Wardrobe & Veg box build.

[MilesAway]

Have been thinking about this whole thing for way too long now so it's about time I did something about it. I ordered some stuff online late one night and then realised that I better get a space built!

The chosen area is a built in wardrobe, measuring 2ish metres x 0.75 x 2.4... but there's a handy shelf at around 6ft so im keeping this in and building underneath it.

I'm sectioning it out to have one larger flowering area on the right hand side and then the left (which i didnt photo today) will be a smaller vegging chamber that will look like a chest of drawers. hopefully.

The internal space of my wardrobe is looking at being something like 1.2m x 0.65 x 1.7m so hopefully enough space! Planning on having just the carbon filter and the light in the top of the room, the fan is going to sit up in the attic, attached by acoustic ducting and then vented through maybe the soffit.

I've been reading loads about keeping room conditions stable and controlling the environment so thought i'd insulate the wardrobe to give me some more stability of temperature.

So studded the walls out with 63mm CLS and 50mm of Jablite polystyrene insulation in between the studs.

Extended the ring main out from an existing socket to run that up to the shelf above the grow room for electric for the ballast etc. And then clad with 12mm MDF

Repeated this on the back wall

and then the left hand side.

Then I pretty much ran out of light this afternoon so couldn't cut any more wood. Will do some more in the morning hopefully.

Have ordered:

For the flowering wardrobe

6" Ruck RK150L fan

150x600 Rhino Pro filter.

5 metres acoustic ducting

Adjusta-watt 600w dimmable ballast

Variac fan controller

Mantis pro hood

For the vegging chamber.

T5 4 tube light

5" acoustic ducting

(nothing else yet!)

Am still a little unsure on the air intake i'm gonna have to use. I'm thinking passive - so need the equivalent of double the 6" extraction as intake?

I'll add to this over the weekend with some more photos so you can get an idea of the space.

It's gonna be fun!

[stickyblack]

Nice build fella, really neat work.

Dunno if its an option but 2x adj 400w'ers in that space would be sweet and more ideal with 1.7m height, + if heats an issue 250w's for the summer .. Or you could go 400w vertical.. 600w would need atleast 1-1.5ft space above canopy iirc .. taking into account filter, and pot space..

Veg space sound like its gonna be nice too, gonna be the rest of your drobe 80x65? If so thats a decent size.

Looking forward to the finished job.

Sticky

Edited December 13, 2013 by stickyblack

[retro2807]

Love the DIY work.

Be funny if those makeover tv shows transformed a house into a grow house.

[MilesAway]

i'm thinking of using something like http://www.greenshorticulture.co.uk/square-garden-tray

in the wardrobe - 2 of those side by side will nearly fill that space - and i do see why it would have almost suited 2 lights next to each other rather than one in the middle. hmm.

Anyway - if i'm using those trays to sit the pots in - and i'm building a raised false bottom could i have slots around the edge of this bottom to use as part of my passive air intake?

kinda like

the gaps would be maybe 20mm wide x 50mm long - how much passive intake am i gonna need?

Started the veg side today

Ran out of timber tho so paused for a tea and a smoke

[MilesAway]

Went and bought some more wood and came back and put the top and bottom on the veg area so I could see how the size looked.

Planning on extracting this cabinet in the back right corner - rhino filter - 5" - will the 125x300mm one be ok for a space this big? it'll go up in acoustic ducting straight to the attic and a 5" ruck fan. Will hide the ducting in some boxing.

Still thinking about air intakes. Found some info on a.n.other forum and the maths worked out that I'd need 400cfm for the wardrobe space. This then needs the equivalent of 160 square inches of passive intake.

Does this sound about right?

Will do some more to the room tomorrow

[MilesAway]

Well another half day or so spent playing with it today.

put boxing into the corner for where the extraction will duct out from the veg area, and then disguised it a bit more with some little storage holes for shoes or something; something you'd expect to see in a fitted wardrobe anyway.

Then popped in a hanging rail to give me at least a little clothes storage!

And finally today have put the false door style thing on the front of the veg area.

Still gotta properly work out my air intakes but that'll be my research project for this evening.

I'm almost getting excited now!

