My Loft Build.

[Guest]

Finally pretty much done. Had a few days off sorting a few forum bits and the party stuff but 2 solid days up there and it's pretty much there. Below is the first stage of airflow into the loft. This is the same on the other side of the loft but for extraction. These are sealed areas, only air on or out is from vents to groom, groom to vents. The idea is between the roof vents there is a solid insulatd wall with 4 100mm ducting vents. You can then see the wall to the actual grooms.





Next is the finished groom wall with plugs wired in. This is the same on the other side. 8 sockets in the grooms with 3 more outside to take things like ballast. It a mess up there atm but tomorrow ill be sealing it all up and will do a groom tour vid if I manage to finish it all.





Everything is pissed up there which has made it a nightmare to have things installed square. I'm 8 tins of expanding foam down atm

Just pierce the cans and throw them into the voids like they're grenades it'll save a little time!

Looks very nice. A lot of people are going to have groom envy I reckon

[Guest]

and ffs matt white that brick wall or board it up duw duw

Celotex going over it tomorrow

Hey that stuff is well cheap and same thermal conductivity as kingspan! Nice one. I'm going to use that as extra padding under my flooring I reckon and maybe for my roof

[MrNice]

The outside of the facia has vent grills running along the entire roof:



As I'm heavily insulating I still want the roof to breathe and also I'll be closing off one of the eaves (corner bits) that I'm insulating above. I'll extracting air into it from the actual groom but it's sealed from the rest of the loft. This will force air out of the vents in above picture but it's such a large surface area it should in theory be silent. I've pushed some old ducting down into the vents and made sure there is a a clear air passage. The vents/ducting will have another stud wall in front of them with vents in. Effectively creating a 2 stage set of vents that will allow air to leave the loft. This will draw air in from the other side of the loft which has the same vents on the outside. It works in my head but if it actually will....

MR k
You working on a positive pressure idea ?

" I'll extracting air into it from the actual groom but it's sealed from the rest of the loft. This will force air out of the vents in above picture but it's such a large surface area it should in theory be silent"

[Keeno]

Time for another update. This is much further than these pictures now but I'm well behind with updates and want to show the progress as it happens.

The end separating wall needed a good covering, while it's solid I'm not taking any chances and want the room airtight so that only air in and out where I want it. I screwed 3x2 CLS timber to the wall and then covered it with 50mm Celotex. Timber prices are fooking mental atm, the cheapest option was the 3x2, normally planed 2x2 would suit but was more expensive.





Once this was in I went mental with expanding foam, stuff is cheap and sticks like shit to everything. If there was a 2mm gap I forced this stuff into it. Looks a mess once expanded but no air or creepy crawlies getting in here

All gaps, screw holes, anything then got covered in aluminum tape. I keep saying better safe than sorry but I don't want my door coming off because i took a chance and left an air leak anywhere, if I get unlucky it won't be because I didn't cover everything I could think of.











Now onto the other groom wall. This looks a mess as in stud work but I had to work to existing loft supports. I'm confident in my knowledge in supporting the groom, but not changing the integrity of the roof. For this reason, I've built into and around the existing roof supports making sure I'm not adding weight to them, the stud wall and all its weight is loaded onto the floor which I've installed onto load-bearing structures. This wall itself is made from 3x2 CLS timer and then 9mm plasterboard. Insulated with 100mm earth wool.

Onto to the door......What a pain in the fecking arse this has been. I didn't want a normal door as id lose room with it swinging open, so like a smart arse I decided to be a smart arse, the idea was sound, some leftover YBS Super quilt would be sandwiched between t 3x2 timbers and slide up and down. This didn't work. The material was too thick, kept getting snagged and caught up while I was trying to slide it up and down. I then changed the material to some leftover foam underlay.... the same issue. I didn't want to use a fabric material as it will be a safe haven for creepy multi-legged bastards, but I've had to. The idea will work if anyone uses it again but you will struggle with anything but soft material.

I ended up fixing some foam over the inside of the wall over the door so I can nuke the blanket regularly and there is a barrier between the blanket and plants.









It was then time to work out how I was going to hang lights and filters. I decided to go with 3x2 CLS screwed directly into the rafters. I use timber lock screws for this, id not recommend using standard screws. I've put up a good few timbers as I've still kt really got a clue what ill be using as in plants and where.







