Building a Temperature Controlled Shed - Part 1

Building a Temperature Controlled Shed

Drum roll…

"I'm building a custom 10x12 insulated cooler shed to meet dual seasonal needs: Storing dahlia tubers during winter and cooling cut flowers during spring, summer and fall. This shed will be located near the garden studio (where my grow lights and workspace are) for efficient workflow and access to electricity. The shed will be insulated and climate-controlled using a combination of a Dr. Infrared heater and a CoolBot-enabled air conditioner."

That was the first paragraph of my 1-page specification doc to design the shed. I want to call it a cooler, but it will serve that purpose for only half of the year. The main purpose is housing all those dahlia tubers at a stable 40°F during the winter months and being able to "wake" them up in place. There's no room to hold them elsewhere :-)

Here's what the floorplan will look like:

I split the shed in 40% and 60% sections. The smaller section on the left has an A/C and a Coolbot (a clever device that makes the air conditioner override it's factory settings to chill a room colder than usual). This is where the cut flowers will be kept during the spring/summer/fall with the center door closed. This design lets me buy a smaller (less-expensive) air conditioner - since I won't need to cool the entire space.

On the right side will be the dahlia tuber storage area, there will be a Dr. Infrared heater with a thermostat to keep the room above freezing during the winter months. I'll be double checking the temps with a Govee thermometer too - wifi enabled and an app on my smartphone for alerts if temperature gets too hot/cold.

I did some research about buying a Tuff shed from the Home Depot and customizing it (adding a inner wall/door and insulation) OR doing the whole thing custom from scratch. They ended up being the same price-ish. But doing it custom I can have the exact same roofing & hardy board siding to match the house, which will make it will look like it belongs. This is important to my household.

This design includes 4" R-25 insulation on all sides (roof, walls, floor), exterior doors with seals, and electricity being run from the house/garage nearby. The outside will look like a lean-to shed 10' tall on the front side and 8' tall on the rear. Here's some shots from the begining.

Construction started this week, and should be done by the first week in November (roofing and insulation included). In the future if I want more cold storage (for produce in the summer) I can add another A/C Coolbot combo to the right side and keep the rooms at different temps…. We'll see how it goes.

It's surprising how quickly the cost of materials and shelves add up… It's not an inexpensive shed, but it should last "forever" or at least as long as I'm gardening. It's worth it as an investment as I expand my growing this year. I want to keep the cut flowers and tubers as happy as I can, and this will really help!

Thanks, Dad, for all the "doing your homework" pep talks growing up, (it helped having a father who was an industrial arts teacher) - I got my design skills from him.

Feel free to email me to ask questions if you have them. Onward!