10-15k Budget

[RonSmooth]

A friend, who works as a contractor, has been asked to build a room for a client. He is comfortable with the building but knows nothing about growing.

The client is related through marriage and confided that the room was to be used to growing "vegetables" wink-wink-Nevertheless, my friend is uncomfortable getting involved past the building stage in a non-mmj state.

So I am going to be hired as a consultant and handle the set up of the room.

The client goes through around an ounce a week (at $350/ea) His primary goal is to produce his own so he can save money in the long run.

Money seems to be of little concern but I don't want him to get in over his head.

I was thinking 2000w would produce at least enough to last him a year, probably much more. It wouldn't be too much to control in terms of heat, electricity & smell.


I am no professional, nor would I normally consider myself qualified to be a consultant in this matter, but I am the only person who both knows enough and can be trusted.


It should also be noted that the garden should come as close to "running itself" as possible. This guy didn't know where the gas went in his lawnmower. He is successful in his business ventures but pays people to do shit like this. I am sure he is going to make me an offer to be caretaker.

I was thinking a 10' X 14' room with 2 1000w 8" Blockbusters over two 5'X5' trays. This would allow room around the perimeter for tending to plants etc.

10-12 plants per tray, square pots, coco, maxibloom, blumats (or multi feed DTW)


The room is going in an apartment atop a garage next to the house.

I came here for advice. Given the clients expectations, what would you do with a blank slate and 15k?

the 15k includes building costs.

 

[Croptober]

15k is more than 2 lights, my buddy just built a 2k room for about $3000. Do you plan on vegging / flowering in the same room?

 

[RonSmooth]

15k is more than 2 lights, my buddy just built a 2k room for about $3000. Do you plan on vegging / flowering in the same room?

The budget encompasses the building costs as well. While it would really be nothing but a box, the HVAC, electrical etc have to be taken into consideration. This project is in the North so there will have to be some level of environmental control.

The other thing is that I feel that more than 2k is going to be too much for this guy to handle. He only wants to provide himself with a constant supply of high quality, inexpensive mj but is delusional as to the effort involved in producing consistent yields & quality.

Something tells me he is going to make me an offer to run the grow, I want to make sure I have the best equipment and layout possible given the circumstances

Thanks.

 

[Croptober]

Has he ever grown before? 350 a O that's gotta be some quality, the chances of him growing that quality on his first run are slim especially if he's lazy which it seems like. So a sealed room, what kind of lights do you want, Gavitas, AC/DE, Magnums, Batwing? Soil or Hydro? What did you have in mind?

 

[dank.frank]

Doesn't really sound as if you are prepared to get paid to do the "consulting" if we are the ones that are going to design it...lol...

If all it really is going to be is a 2k - then I'd put 3 gavitas tuned down to 750 over that 5 x 10 area.

Then if it really is a personal garden and not a commercial garden, then variety is going to be key - and you'll want room to keep 25-30 mothers - and that means your veg room will need to be at least as big as the size of your flowering area - which most people always seem to fail to realize.

You'll want a 2ton ductless A/C, Co2 generator...and a RO filter - with the pipes for water
being framed in so you have a spiggot in the flowering area.

2 x 6 exterior walls with nothing less than R-19 mostly to help dampen the sound of blower fans moving air around. Also the more insulated the interior of the space is, the less flucation you have with temperature and the more stable your environment will be, thus the better your final product will be.

Again, if it truly is a personal grow...and you want the best, you'll go with a true organic soil garden. I'd use 10 gallon smart pots folded in half to make wider 5 gallon pots with 15 plants in flower at a time. This should easily pull you a personal stash of 2# at the bare minimum per harvest...certainly more than enough.

You can use my basic water only soil mix:

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=258168


How much space do you actually have to frame out, exactly.

The flower room should be 10' 11" exterior dimensions, to fit 2 x 6 walls. That gives you 10' interior space, which I would make 8ft wide. 5' x 10' for plants and a 3' walkway.

Which means an 8' x 10' (interior) veg room would also be appropriate. This would also give you room to set up a cheap tent so you'd have a dark place to hang and dry your plants...assuming again, that this is a personal garden, so it would be in a perpetual state, where not the entire room was coming down at the same time...

This could easily be 3d modeled to give you a visual...you know...for a small consulting fee.