Next, in went the extraction. I miscalculated this tbh, well not miscalculated it but went with the fans I had. I figured 2 x 150mm L1 Systemair fans would cope, 1 just about kept up with a 2.4 x 1.2m grow tent in the hottest months, the total area here is 4x4m of groom. I did a dummy run with 4 x 600w HPS and both on, I don't intend to use that much lighting 24/7 but there is space, It got a tad warm, probably a lot to do with the extreme heat we are seeing but I don't want to get lumbered once plants are in there. I can't afford to upgrade the extraction atm but an amazing bit of generosity from a certain @Mrs Beefheart will mean this will not be an issue, That gesture deserves a post of its own which ill do once I set up. @Stickylemonz I've found my A1 150mm, it's your buddy, I'll get it shipped next week

Im seriously impressed with this phonic trap ducting. Ill do a full review soon but it's a winner.





Next up is the passive intake. Bog standard 100mm combi ducting for this. The ducting runs into the closed-off section of the cool side of the loft. The extractions pushes out into the sealed area on the hottest side of the loft. Both then passively vent through another stuff wall out into another closed section where the roof vents are. I will have to do a video to fully explain this but it seems to be working on a dummy run. I'm listening each night, not a sound out the back of the house.

And that's where ill leave it tonight. All that's left is the lighting to go in and to set up the rhizo system. All pipework was previously run. My plants are in desperate need of potting up and a bit of room. Tomorrow night is moving day

[Keeno]

Finally pretty much done. Had a few days off sorting a few forum bits and the party stuff but 2 solid days up there and it's pretty much there. Below is the first stage of airflow into the loft. This is the same on the other side of the loft but for extraction. These are sealed areas, only air on or out is from vents to groom, groom to vents. The idea is between the roof vents there is a solid insulatd wall with 4 100mm ducting vents. You can then see the wall to the actual grooms.





Next is the finished groom wall with plugs wired in. This is the same on the other side. 8 sockets in the grooms with 3 more outside to take things like ballast. It a mess up there atm but tomorrow ill be sealing it all up and will do a groom tour vid if I manage to finish it all.





Everything is pissed up there which has made it a nightmare to have things installed square. I'm 8 tins of expanding foam down atm

Just pierce the cans and throw them into the voids like they're grenades it'll save a little time!

Looks very nice. A lot of people are going to have groom envy I reckon

Nuff said....

and ffs matt white that brick wall or board it up duw duw

Celotex going over it tomorrow

Hey that stuff is well cheap and same thermal conductivity as kingspan! Nice one. I'm going to use that as extra padding under my flooring I reckon and maybe for my roof

https://insulation4less.co.uk/ - Keep an eye on this lace mate, I bought Celotex and got Kingspan delivered.

The outside of the facia has vent grills running along the entire roof:



As I'm heavily insulating I still want the roof to breathe and also I'll be closing off one of the eaves (corner bits) that I'm insulating above. I'll extracting air into it from the actual groom but it's sealed from the rest of the loft. This will force air out of the vents in above picture but it's such a large surface area it should in theory be silent. I've pushed some old ducting down into the vents and made sure there is a a clear air passage. The vents/ducting will have another stud wall in front of them with vents in. Effectively creating a 2 stage set of vents that will allow air to leave the loft. This will draw air in from the other side of the loft which has the same vents on the outside. It works in my head but if it actually will....

MR k
You working on a positive pressure idea ?

" I'll extracting air into it from the actual groom but it's sealed from the rest of the loft. This will force air out of the vents in above picture but it's such a large surface area it should in theory be silent"

It's negative pressure but hard to explain mate, ill do a vid in next day or 2.

[JJ]

How about a sliding barn style door ,use the foam board,or pocket door

[Keeno]

How about a sliding barn style door ,use the foam board,or pocket door

That's a brilliant idea and ill look to implement it. Atm im hard pushed for time so my make-shift door will have to do. Plants should have been potted up ages ago. I've got some spare Celotex board too so ill have a think on how to use it with your idea.

[JJ]

Make a top runner track w the 2x3 outside board 1"higher,,door panel on top L-shape facing down,it just hangs on,gravity,wont slide the best but not too heavy,can wax the wood,lookin good btw,you don't need no stinkin tent

[Guest]

I've got a sliding door on my build, saves much needed space. Top idea

I am going to order some Celotex from there then

[Stickylemonz]

@Keeno thank you so much!! Also with your door problem, could you not use flat piece of ply, staple heavy duty velcro all round edge of board, then on your stud work do the same? This is what I have done and seems to work no light leaks, cheap to do, also I have used pond liner as a cover to go over door just to be safe rather then sorry then in the side of door is a sheet of pond liner and Mylar stapled to the back of it that drops down as a curtain as you walk in probably a bit extreme but this is so when door is off and I’m in groom there’s a certain to not exspose the bright light when I look on them at night. And let my neighbours see my shed glowing haha.. hoping this helped a little bit or just have you a bit of idea or somthing! The groom looks very nice and defo like someone said grow room envy lol I will take more photos when lights come on for the curtain and where I’ve put velcro etc! Thank you again for fan mate!!