Going Underground

[frankcos]

lol, its good to dream isn't it?

 

[MJman]

Thanks for all the advice guys! I posted this on another forum and all I got were jokes. The idea about not putting a lot of weight on top is not something I had thought about. I never intended to bury it really deep any way but it needs to be deep enough not to show up as a hot room on infrared and be deep enough so that the temp stays regulated...like a basement would in winter. I think we are in growing zone 5 and the maximum low temp here is about 0 to +10 degrees F. The location is in a deep hollow. Tree canopy coverage in the summer. I'm going to have the container all wired up long before we take it to the woods. At this stage, I need a good layout plan on the container. Light locations. Suggested wattage. Best use of floor space (48'x8'). etc. I am an outdoor grower but the deer and two legged bandits have become too much. Cutting holes, drainage pipes are no problem. I can vent into a stove pipe and just keep a wood fire going. That should take care of the smell. Are there any good books specifically on grow room construction?

 

[dr pyro]

like you said it needs to be deep enough so the ground does not give off a heat signature espically if you get snow in the winter you dont want all that snow melted in the area of it.another thing is to possibly weld up some supports if the container is steel. you would have to talk to an enginer to see what type of weight it would support just the way it is and then with supports. how would you have power from your residence or generator

 

[frankcos]

If you make this a reality Mjman please post pictures from start to finish.

 

[dr pyro]

ya we need pics

 

[ElJefe1971]

MJman - you said "like a basement in the winter" why not pour some footings and forms and do a basement? Much better in every aspect, no?

 

[MJman]

MJman - you said "like a basement in the winter" why not pour some footings and forms and do a basement? Much better in every aspect, no?

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I can buy a container here for about $1500. Plus, the cabin on top is only going to be maybe 12x18. There is no way that I could have a basement poured for that price, in the size the container is, and it would involve a lot of outside people.

 

[ElJefe1971]

Gotcha . . . well good luck with that project man. Love to see the pics if it happens.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

.


I can buy a container here for about $1500. Plus, the cabin on top is only going to be maybe 12x18. There is no way that I could have a basement poured for that price, in the size the container is, and it would involve a lot of outside people.

The trouble is that you cannot just drop a $1500 container into the ground. These have no real structural integrity. Not only will they not take any weight on the top, they will not take the weight that the earth will exert on the sides either (most building foundations are 6-8" of solid concrete). They are not watertight, they will rust, etc, etc. It will most likely take thousands and thousands (and thousands and thousands and...) of dollars to even get a container in shape to bury. To escape detection, you will need to be several feet down. What are you going to tell the excavator, plumber, electrician, crane operator and everyone else that would need to be involved in this why you are burying a storage container? If you build even a small cabin, you are going to need to get inspections to get water and power to it. I am in construction and this seems incredibly problematic. Just as an example, I cannot think of any way that you could possibly vent through a wood stove with a fire going...

You might want to do some more investigating before you get too far with this. Pouring a basement might seem like a cheap way to go when everything is said and done. As a first step, figure out what kind of stress load the container is capable of and then figure out how much you will need to reinforce it for it to be a safe structure. If you plan on building over the top of it, you need to take the weight of the cabin and its foundation into the equation.

 

[framingman001]

i doo know someone who burried a old school bus, and still grows out of it.
he started with a van. I did ask him about snow melt and such and he said just like any other grow ventilation is key. Out here in MT. high in the mountains it snows alot, and snow is a insullator, he said theres no real snow melt problem.
The only heat issue is the vent. He used to vent it out buy his burn barrel where he would burn his garbage.
Now he has one of those out door boillers to heat his house, and vents it next to that.
But then again he dose own his own backhoe with a good chunck of land so he dose it all himself.
Pretty inpressive to see.

 

[frankcos]

i doo know someone who burried a old school bus, and still grows out of it.
he started with a van. I did ask him about snow melt and such and he said just like any other grow ventilation is key. Out here in MT. high in the mountains it snows alot, and snow is a insullator, he said theres no real snow melt problem.
The only heat issue is the vent. He used to vent it out buy his burn barrel where he would burn his garbage.
Now he has one of those out door boillers to heat his house, and vents it next to that.
But then again he dose own his own backhoe with a good chunck of land so he dose it all himself.
Pretty inpressive to see.

thats pretty cool, how does he hide the entrance to his grow bus?

 

[framingman001]

he uses a 24 metal drainage pipe that goes down about 8 foot long. then turn 90 threw the backdoor of the bus.
its like the short bus when you were in school.
Nothing huge maybe 10-15 really nice 4 foot plants and clone room.
Then bushes and flat rocks cover the entrance.
You would never know it was even there.

It is pretty cool

 

[MJman]

The trouble is that you cannot just drop a $1500 container into the ground. These have no real structural integrity. Not only will they not take any weight on the top, they will not take the weight that the earth will exert on the sides either (most building foundations are 6-8" of solid concrete). They are not watertight, they will rust, etc, etc. It will most likely take thousands and thousands (and thousands and thousands and...) of dollars to even get a container in shape to bury. To escape detection, you will need to be several feet down. What are you going to tell the excavator, plumber, electrician, crane operator and everyone else that would need to be involved in this why you are burying a storage container? If you build even a small cabin, you are going to need to get inspections to get water and power to it. I am in construction and this seems incredibly problematic. Just as an example, I cannot think of any way that you could possibly vent through a wood stove with a fire going...

You might want to do some more investigating before you get too far with this. Pouring a basement might seem like a cheap way to go when everything is said and done. As a first step, figure out what kind of stress load the container is capable of and then figure out how much you will need to reinforce it for it to be a safe structure. If you plan on building over the top of it, you need to take the weight of the cabin and its foundation into the equation.

Hello Hemp Goddess! I should have qualified myself better in my previous postings. First off the location is remote, I doubt I could even get a concrete truck in to pour a basement, not to mention, all that concrete work would have to be done by someone else. I'm sure eyebrows by both that crew, concrete truck drivers and neighbors would all be raised. We have equipment and experience using it. I don't think a crane is going to be necessary with what we have to work with. The cabin built above will sit astride the tench with the container buried in it. It won't be pushing down on the roof. Right now I am trying to determine how much minimal cover needs to be on the top to stop IR detection. The water well has already been dug and the right generator will be bought once I get everything set up. Nothing is foolproof but I'd feel a lot better about a buried room than one attached to my house. In this state, first thing the power company does when the power useage spikes, they call up the LEA, then the fly overs at night looking for hot rooms, then it's pretty much over at that point. Hopefully it is different where you are at.