A setup like this can easily run you about $8-10k...then another $1-2k in soil building amendments, random knick knacks, genetics, etc, etc...but it would be as care free as possible. True water only - and flowers that couldn't be beat by anything else out there...errr, you know...better than your "client" could possibly buy for $480 an ounce...



dank.Frank

 

[dank.frank]

So your...errr...his...flowering room might look something like this then:

Only thing missing in this quick 20 min rendering is a Co2 burner and controller...otherwise, that's about it...

What you see:

8' x 10' interior space with 3ft wide 6'8" door on center. 2 x 6 exterior walls, 2 x 4 interior wall.

Vortex 10" fan and ProFilter 150 - 3 gavitas - wall mounted oscilation fans - water spigot - RO filter - 2 ton ductless A/C - 15 plants in flower in 10 gallon smart pots folded in half to make a wider 5 gallon container.

Hope some of this helps.



dank.Frank

 

[maryjanesdad]

and are you going to cool the lights or use an ac to offset the heat?

 

[RonSmooth]

It is not my room. I have my own small setup of which exactly two people know, one of them is the builder. The reason he came to me is because I am the most experienced person that he can also trust.

The client who wants the grow room smokes a ton and is well off financially. To him, its a matter of principle & economics. Why buy it when I can make my own?

BUT

He has absolutely zero experience doing anything that takes place in nature, is mechanically un-inclined and absent-minded in general. He's a cool guy, just not the grower type.

He thinks he is going to drop some seeds in dirt, flip a switch and come back in a few weeks to dried and manicured buds, ready to be plucked from the branch.

2k would be small enough to manage and still produce more than enough for personal use.

There is no HVAC in the space. Cooling wont be a problem until around May. Going over with builder next week to make some preliminary plans for HVAC, electric, framing etc.

 

[nkatadelgormo]

This will work just fine... $6500 buildout. Virtually idiot proof. Beginner friendly.
Small undercurrent uc8xl.... Room is 4x9x8
Lightrail 3.5
2k ushio dual arc bulbs
8in raptor dual bulb hood
Active aqua 1/4hp chiller
*24k btu window unit ac
Blue Lab Guardian
*Titan co2 controller

 

[dank.frank]

There is no hydro or bottle feed based program that is ever going to get someone who doesn't have the patience or inclination to grow to a successful harvest...

Better going with a water only soil program - a full dialed, sealed room, with Co2 burner on a controller and ductless (mini-split) AC. Then the enviroment is basically set it and forget it - and the feeding program is controlled by the rhizosphere. All the dude would have to do then is transplant and keep things watered...and well, harvest.

It's as set it and forget it as you can possibly build.

3 gavitas dimmed down to 750 each - will give a better end result that two 1k's over a 5 x 10. He could get clones and do one run a year - hit 4# and be set for the entire year...

If the guys got the budget - you might as well set him up with the best equipment possible - especially if you anticipate doing most of the busy work for the guy anyway. Why not use his money to build yourself a pristine top notch grow room.

And you really should consider a fully sealed room - no exchange of outside air - means much less possibility of pest contamination - and a truly CONSTANT envrionment.

If the guy wants cut and paste, set it and forget it - then the information I've shared is going to accomplish that better than any other setup possible. It's just that simple.

PS - I'm saying "your" room because you anticipate doing all the work for this guy...not because I'm suggesting there isn't another person...in case you missed that.



dank.Frank

 

[nkatadelgormo]

There is no hydro or bottle feed based program that is ever going to get someone who doesn't have the patience or inclination to grow to a successful harvest...

I respect your opinion but thats hardly the case. Any person with a brain can grow. This isnt rocketscience. If he was smart enough to acquire financial security, growing pot will be a breeze.

 

[Granger2]

If I were you Ron, I'd make it easy on myself. After mixing your soil, you'll be set- and forget. Next crop, amend top half of soil in the same containers, transplant, sit back and water. Oh, and I'd take my pay in % of produce. Same for trimming. But set the room up primo. And don't down value your labor and expertise. Think of everything in terms of how much your saving the guy and providing him with the *best.* I'm not saying to get greedy, but be fair to both of you. Good luck. -granger

 

[dank.frank]

There is no hydro or bottle feed based program that is ever going to get someone who doesn't have the patience or inclination to grow to a successful harvest...

I respect your opinion but thats hardly the case. Any person with a brain can grow. This isnt rocketscience. If he was smart enough to acquire financial security, growing pot will be a breeze.

Read what the OP is saying about the guy he is consulting for...

It's not about what isn't hard ... it's about what will be EASIEST.