[Joint hogger]

mate, i dont mean to piss on your plans but do youu know that MDF gives of an off gas when its heated up ?

also, even if you paint it, it can still do it unless you've used a paint low in VOC's (volatile organic compounds)

[stickyblack]

Looking wikid fella, tidy .. Although what JH has advised is a lil upsetting.. I use plasterboard myself, water and fireproof iirc

.. I also think 2x 250w would better than my first suggestion, as really you would need to upgrade the fan if using 400ers.. a single 400w would be good

Anyways fella, enjoy your venture

Sticky

Edited December 15, 2013 by stickyblack

[MilesAway]

I have now read up a bit on off gassing. It's no worse than I thought at least. There's even reports of Ply having the same constituent glues so I would have had the same thing there if i'd made it from something else

The sealing of the entire thing with PVA would probably suffice at keeping anything 'inside'. And I always use low VOC paints as I hate the smell when working with them all day!

Was thinking that the PVA seal and a vinyl matt white paint over the top should probably do it.

Failing that - i could coat the inside with mylar or equivalent as this would reflect more heat and add another potential 'gas' trap.

I'm not planning on ripping it all out now

[MilesAway]

And as to the lighting - still not totally sure myself; as I wrote before I've ordered (and now received) an adjusta-watt ballast, so will be working my way up to the maybe 600 depending on conditions in the room. It all needs testing when it's done! So if 400 seems better i can consider another ballast etc in the future

[MilesAway]

Right, been quite a long time since my last update – happy new year to anyone reading!

Have done quite a bit in the last few weeks so here’s a quick run through as to where we are, get a cuppa and a smoke and see what you think

Cut the hole for the 5” ducting on the veg cabinet – attached a plastic wall plate spigot to the inside of the veg chamber and attached the ducting to the other side. The filter (5” rhino) is gonna have to sit in the roof and get blown into rather than sitting in the room. There’s just not the space. It is only going to be for vegging and seeds tho so I think it should be ok this way around.

Then cut the holes through the above shelf and through the plasterboard into the attic.

Put the ducting into place for both cabinets

Decided to try the air intake holes in the floor of the veg cabinet idea. Drilled 32mm holes in the bottom part of the floor and then more holes above – making sure the holes were offset to stop any light leaking through.

Then seal it all with a 50/50 pva water mix which also helps the paint to adhere nicely! Fill all holes and caulked the edges.

Added some handles I had in the shed to the false drawer front – also cut some grooves into the sheet to look like the divisions in drawers.

Lined the inside with mylar – tried using Velcro but it was a faff and worked out expensive so just went for staples and a bit of aluminium tape where needed. Also attached cooker hood filter to the vent holes underneath to stop crap getting in.

This is the back corner of the veg cabinet where the spigot comes through as my extract point. Still need to tape and tidy this up.

Hung the light – a lightwave T5 from the lovely people at Greens. Just fits in nicely.

Covered the base in panda film type stuff and cut out for the vent holes

Attached 25mm jablite to the back of the false drawers and covered this with mylar to complete the veg box. For now.

Painted.

[MilesAway]

Then the flowering wardrobe – made some doors and cut big intake holes in the front… 300x400mm

Then lined the wardrobe with more diamond mylar stuff

Put cooker hood filter on the back of the doors where the vents are

Made some riser blocks and mounted another slightly smaller door on the front, like a raised panel, to trap light and cover the passive intakes.

Kinda looks like this from the side.

We shall see if either passive intake is enough when I start testing!

Hung the reflector – mantis pro, only only just squeezes in this way around, sadly the cabinet isn’t quite deep enough to go the other way.

Did a bit of wiring – have got the STR stepped voltage controller thing for one of the fans and plug ‘n grow timers to control the lighting. This is all in an open shelf above the wardrobe, still in the built in recess, it was already there so it seemed logical to use that top section to house the electrics out of the way of the plants etc.

Will make a proper controller for the flowering wardrobe when funds allow I reckon.

Haven’t quite finished in the attic yet, will probably make some of those magic cardboard boxes to put the fans in soon.

So this is the finished (ish) painted wardrobe for flowering in:

And inside with the rhino filter at the very top – not that happy with it as I’m worried about head height for growing now but I’m sure it’ll be fine!

And the rest of the wardrobe – the veg cabinet with clothes storage!

And the inside – with the T5 light and some 1l airpots.

Well. Thanks if you made it this far! Big update eh!

Few bits left to do, gotta start thinking about heat mats I think. Anyway – the time is fast approaching so fingers crossed for January seedlings!

[stickyblack]

Very nice @@MilesAway .. Liking the finished product, making me think how i can make mine more stealthy..

Post some shots when you got that cab full of buds

Take it ez.

Sticky

[Valencianvimana]

Very nice project there Miles away I look forward to seeing some pics of it fully up and running. Good luck and happy growing

[bumpkinbwoy]

Very nice job MilesAway, loving the ducting box hidden by shoe shelves!

Will be very interesting to see how your passives work.