# Fixing up a pine unit from Vinnies



## pythonmum (Apr 21, 2011)

I scored this pine entertainment unit from the local Vinnies for $45.






The fit-out will be a lot more than that! I was looking at different lighting options and found some awesome LED lighting systems at the local aquarium shop. Problem was, they cost $240!:| Went to Bunnings today and found a couple of different systems for $40 - much more reasonable. I like the LED idea because you don't need light cages, they don't burn out, they are very low profile and they only draw 1W of power.

I also scored some great fake plants at Home and Garden at the local Westfield. I was impressed by their range of fake greenery. It was life-like, sturdy and not incredibly expensive. 

Here are the LED sets and the plants. The downlights go in the top enclosure and the strips go in the main one. If they are not bright enough, I'll put them above the basking shelf and install a conventional compact flourescent in the main area.





I'll post more photos when I finish. I've got most of the materials ready, but lots still to do, including sealing all of the interior timber and filling gaps. Waiting for everything to dry drives me nuts.


----------



## guzzo (Apr 21, 2011)

What a great project....look forward to seing what you do with it!!


----------



## Grogshla (Apr 21, 2011)

that is going to look amazing!!! great potential.


----------



## pythonmum (Apr 27, 2011)

*Latest progress*

The slowest part of this renovation has been staining the pine and sealing the entertainment unit! I've finally stained and built the doors (not shown), sealed the interior with spray-on polyurethane (a great invention), and sealed the gaps around the floor with gap filler. The holes for the power cords in the top and bottom sections were filled with a circle of wood screwed to some old aluminium leaf guard. The middle (narrow) section was just covered with the gutter guard and left as ventillation. That section will be a basking shelf. I am mounting a heat panel underneath it and have made a hole for the snake to crawl from the main enclosure to the shelf. In the first photo I've cut the vent holes and screwed on the gutter guard as vents, too. Litter guards are in place in the front of the enclosures.





In the next photos I've glued on the decorative aquarium backgrounds which cover the patched cord holes and add interest. This is crucial for the lower enclosure, because that snake is my messiest and an easy-clean surface is necessary. I've also put framing around the vents and installed the LED lights in the top enclosure. They give plenty of light and look great, without needing light cages! Thanks to kingsirloin for cutting the holes for me.









Finally, I've finished my plant for the big enclsoure. I dare my Darwin to knock this one over! (He probably will manage.)





I'll update when I build my heat cord heat panel in the odd shape of the lower enclosure and fit out the branches. Someday I'll put on the doors, too!


----------



## Trouble (Apr 27, 2011)

wow, gorgeous! it's looking great Pythonmum  your snakes are definitely spoiled lol.


----------



## SouthernKnights (Apr 27, 2011)

looking good! Getting inspired. Cant wait to see the finished product!!!


----------



## pythonmum (May 1, 2011)

*More progress on May Day*

At last I've got the lighting in the lower enclosure. For this one I got a set of 3 strips of LEDs. They are amazingly bright! I've put one strip in the basking shelf area:





and two strips in the main enclosure:





I'm also building my own heat panel using dickyknee's method. It really suit's this odd shape. Here I've screwed cup hooks into the ceiling to hold the heat cord.





Here is the guard box - a pine frame with aluminium flyscreen stapled to it.





Now it's in place on the roof.





Just for perspective, this shows how spacious the enclosure really is. Hubby took the photo after I laid in the enclosure pushing up on the heat panel guard while he tightened the screws from the basking shelf side.


----------



## MChaz (May 1, 2011)

How good is it when you find just what you need at vinnies and salvos for enclosures??
My enclosure is an entertainment unit with the pine exactly like this one, except its square.
Scored it for $30... Best enclosure and its huge... just took out a couple of the shelves and did all the necessary cleaning/ adding glass/ setting up...
Now my spotted is happy cruising around in his unit haha.
Yours looks amazing, need to show the end result when the snake is in there


----------



## Renenet (May 1, 2011)

That's looking fantastic! Well done. I can't wait to see the finished enclosure all lit up with the snake in it.