Mixing a proper soil to where LITERALLY all you have to do is keep the plants watered...is and always will be much EASIER than having to put 5 or 6 different tbsp of this and mL of that into a reservior that needs to then be pH adjusted, etc, etc, etc...

It's not that it's hard - not for people that have been doing it for years - but it ISN'T easy. Not at first. I've met many people that simply for whatever reason CAN NOT grow successfully. Even when given the full script...

This much is not really up for debate.

If OP wants a turn key - set it and forget it type of system - he'll do exactly what I've suggested...

He could take it one step further - and build a 5' x 10' x 15" soil bed - and set up blumats - and not even have to water. Then the guy could just walk in a gawk at his success...the reason I'm not suggesting that route, even though it would be less work in the long term, is that it takes a period of time...daily watching the blumats to get them adjusted properly - which from the sounds of things - the guy wouldn't be able to do properly - and OP probably doesn't have time to sit around and check on things every single day for a week to make sure it's right.

So in this instance - smart pots, a hose, and a extension spray nozzle are propbably the best route...

PS - I've met a lot of very ignorant wealthy people. Hard work and local connections does not exactly make someone smart. Wealth is a matter of right place, right time...and how many people you are willing to screw over to get it...in my experience. NOT intelligence.



dank.Frank

 

[JointOperation]

So your...errr...his...flowering room might look something like this then:

View Image


Only thing missing in this quick 20 min rendering is a Co2 burner and controller...otherwise, that's about it...

What you see:

8' x 10' interior space with 3ft wide 6'8" door on center. 2 x 6 exterior walls, 2 x 4 interior wall.

Vortex 10" fan and ProFilter 150 - 3 gavitas - wall mounted oscilation fans - water spigot - RO filter - 2 ton ductless A/C - 15 plants in flower in 10 gallon smart pots folded in half to make a wider 5 gallon container.

Hope some of this helps.



dank.Frank

and DANK FRANK Comes with the WIN.. perfect design for a small room that will deff supply him with an oz a week.. 54 weeks.. 3 gavitas.. even if he only crops out 2 times a year.. he will be more then happy..

i been putting away money to switch to gavitas.. my boys room with 3 1000s.. beat the fuck out of his old room.. with 3 normal hps.. by almost DOUBLE.

 

[papaduc]

He thinks he is going to drop some seeds in dirt, flip a switch and come back in a few weeks to buds, ready to be plucked from the branch.

To a certain degree, he's right. A lot of people over complicate the shit out of growing weed. It's a simple herb and if it really is only his intention of growing enough stash for a year in one grow, it's not that difficult, especially on a budget like that. 60oz of weed should be easily doable under 4x600w lights even on a first grow if he's got advice from the right people.

The growing is the easy part, no matter how little experience he has. Sometimes the more aloof the grower the better, I find when people are like that they're more inclined to do the bare minimum they have to. It's when people start geeking out with 6 bottles of different magic potions that they start fucking up.

Plants haven't changed much in all the years since they were kept on a windowsill by your mum in a pot with a bottle of who-gives-a-shit-what-brand plant food.

 

[TheyCallMeJJay]

I think my build, which was a tear out remodel went around 5k (100% new down to the saucers, except base dirt) Without labor, which I am paying myself $15 and hr.

Gavitas would be the way to go as that awesome mockup up above did. IF you have the height. Be very aware of that. I was going that way until the research threw me to the AC/DE hoods.

(I haven't got paid yet, so I guess I plan on stiffing myself?) I owe myself $4200, GAWD DAMNIT. Thats a check thats gonna hurt to write.

 

[dank.frank]

Height isn't so much an issue as long as you don't leave sitting hot spots - ie have adequate air circulation in the layer between the tops and the lights.

Probably couldn't run them at 1k - but certainly could run them at 600 and 750...even in an 8' ceiling - just gotta give them that 2ft distance...Which means, you can still have 5ft tall plants - and that means flipping plants around 18-24" depending on stretch, of course.



dank.Frank

 

[Dropped Cat]

As awesome as the full blown concept seems, I would back away
slowly and perhaps do a smaller set up to start.

Just a thought, hell, in a perfect world sounds really cool, but
in practice I would err on the side of caution given the variables mentioned.

Bite off more than you can chew and you'll end up with a bellyache.

Great thread!

 

[RonSmooth]

not my room.

I would just be ordering/setting up.

Waiting on the plans so I can get a better idea of the possible sizer and shape of the room.

Thanks.