for about 45 minutes. The results were not encouraging. 89 degrees with the house at around 70. I have now disconnected the filter from the light and will allow it to run like this until just before bedtime. I am thinking I am going to notice a huge difference in the temperature, as the filter really cuts down on the exhaust output. In any event, I will most likely wind up trying to figure out how to fit another fan in there and put the light on its own exhaust loop, separate from the filter. It was a hard decision to go with HID over LED. I have just been dreaming of building this thing since I was a teenager (nearly twenty five years ago) and LEDs were unheard of in grow rooms. Perhaps its time to get with the times...

Also, I noticed several small light leaks on the outside. Yay, another trip to Home Depot. Why couldn't I have noticed that before I cleaned up and threw out over half a tube of caulk?
 
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B

bnestars

Member
Nutrients arrived today but I won't get any other hydro supplies until next Wednesday, at the earliest. :( I went with General Hydroponics. I got a gallon each of FloraMicro, FloraGro, and FloraBloom.

EDIT: Also, after several different heat trials, I have decided to leave the exhaust system as is and dim the light down to 500 watts until after I start the flowering cycle. I will then bump it up to 750 watts. At 750 watts, with the current exhaust system, it gets up to about 82. I know that is the upper limit, but I also plan on timing my light cycles so they are on when it is dark outside, and by the time I get to that point, we will be done with August, so it will be a lot easier to keep things cool. By the summer of next year, I hope to have dabbled in creating my own COB LED panels. In the meantime, I am going to pick up some T5 type lights to hang on the sides of the closet to supplement the HID.

EDIT: My initial price of $1,179.97 didn't include the hydro system, nutrients, or umpteen more trips back to Home Depot to nickel and dime myself to death. My current amount spent stands at $1,704.07. I am fairly confident that I have less than $100.00 more dollars to spend on odd and end stuff. So, total savings vs. pre-made closet stands at $1,795.00. Still, a crap load of money saved, more grow space, and the satisfaction of knowing that it was done by me, for me, my way.
 
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B

bnestars

Member
Check my grow box thread out for some ideas.
Click to expand...
That's a pretty sweet setup with the window unit air conditioner. Unfortunately for me, I have central air and the landlord won't allow window units. I wanted to get one at the beginning of the summer because I generally stay in one room and don't feel like paying to cool two floors worth of living space. I thought about sitting a window unit on a table in the room, but after some research, I determined that the air conditioner has to be able to vent air to the outside. The good news is, with the light on 500 watts, the temp hangs around in the mid 70's. Once I start flowering, I will have the lights come on around 6:00 pm and go off around 6:00 am. That way, I can leave the door to the bedroom the closet is in open for extra ventilation. I will close it and lock it before I leave for work and open it up again when I get home. It will be interesting to see how all this plays out. So far, absolutely nothing has gone the way I anticipated.
 
C

codayyy

Member
Ya that seems to be the way things go when building a custom box lol. I'm using a 400w and my temps inside the flower box get to 86 with ambient temp being 73deg so I insulated the inside to keep the cold air around longer in the box. Might install a small 3" axial fan at the top just to suck out some hot air without taking to much of my a/c air with it. Lookin good so far tho, I just added 6 girls to mine yesterday morning so we will see how they do.
 
B

bnestars

Member
Wow could we get a price list totalling 1100$?
Click to expand...
If you total this list, you will probably come closer to the $1,704.07 final price tag. I probably left off some things. This list is not all inclusive.

Home Depot

Ryobi 12V Drill $49.97
2 10X20 air filters $4.47 each
Caulk Gun $2.77
5 Tubes of caulk $5.98 each
Wood Glue $2.97
21 2X4 $2.87 each
Hinges $15.94
box of wrong size screws(thanks to the useless guy at Home Depot) $7.98
2 2X8 $5.47 each
2X6 $4.82
4 2X2 $1.92 each
2X6X16' $10.22
Ryobi Circular Saw $69.00
2 year replacement plan for saw $12.00
5 sheets 15/32X4'X8' plywood $19.05 each
Another box of screws. Right size(3") but not the right type thanks to me not learning my lesson the first time. $9.82
4 3X3 angle (used to square and support door) $2.57 each
2 6" Air-Tite Take off $6.35
5 6" duct clamps $1.98 each
1 box 3" decking screws(finally, the right type of screw) $27.48
25' insulated duct $26.88
pack of small screws $1.05
counter sink drill bit w/speed loader $14.97
utility knife $1.98
better tape measure $8.47
3/8" arbor for hole saw $16.97
6" hole saw $39.97
3" hole saw $14.97
wire clippers $3.49
1 gallon Gliden flat white paint $17.97
25' heavy duty extension cord $9.68
tarp $12.96
2 cans black spray paint(for underside of floor) $0.97 each
paint tray set with brush and roller $7.97
duct tape $3.98
gate pull (door handle) $9.87
box of 2" screws $8.47
foam tape for door seal $3.57
8 screw eyes $1.18 each
surge protector $12.97

Amazon

6" duct fan and carbon air filter combo $139.95
1000 watt dimmable MH/HPS grow light kit
(ballast, HPS and MH bulb, reflector, timer and ratchet hanger system) $329.99
3 gallons General Hydroponics nutrients $96.99
9 8" bucket net baskets $7.87 each
10 3/4" gromets $7.00(for bag of 10)
9 4" round air stones $7.99 each
air tubing Ts $4.73 (only need one, had to get a pack of 8
40L clay pebbles $34.00
General Hydroponics ph control kit $14.07
50' aquarium air tube $5.75
air pump with 8 outlets $47.54
combo pack ph and tds meter $28.99 (separate meters packaged together)
rockwool starter plugs $14.22
3/4 inch shut off vale $4.75
pack of 10 black 3/4 inch barbed tees $6.00

Also noticed your ballest was inside your box, try moving it outside if possible anything will help with heat.
Click to expand...
Hadn't thought of that. Too late tonight to see if the cord will reach. Will check it out tomorrow.
 
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