----------



## Red-Ink (May 1, 2011)

Very nice mate.... Could you PM me the LED source please?


----------



## MissFord (May 1, 2011)

Wow great stuff;D I'm so gonna be watching every step


----------



## Trouble (May 1, 2011)

Looking good, pythonmum  that's an awesome size enclosure!! 
could you also pm me where you bought the LEDs from too, please?


----------



## kawasakirider (May 2, 2011)

This is excellent! Will the heat cord be on a thermostat? I'm interested in changing from a red bulb to a cord. How much power do they draw compared to a bulb?

The enclosure looks GREAT. Excellent project and really inspiring.


----------



## pythonmum (May 2, 2011)

Got both LED sets at Bunnings for about $40 each. The round ones are Oslo 3 piece LED cabinet light kit. Strips are Arlec under cabinet lighting LED strip light. I love the easy installation, bright light and no light cages! Now to see what my Darwin does to them...

The heat cord will be on a thermostat with the probe on the shelf above. Ages ago I started putting my heat sources under a basking shelf for arboreal species. Now I don't lose so much heat out the top of the enclosure. I used the 60W heat cord that I had in my incubator. It was $30 from Herpshop. If it's not quite hot enough, I've ordered an 80W cord and will have to add more cup hooks. I just had a 2-year-old Habistat panel in another enclosure blow on me, so I've high hopes for the heat cord. If nothing else, it's a lot cheaper to replace.


----------



## pythonmum (May 12, 2011)

*Done at last!*

Had great fun moving this monster into the house. How come 17-year-old boys are not nearly as helpful with lifting as you hope?! Anyway, we did it. Husband helped me with fiddly bits getting the door hinges just right.

Here it is before decorating:





The 'upstairs' will be for my new Boodarie girl. I'll keep her on shavings, so have put down vinyl flooring and sealed it around the edges. She's not going in there yet, so I have not taken a photo with the complete decor in place. Also, my rock with fake grass plants is still drying!





'Downstairs' in the main enclosure is the new home for my albino boy. This is his old boring box.





Here is the new and improved housing with much more space and a much nicer look.





The 30W heat cord is providing a basking spot of 32 - 35 degrees on the wooden shelf above the heat panel (according to my IR heat gun). The coldest parts of the enclosure are down by the vent where it is a chilly 18 degrees today. We never heat that room, so I suspect he will spend most of his time on the shelf in winter. I have a day/night thermostat, so the temp will drop everywhere at night.

Right now he's visiting his girlfriend while I moved around the enclosures. I may pop them both down there, as it gets cooler than the loungeroom where the female lives right now. I want to check the temperature profile for a day or two before I put him back - just to be sure I'm happy with it. I'm certainly happy with the renovation. I had lots of fun and it's a much more attractive piece of furniture than the standard melamine enclosure.


----------



## kawasakirider (May 12, 2011)

That's really excellent, pythonmum  I'm gunna try and do something similar, just gotta convince my brother to let me use his garage, because I can't do it here


----------



## longqi (May 12, 2011)

That is a very well thought out enclosure/viv that will last a lifetime and has the added benefits of being both cheap and nice to look at


----------



## Wiganov (May 12, 2011)

That's it, pythonmum, you've officially inspired me. Excellent work and thanks for sharing. I'm hitting Vinnies on the weekend...


----------



## Defective (May 12, 2011)

i just want LED's for my stimmie


----------



## Morfias (May 12, 2011)

wow absoultely brilliant work !! has given me so many ideas !! 

well done mate


----------



## pythonmum (May 12, 2011)

The glue holding in my plants has dried and I've got my hollow log ready, so here is the woma decor for the 'upstairs'. She won't move in for a while, but I'm pleased with the end result. A few cheap plastic grass plants in a rock from the yard, plus a log from a recent firewood delivery make great cage decorations.


