Room selection - opinions please

Hey kind folks,
I'm an aspiring newbie, still very much in the research process. I'm trying to decide between two possible locations in my (rental) house to establish my grow room.

Goal of my garden: personal supply and enough to $hare with a small group of friends. Ballpark of 6oz every 4 weeks would be plenty.

Here are my concerns:

I have a new roommate moving in in a couple of weeks. This is a craigslist situation, not someone I know well. I'd rather roommate not be aware of my grow.


Choice a.) there's a huge walk-out basement. I could build a cab and put it in the back corner at the rear of the house where it won't look out of place amidst a bunch of shelving and crap.
Downsides
1.) It's kind of a damp, mildewy/moldy smelling basement. I have terrible allergy attacks whenever I'm down there. I don't know how doable it will be to get it cleaned and dried enough to be a healthy environment for my plants or me.
2.) The corner of the basement that makes the most sense (away from plumbing and circuit box - less likely for landlord or repairmen to have any reason to come across it) is directly under housemate's bedroom, so for example, venting up through housemate's closet to the attic is not an option.
3.) It will probably seem really strange to housemate that I regularly spend time in the basement.
4.) Housemate will be storing some furniture and such in the basement so may have occasion to go down there.

Choice b.) There's a small third BR next to my BR that right now I just use for storage and have intended to turn into my office. This room has a 35"x 23"x8' closet. Venting through the closet ceiling up into the attic is a definite possibility.


If I can do it stealthily and achieve the yield I'm aiming for, choice b is my preference because
* It would be a much more comfortable room to work in.
* It won't seem unusual that I spend time in my office.
* The closet provides an already framed, white-walled box
* I can lock the doors to both the closet and the office.
* Housemate has no reason whatsoever to ever enter my office.

But realistically - am I going to be able to keep the smell and any noise associated with ventilation down enough that housemate won't suspect anything? Roommate is aware I toke so smells could just be chalked up to that, perhaps.

But since I have a giant basement, should I suck it up and try to get that clean enough to grow in?


Your opinions are greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

I would do the extra bedroom/office. You already know you can vent it, you also know there isn't any mold. Hands down, do that room.
My largest concern would be of the new roommate possibly getting nosey when your not home. I would make it clear to him that this is your office, this is your place of business, and under no circumstances should he enter. I would also put a deadlock on it and a camera. I would tell him this is for insurance and security reasons to protect your business, your lively hood. I work from home and I have my own office and I have a deadbolt on my door and everyone that comes here knows that is my office, that is where I make my money...they don't enter! I don't even grow in that room, it is my place of business and is sacred to me....So I am sure your roommate won't find suspicion with the stipulation that he is not allowed in that room.
The basement is too risky, he could stumble on it.....

i would say you use your office.

there are plenty of ways to smell proof a grow room.

searh DIY carbon filter

That's what I'm thinking. Particularly in a living-with-strangers situation - having a locked office should barely cause a raised eyebrow. Much better control over security and the environment of the room more than offsets the slightly increased risk of the smells and sounds being nearer at hand.

Thanks for the validation.

U will need plenty of filters and i would pick up a turbo ionizer at walmart as well! U are definitely going to have,i would say major odor problems during flower, considering u will have a mini jungle to achieve 6 zips a month! If thats the plan u should think about ordering some mango,bubblegum or lemon strains but stay away from skunk. peace

Office, you don't know if your even going to be able to grow these plants yet. Might take a year or 2 before you have growing basics down. Closet will let you do the most and be noticed the least. You will need to pony up the money for a carbon scrubber/fan combo to get rid of smell. It only takes a few plants to stink up a whole house.

I'd defintiely use the office. Just put a good lock on your door and ALWAYS lock it when you leave.. control the odor too

To keep his yield wants or requirements he'll will need 2 rooms, a closet to veg clones or seedlings and the office to flower so hopefully he has a closet in the office. To Reach a yield rate of six zips a month he would need to keep at least 10 plants constanly in flower on a regimen to to dry and cure every 2 weeks until he reaches his goal. Or obviously he could prolly grow 6 plants and veg till 3 feet and then flower but to do that he would need a 1000 watt M/H and hps lamp burning, and to me the size and nature would be way to much for a new grower . just my thoughts tho. hope they help.

Well I may be getting ahead of myself on the yield anticipations. It's true I've never done this before. Hell I've never had so much as a house plant. I'll start small in the office closet and get a little practice at growing a healthy plant or two, while controlling odor and see how it goes from there.

Thanks everyone for the input.

Utilize a room for vegging and keep ur flower room flowering all the time by cloning or seed, ur flower room will continuously produce bud!

It doent tame much to veg plants fur flowering.