Make Work Project

Hey guys:

I would like your input regarding a project I've set up for the coming spring.
After being here for a little over 2 yrs I've been witness to some very impressive gardens, both indoor and outdoor, showing that there are some serious talents at RIU. I hope to achieve just a fraction of those results which some here have come to see as routine crops.
I'm not after some high tech thousand dollar light system decked out in all the latest for one simple reason, I'm poor, so much so that even if dirt were dollars I would still be in the red.
With that being said here's what I have to work with, 1 wooden shed {in desperate need of repair}, access to raw materials both for the rebuild and the garden it's self and the will to try something new without the ego because I simply don't have the time in to warrant one.

The shed was at another time a grow house, the previous owner had it set up nicely {assumption}, with a set of T-5's which the ballast still exists and it's own fuse panel. Now the bones of the structure are sound and it shouldn't require much more then a facelift but seeing it's been sitting idle for more seasons then I care to admit {see above about being poor lol} and I'm hoping there isn't more work to be done then cosmetic.

This winter has been harsh to say the least and it seems a raccoon had fallen through a weakened portion of the roof crashing it in and thus the need for this query.
I've planned on removing the roof, leaving the outer walls and gutting the inside, replacing the doors and upgrading the wiring.
So my idea was to basically transform this run down shed into a makeshift greenhouse for several reasons, security, privacy and help in controlling my issues with PM.

Here are a couple pics so you can have a better understanding of what I'm seeing and proposing. I'm curious as to what kind of poly I should be looking at for the roof covering and what issues I should be keeping eye out for. Such as, do I keep a keener eye at the humidity levels during veg/flowering and does this mean mites and other insects are more liable to make an appearance since this will be a covered outdoor grow. As you can plainly see, I'm a total noob so anything you think of which could work for the construction part or tips for the growing aspect that would be much appreciated also.

Pretty rough, Mojo. Taking off the roof might collapse the building. Perhaps if you just take off the top two pieces and leave the second section on either side. Seems the sunlight would be limited a little by the solid walls if you are going sunlight instead of artificial. If you want to go clear plastic, get a 5 or 6 mil visqueen from home depot. I would try to keep it as is and stay with artificial. Depending on where you live, I think the challenge will be rh.

pics of the inside looking up toward the roof showing rafter config? like CB says the roof sheathing may be keeping it together. do both sides get sun?

ClaytonBigsby said:

Pretty rough, Mojo. Taking off the roof might collapse the building. Perhaps if you just take off the top two pieces and leave the second section on either side. Seems the sunlight would be limited a little by the solid walls if you are going sunlight instead of artificial. If you want to go clear plastic, get a 5 or 6 mil visqueen from home depot. I would try to keep it as is and stay with artificial. Depending on where you live, I think the challenge will be rh.

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My uncle works for a company and can get tarps and poly for the walls and ceiling, my brother is a journeyman for a big construction company and can get scrap materials from work and I know an electrician, not to mention I'm pretty handy myself but I do agree with you on the needing a lot of work part, yet her bones are strong.
The RH is going to be a bitch I know and I'm still on the fence as what I'm going to do about the roof but I thought the poly would be a cheaper route.
As for artificial light how much would be needed for say 5-6 plants?

i'd get my brother to come look at it and see what he thinks. does he know what you want to use it for? make a trade, product for his expertise?

BarnBuster said:

pics of the inside looking up toward the roof showing rafter config? like CB says the roof sheathing may be keeping it together. do both sides get sun?

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The rafters are in great shape, it's just the plywood under the 1 layer of shingles, which in Canada is like putting a band-aid on a severed limb, that needs replacing and from what I can tell the base is solid as well.
The east side will get the majority of light with an estimated 12-14hrs in summer, sun up until roughly 3:30pm

i'm in about the same boat right now , i have plenty of out buildings , and yes they are perfect in the winter time. now the weather is worming i can't use them until i get an ac unit installed.........taking another look at your shed i think metal roofing right over the top would be a fast permeant fix and frame in the double doors and hang a single door in its place

BarnBuster said:

i'd get my brother to come look at it and see what he thinks. does he know what you want to use it for? make a trade, product for his expertise?