----------



## AllThingsReptile (May 12, 2011)

that is just amazing, i'll to give something like this a go now


----------



## melluvssnakes (May 14, 2011)

I'm loving this. All we've ever found at our local vinnies are the cheap chip board type, and I'm not game to use one of them. Question though, how does your beautiful albino get up into the basking shelf? Where is the access hole?

Never mind, I found it


----------



## Renenet (May 14, 2011)

Wow, that is so cool. Op shops are such a great resource. I hope I find an entertainment unit like that one day.


----------



## JordanG (May 14, 2011)

i am hopefully converting my old entertainement unit into a rep enclosure soon 
btw pythonmum great work u have inspired me to stop being lazy and start converting mine lol


----------



## malachi51 (May 15, 2011)

found some fantastic tv units on gumtree after I first saw your posts!! So there are plenty out there to be found! so don't look just at op shops!
I love it PM, you've done a fantastic job! I keep showing my hubby the pics in the hope that he will let me do something similar for Charlie once he's big enough


----------



## pythonmum (May 15, 2011)

Thanks for all of the kind comments, folks. I put Ra in today now that I'm happy with the temps. I also added the 'love nest' hide box (blue dish pan) so that his girlfriend can visit when he sheds. He's not looking his best, but will be more gorgeous than ever by the weekend. Hopefully he will get frisky then, too!


----------



## Renenet (May 15, 2011)

Lucky Ra! Like his name, too.



malachi51 said:


> found some fantastic tv units on gumtree after I first saw your posts!! So there are plenty out there to be found! so don't look just at op shops!



Good idea. And there should be a lot out there now as more people upgrade the size of their TV.


----------



## Inspiration (May 15, 2011)

Wow, you are so clever! How lucky is Ra  Well done and thanks for sharing.


----------



## Trouble (May 15, 2011)

wow, Ra is gorgeous, pythonmum  He definitely makes that enclosure look bloody awesome now!! It was great before-hand, and then he just sets them off! 
Hope he gets 'frisky' after he sheds  
Great work, it looks fab!!


----------



## Jackrabbit (May 17, 2011)

kawasakirider said:


> That's really excellent, pythonmum  I'm gunna try and do something similar, just gotta convince my brother to let me use his garage, because I can't do it here


 
Ask twice, then just start moving equipment in. That's how I did it at my Dad's place. He put up some resistance but I knew he didn't really have a problem if he wasn't expected to do anything.


----------



## kawasakirider (May 17, 2011)

Jackrabbit said:


> Ask twice, then just start moving equipment in. That's how I did it at my Dad's place. He put up some resistance but I knew he didn't really have a problem if he wasn't expected to do anything.


 
My brother is a huge hard ***. I can get away with stuff because he's my brother, but if it was anyone else they'd be in a world of hurt. I'd have to put argue with him a bit if I did that, but I'm sure he'd let me.


----------



## Londos1990 (May 18, 2011)

That's very impressive, and creative, got time to build me one , so $45 for the unit, what did it end up costing in total?

Kyle


----------



## pythonmum (May 18, 2011)

I try not to think about the total  Here's my best guess: lighting $80, heat cord $30, glass $70, sealant/stains/gap filler/adhesives/silicone about $100, aquarium backgrounds $35, timber and hardware bits maybe $80, plants about $20. Water bowls, plastic hides, vine, thermostats and heater for the 'upstairs' are all from old/other enclosures. Wood and rocks are from the yard. Vinyl flooring for the 'upstairs' was a scrap left over from our entryway. In total, it adds right up, but for what I got in the end, it's a bargain.


----------



## kawasakirider (May 18, 2011)

Just curious regarding the heat cord...

I have 3 jungles and I'm thinking about getting a verticle enclosure knocked up with 2 dividers, making 3 columns so they can live seperately. Would there be a heat cord long enough to sufficiently head the whole 3 bays? I'm guessing it will be probably about 1.5 meters wide, so 50cm wide columns for each snake. The reason I ask is I'm wondering how to cut down the power consumption.

