Growing inside a shipping container with an open framed ceiling - DG allowed???

Just a quick question to all you builders out there and interpreters of the law.

If a person were to have a DG permit, and they bought a few 40 foot shipping containers and then cut off the metal roof, built wooden roof frames on top of them, and then stapled clear plastic cover with ample ventilation...for a grow using outdoor summer lighting patterns...and of course painted the insides of the containers white...

My question is could a DG get away with calling that an indoor grow if you grew your plants inside this sort of a building structure and used outdoor light?

Containers would be on an owned property. Not rented.

Thanks for your opinions...

Buckets

Meant only for the summer season I also meant to say in BC.

While this is right from the horses mouth, I would consult a lawyer before proceeding. My connection with the Toronto Major Crimes unit says that they consider an operation indoor if it is covered. Whether that's by a tarp or a roof it's indoors if it's under a "roof". We know for certain that plastic hoop greenhouses qualify as indoor. I don't see why your containers wouldn't be.

theQuetzalcoatl said:

While this is right from the horses mouth, I would consult a lawyer before proceeding. My connection with the Toronto Major Crimes unit says that they consider an operation indoor if it is covered. Whether that's by a tarp or a roof it's indoors if it's under a "roof". We know for certain that plastic hoop greenhouses qualify as indoor. I don't see why your containers wouldn't be.

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I agree, but I feel a true greenhouse would be a better idea. The walls of the containers would block the light during the hours the sun is close to the horizon. May or may not be an issue.

Hey guys, thanks so much for your replies. Good point about the walls. I was thinking later down the line when you go to a commercial grow status and you have to show your security measures. Steel walls help. But good point about losing light because of the walls not being see through. I thought of painting the inside walls white so reflect light back to the plants. The container people got back to me and they want $3400 per 40 foot container which is to much in my opinion. Have to keep looking.

Have a great day!

Buckets

Buckets; shop around for those sea cans (shipping container). They're sold through several people before they get to you, (just like black market cannabis). So you might get lucky if you find a company closer to the source, alot of shipping companies will sell them directly, as opposed to the sea can dealers. I don't know where you are in the country, but in AB here, seems like if you drive around industrial areas you can find some for sale. There are also different grades of them, like A, B, C. depending on damage, age, weight rating etc... Another thing to remember is your trucking cost for those things, they're big and awkward, but I know some trucking companies have trailers to self load them, as opposed to expensive picker or winch tractors.

Hi Ditrbag1. Thanks for your feedback. I wouldn't mind building a house out of 10 of those 53 footers! Man, the space you would have and apparently it's 1/3 the price of a conventional home after it's all said and done. I really like the idea of using containers with no roofs on them out on an acreage surrounded by electric fencing to grow your medical weed in. Keep the animals out. With a wood frames roof with clear plastic over them, that would sure allow your plants to grow. Yes, I am contacting companies to see about prices. I appreciate your insight man. Thanks for your post! Have a good day.

NP, Buckets, green snow fence works awesome, but it's expensive for big areas.

I'll have to look up what green snow fence is. I don't know the name. But I wanted to grow inside using outside light during the summer and containers offered me the best option I thought. May not be able to do it this summer though. Thanks for your suggestion.

How would you do the electric setup? Do you do it yourself?

maximum you missed the point of this whole thread. I wouldn't be using electricity. I'd use the natural light from the summer sun and let the light come down through a plastic see through roof and it would only be for the summer season. The other months I'd grow indoors in my house. Growing in containers allows me one season of really big plants and no electricity bill in what could be called an indoor building structure.

sorry Buckets, I was heavily medicated before bed, when I posted my last comment. Re: the snow fence, I don't know where in the country you are, but in AB I got it from a store called Peavey mart, it's a farm supply store, they would also have your solar/battery powered elec. fence. I would think most farm supply stores would have that fence available, it's usually just called snow fence and comes in floro. orange and green, but you'll have to shop around, because I know not all places carry the green stuff, good luck brother.

Okay man. Thank you for those suggestions! Have a wonderful day.

buckets said:

maximum you missed the point of this whole thread. I wouldn't be using electricity. I'd use the natural light from the summer sun and let the light come down through a plastic see through roof and it would only be for the summer season. The other months I'd grow indoors in my house. Growing in containers allows me one season of really big plants and no electricity bill in what could be called an indoor building structure.

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Sorry man. How did I miss that. Yea Its a structure I think it would be indoors. Just like a greenhouse, shed all those things too.

Its a creative idea. Can you setup in a way that the sun gets in from many angles? Or will the walls cast shadows inside? Just trying to picture it. ITs good your thinking creative.

I did a bit of digging on this. In my municipality, a sea container can be used as an outbuilding, but if it is being used so, your property taxes will be increased by whatever amount your municipality charges for additional outbuildings. However, If said container is still on wheels and therefore technically still mobile you won't be charged additional property taxes even if you use them as outbuildings.

This tells us that people are already doing this and have been doing so long enough to make it worth the effort if collecting taxes. Which means it probably works.

wow. On wheels eh? That would mean some serious under carriage. Those things weigh a lot. I can make sure I have them facing south. I wasn't going to have a lot of them. Just a couple if I could arrange it. The insides I would paint white so the light reflects and I'd use those new bags that promote massive root growth. I've forgotten actual brand names but they're meant for above ground growing and they let the heat dissipate really quickly. The downside is they dry out quickly so you have to be close by to water. But if you can grow on your property all is good. Especially if you're on a farm. I also had another thought last night, do the same idea but build a barn and have plastic over the roof so the light gets in. Thanks for your comments guys. Have a good day.

buckets said:

wow. On wheels eh? That would mean some serious under carriage. Those things weigh a lot. I can make sure I have them facing south. I wasn't going to have a lot of them. Just a couple if I could arrange it. The insides I would paint white so the light reflects and I'd use those new bags that promote massive root growth. I've forgotten actual brand names but they're meant for above ground growing and they let the heat dissipate really quickly. The downside is they dry out quickly so you have to be close by to water. But if you can grow on your property all is good. Especially if you're on a farm. I also had another thought last night, do the same idea but build a barn and have plastic over the roof so the light gets in. Thanks for your comments guys. Have a good day.

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Man, you should make a thread on all your alternative/off the grid ideas. I could see it being popular for all those planning on planB when the MMPR takes effect

Barn or a quanset. I think the BC Bud guy uses a barn thats a grow inside the barn. How are you coming up with ideas? Budget in mind? Or stealth? I like reading it, gets my imagination going.

I've been reading about shipping container homes and have typed that into google numerous times - especially on google images. SOme finishes on the outside you can't even see that there's a metal container underneath all the finishing. And it's supposed to be 1/3 of the final cost to a regular wood built home. Ideas come to me a lot. Especially when I am outdoors with a dog. I've also been on a new technology web site. These creators are making a new form of solar panel and it's in the shape of a pyrimid. It generates 20X more power than a regular flat solar panel. It looks awesome and it will be built in Australia starting in 2013-2014 they say. But the new technology web site is pretty cool. I can put the link down here if anybody is curious and wants to check that and a number of other things out. I didn't think of a quanset hut though because how would you cut a space for the light to come through the metal without screwing up the sturdiness. The sturdiness in the building is because of the curve. Just ike the VW bug. Cut the roof off and you're in trouble.

How challenging is cutting holes into those things?

Pretty easy if you have a cutting torch.