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LOL ya he knows his brother well enough, all of my family knows, I do not hide the fact from them but nor do I announce it either.
He has seen it and sees no problem, aside from the work involved. The only issue we have is that both of us are not very good at the electrical work, sure we know enough but just want to be safe so I'll call my friend to help out.

robert 14617 said:

i'm in about the same boat right now , i have plenty of out buildings , and yes they are perfect in the winter time. now the weather is worming i can't use them until i get an ac unit installed.........taking another look at your shed i think metal roofing right over the top would be a fast permeant fix and frame in the double doors and hang a single door in its place

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They do have those metal roofs around but the concern I have with that is the heat, that shed will bake in the heat of summer, my thermometer maxed out at 50C last year and stayed there for a week straight and I'm not sure if the metal will make more of a sweatbox then anything but if I were to install a small A/C unit that might be a working solution...thanks

light colored panels , along with the 1x4 strips and power board that go under it drop the temp

robert 14617 said:

light colored panels , along with the 1x4 strips and power board that go under it drop the temp

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Power board?? Similar to insulation?

styrofoam with a foil backing

I would either keep it as is, fix the roof (those corrugated metal roof panels are quick like Robert said) and go full indoors or take off the roof panels and take off the side panels leaving just the stud walls and rafters up and go full greenhouse wrapping the whole thing in sheeting. Just taking the roof off I don't think is going to get you enough light, I really don't know what the light is like up North there tho. Using it as a greenhouse would be the cheaper option in the long run beings free light. More work converting now though. The greenhouse obviously would lack a few security features as compared to an actual shed. I also don't know what the laws are up there. If you're all legal and you're just worried about rippers I would go with the greenhouse. But I've always wanted a greenhouse, so I'm kinda biased.

robert 14617 said:

styrofoam with a foil backing

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Ok got it, thanks again.

LEt's back up for a minute. Is privacy the only reason you want to keep a grow INSIDE the shed? Seems an outdoor in the ground for summer is where it's at. As far as an indoor Winter grow, seems that shed may be too cold.

only 12 hrs of lights out , insulation and a small space heater to keep temp above 70 deg fh done

neosapien said:

I would either keep it as is, fix the roof (those corrugated metal roof panels are quick like Robert said) and go full indoors or take off the roof panels and take off the side panels leaving just the stud walls and rafters up and go full greenhouse wrapping the whole thing in sheeting. Just taking the roof off I don't think is going to get you enough light, I really don't know what the light is like up North there tho. Using it as a greenhouse would be the cheaper option in the long run beings free light. More work converting now though. The greenhouse obviously would lack a few security features as compared to an actual shed. I also don't know what the laws are up there. If you're all legal and you're just worried about rippers I would go with the greenhouse. But I've always wanted a greenhouse, so I'm kinda biased.

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I like the idea of a greenhouse but if it's not feasible then I may have to go another route.

ClaytonBigsby said:

LEt's back up for a minute. Is privacy the only reason you want to keep a grow INSIDE the shed? Seems an outdoor in the ground for summer is where it's at. As far as an indoor Winter grow, seems that shed may be too cold.

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Here's the kicker, for the last 2 yrs I've grown quite literally in the open and for both those years my plants have reached 7ft + with nary a glance or hiccup, even carried on a convo with a cop in his patrol car less 5 ft away, did he notice? I have no clue but I never had a hassle so I'm assuming not.
But my main reason for this is the ability to work on my plants without prying eyes and stop the progress of PM, which is my biggest hurdle, I don't want to have what happen last year occur again and I thought this would be one way of achieving that goal.
I understand that there are other ways of dealing with PM but it's more then just that, the fact of rain and wind damage, I'm trying to lessen as many ill effects as I can without compromising too much.

When choosing between seed and clone which do you prefer for outdoor, does this even matter?
When choosing a clone which was bred indoors will there be a issue when grown outdoors?
I think I'll grow both and find out myself.
BTW as an experiment, I left one plant to wither and die, didn't chop it down last year and it sits on my back porch with leaves and bud still attached. Why did I do this? For the heck of it, nothing more then to see what happens. Will she drop seeds and others grow, will she recover and sprout new growth {doubtful}, only time will tell.

I imagine I'm going to feel a bit like a doofus but what do you mean by PM mojo?

neosapien said:

I imagine I'm going to feel a bit like a doofus but what do you mean by PM mojo?

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Powder Mold, my yard is flanked by 25ft cedars and I think they're holding a lot spores and when it rains, wind blows, it sends it everywhere.
Trying to keep up is a bitch, neem oil seems to be a great fit for this but I'm unsure how this mold is getting around so I thought by putting up a barrier {walls} that would help some what.