SkierGuy23

I am looking for some opinions on this new build; I'm getting the materials today.

I have a space in my basement that is 12'W X 6'D X 7'H Three of the walls are cinderblock so I am keeping them exposed. Well not exposed but I am not putting OSB over the cinderblock, only a reflective material. The ceiling is exposed floor joists and I will keep them exposed; I may cover them in reflective material but I am not sure.

I am going to split this space into two areas, one for veg and one for flower. I am looking for advice on how to split this space. Do I split it in half (each side would be 6'X6'X7') or do I make one space larger than the other. I only have a 600W Digital HPS and that is a little light (no pun intended) for a 6X6 space.

I will be using CFL or floros (not sure yet) for veg. I am thinking of, in the not so distant future, adding a few HPS security lights to the flower room to help the 600W a bit. I am thinking of using a combination of inline fans and a Nascar blower but that is yet to be determined.

Any suggestions regarding the size of each section and/or light and/or ventilation? I'm really looking for the size suggestions as the lights and vents will be decided once I see the finished product.

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snwbrdr

since you have a 600 w i would make the flower room the smallest, so that you will have max lumesn/sq foot.
unless you will forsure add more light

panda plastic or black and white poly is cheap and will light proof or section off something, if your handy with a hammer id say build a cheap walls with some dry wall, if your not buy those 4'x8' sheets of styrofoam and put mylar on it to light proof it and with some duct tape that makes a cheap movable wall.

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DLA

The actual area I use for grow space here is 13 x 8 x 8 maybe that will give some ideas.

Don't make your flower room smaller then the other rooms...you will regret it so much..20 seedling, 20 clones and mother will only fill a 2'x2' area then the ladies can be grown out in the big room.

Flower power.

My layout



Now looking at it , it turned out quite different from this drawing...but it may give ya some ideas.

Good Luck with the new room.

I'll be watching.

The area at the bottom of the picture for storage is not included in those 12 x 8 x 8 dimensions.

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commonman

Well,

My answer to you depends in part, on where you live. I just built my room in the basement also. My dimensions are 18'x7.5'x 7'. As Ive posted elsewhere, it has a flowering room, veg room and a work area with sink.

Where I live, its cool 8 months of the year and damned cold 5 of them!
I decided to stud out the walls and insulate them, I also drywalled the joists.For the very few months that I am going to have to deal with heat and humidity I thought it better to have a room that can handle the predominant cold weather conditions.

If youre in a warm weather climate, I'd just stud out the walls and put plastic up. But if you live where it gets cold, I would suggest to be prepared for that.

I'll be honest, the final product was way more involved than I had originally imagined.But, now that the hard work is done, I can say that Im happy with what Ive built, and its gonna serve me well.

Hope this helps, good luck.

SkierGuy23

Thanks all for your opinions. I think I decided to grab a 1000W HPS and use the 600W with an MH conversion bulb for the veg room. I am quite handy with the hammer (I recently just built a garage, myself, in a day). I will be studding out the walls but I am unsure if I will insolate them. I am worried that if I insulate them it i will hold in heat. The basement stays around 72-77 degrees all year round so the ambient room temp isn't a problem.

I would love to add a work area with a sink but room does not allow it and I will be, when I move, converting this into a storage closet. The move probably isn't more than 2 years away. I'm really looking for enough room for 2-3 mothers with anywhere from 4-8 flowering cloans at any given time.

If I make it 6X6 (for both flower and cloan) would that be too much floor space for a 1000W in one section and a 600W in the veg room? I look at it this way. I will have some of the floor space taken up with humidifiers, etc... so the actual usable floor space will be around 20ft2. That is a good amount for the 1000W and I guess it would be good for the 600W mother room considering I will want the mothers to grow at a slower rate.

Right now I have three LR2 and 8 seedlings in a 48"X24" (approx area) and it is very tight. There is also about 1-1.5' of the floor space taken up by duct work.

I will have to start a thread when I do this build. I hope to get the supplies tonight and build it tomorrow or Sunday.

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SkierGuy23

DLA, are you saying that you can fit all of that, 20 cloans, 20 seedlings, and a mother in a 2'X2' area? If so then I have no clue how to pack plants into a small space and I need you to take me to school.

After reading your post I may make each room 4X6 with a storage area in the middle that is 4X6

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n_d_shadows

One way is to stack their growing areas. Moms need 2-3' of height, clones can get by with 12" of height.


I would consider doing something to that exposed block wall besides just covering it with mylar. Some times water will wick thru that block and humidity behind mylar means mold. Either put 1" strips on the block and mount drywall, or get at good sealer to apply to the walls.

SkierGuy23

When you say stack do you mean have them at different heights to the tops are even?

I have the cinderblocks sealed from the inside and outside to prevent water from seeping into the basement. I just bought this house in August and it had a bad water problem. I ended up removing all of the backfill, sealing everything, and regarding it. That was a gread idea you had; I'm sure many people do not think about sealing their block walls.

I have another question:

If I stick with a 600W, for now, and have a 6X6 area would it be ok as long as I keep the plants together, under the light, within its boundaries? I would assume that it would be alright and it would allow me to make the room large so that it is scaleable for the future.

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snwbrdr

if the lightprint your reflector puts off is smaller than 6x6 and you keep the plants crowded under it it will work for now. if you can use cardboard or something to help temporarily make the space smaller that would help. but if you keep the light really low(without hurting the plants of course) that will also help keep the light print smaller and focus it on just the plants. Putting it in a corner would also help this so you have two walls reflecting the light back unlike putting it in the middle of the room more light can escape

commonman - thanks for the tip my ass would have put it straight on the walls, I know already though my house has been sealed becuase it being older than my grandparents its sure to have a leak or two, so the previous owners took care of that problem. Bless those guys

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SkierGuy23

snwbrdr, thanks for the input. I was thinking/hoping that it would work like that. I think that will be better than making a smaller room and, when I expand my lights, wish that I had a larger room.

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