Cheers.


----------



## pythonmum (May 18, 2011)

Heat cord comes in a variety of lengths and wattages. If you want to make your own heat panel, you could probably make something to go across the top of the whole enclosure, but you'd want to put a reflective surface to minimise heat loss out of the top. Maybe an 80W cord would be a good idea ($35). Those bays sound very narrow. If also very tall, you will have a very cold bottom layer during winter and the snakes will effectively live in a very small area. Although arboreal species use the vertical space, they rest horizontally and like a good shelf for this. My Darwins all have a shelf or a log and they usually prefer the shelf. Your jungles are still babies, so 50cm is not too bad now. In a couple of years, it will be way too cramped.


----------



## kawasakirider (May 18, 2011)

Rightio, I was thinking of having a branch that they could wrap around and take up less space. The only reason I picked 1.5m is I thought that might be the maximum that one heat cord could service. I'd prefer bigger anyway.

Out of curiousity, how much are they to run? I still want one enclosure with 3 compartments, but if it's bigger I'm going to need 3 heat cords, I guess.

Thanks for your help


----------



## pythonmum (May 18, 2011)

Running cost depends on the wattage of your heat cord, the season and the gradient between your enclosure and the room. If you are keeping them in a room that's usually pretty warm, it won't cost as much as if they are in a cold spot. Heat cords are a lot more efficient than 100 - 150W globes.


----------



## AirCooled (May 18, 2011)

Hi Pythonmum,I bought nearly the same enclosure except from Salvos,your DIY has given me alot of ideas,Thanks


----------



## t.Man (May 25, 2011)

Hey Pythonmum, just wondering what kind of temp readings do you get underneath the heat cord?


----------



## shell477 (May 25, 2011)

Hahaha just came across this thread. I just bought pretty much the exact same thing from an op shop just a week ago! Planning on turning in to two small enclosures for something in the future  mine cost $70 though...


----------



## 1woma (May 26, 2011)

t.Man said:


> Hey Pythonmum, just wondering what kind of temp readings do you get underneath the heat cord?


 
im interested to???? what wattage cord did you put in?


----------



## pythonmum (May 29, 2011)

I put in a fairly low wattage heat cord - 50W ($30). I have an 80W in reserve, but haven't needed it. The warm spot is above the cord on the basking (VCR/DVD) shelf where I get nice 32 degree readings. That is where I have my thermostat probe. The branch below is lucky to hit 25 during the day at the moment because it's very cold in that room. I've found that in enclosures where my Darwins have a choice of a shelf or a branch, the adults generally opt for the shelf, so now I design accordingly and make that the basking spot. Ra hasn't used his hide box at all. He seems to feel quite secure on the shelf with its low ceiling. When I put the female in with him, they both opted for that spot most of the time. Haven't caught them in the act yet, but I'm hoping that it has happened. They had a week together, so now I'm giving them a few days apart.


----------



## pythonmum (Aug 6, 2011)

A final update - the enclosure is complete because I finally put the resident in the penthouse suite! I built a woma enclosure in the top portion before I even had a woma. Now my Boodarie girl has outgrown my largest tub and it was time for her to move in tonight:






With her upstairs and the albino downstairs, it's a lovely piece!


----------



## Renenet (Aug 6, 2011)

Very nice, Pythonmum!


----------



## EmmaMary (Aug 8, 2011)

Great job! It's lovely. Glad to know they prefer a shelf with low ceiling, I'm going to see how I can incorperate a shelf in the warm upper zone of mine.


----------



## snoopy (Aug 8, 2011)

Hi where did you get that background for the big enclosure from. It looks the goods


----------



## Jen (Aug 9, 2011)

Looks fantastic, and if I had any room in my house I'd go hunting lol. 
LED lights are also available in a wide range from IKEA.


----------

