# Melamine enclosure build



## Bananapeel (Jan 28, 2013)

Ok so I'm in the process of building a pine enclosure which I will chuck some pics up of another day but I'm almost finished and even if I'm not allowed a second snake, I want to build something anyway without physical help from dad so thought I'd have a go at chucking together a little melamine thing. Theoretically it will be for a childrens python but the chance of another snake is slim. Very slim.
Anyway, dad was good enough to pay for materials for the line enclosure but I don't know that he'll be keen on paying for this one so for the first question I would like to know an estimated price of a 900x500x400 (lxwxh) in melamine including glass sliding doors. Preferably estimate slightly high so I'm not disappointed if its more. And other bits and pieces. Exclude heat, light etc etc.

i will most likely be making 2 of these enclosures and using either a 6 or 9 m heatcord shared between the 2. Whichever I use on this I will also be using the same on my MD's which will have 2 basking spots one high one low using one heatcord. I made a thread recently asking if I could use multiple heatcords on the same thermostat so anyone else who can give me info here is appreciated. 

Basically to sum it up, my questions are as follows-
Rough estimate cost of materials needed?
Heatcord size and wattage for 2 identical enclosures?
Can the cord for the melamine and the MD cord be controlled by the same thermostat assuming temps are pretty similar and wattage is the same?
anyone got a rough cost of decor and other little additions?
oh and do I need to seal melamine? I will be siliconing the joins but is that enough?

also for the pine one, does it sealing? It is called dressed pine from bunnings.

Sorry for all the probably dumb questions but figured its best to ask!

thanks for any help anyone can provide me with or pics of how others have done similar builds.
Thanks again!!!


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## J-A-X (Jan 28, 2013)

"Dressed pine" still needs sealing. It just means it had a rough sanding so its not super rough  it will save you hours of planing and sanding ! 

Melamine you just need to seal the joins. I don't recommend cutting this yourself, it's not as easy as pine, it chips easily. Leave it until you have a bit more experience.

As for the other items like heat cords check the sponsor pages they'd all stick what you are after for heating: 

For the timber, just find out what the standard size sheets are and work out your measurements from there. 

A full sheet is normally 2400mm x 1200mm and if you know what measurements you need your supplier (bunnings/mitre 10/masters) will be able to cut it for you - assuming you don't want dad to cut it for you


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## Skippii (Jan 28, 2013)

I'm in the process of converting a cabinet at the moment, so I couldn't give you a cost of melamine etc. I will just add though, don't forget to install some air vents to keep the air circulating within the enclosure. You can pick up a couple vents for a few bucks, they're cheap as chups!

Also as far as glass goes, prices vary wildly between sellers. I've heard of some people picking up sliding glass doors for well under $100 (some even around $50, though I'm not sure as to their relationship with their glazier), and some for well over $200. It really depends where you go, so I'd definitely recommend asking for quotes from more than one place. As many as you can find in your area.

I'm not sure if one thermostat can be used to control two enclosures, I'd actually be interested in the answer to that myself. Most thermostats I've seen have only got one probe, so if that's the case you'd have to put the probe in one enclosure and keep a VERY close eye on the temps in the other. I'm not sure that I'd risk it personally, but I'd like to see what more experienced people have to say on the matter.

Unfortunately that's all I've got! I'm sure others will chime in though, and as always Jax had some good advice on hand.

Good luck with your build  and I think I speak for all of us when I say PICS PICS PICS PICS! (once you've made some progress of course)

x


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## BIGBANG (Jan 28, 2013)

i just built a 900x600x600 malimine enclosure and materials for enclosure , glass and glass track cost me 100 bucks that included cutting and edging the board. 25 watt heat cord cost about 30 bucks delivered i think, the rest i had, ceramic light socket, probe thermostat, i used red sand for substrate which i got from a trip to my brothers, tussocks from my dads place and branches from fallen trees near my place. it is for a BHP


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## Bananapeel (Jan 28, 2013)

Thanks everyone! Yeah I know about the vents thanks skippi but they are pretty cheap anyway.
and I was going to measure it all up and get it cut at bunnings so that's all good. Otherwise dad is pretty good at it so I don't mind if he cuts it lol. 
So I'll seal the pine and silicon both the pine and melamine. 
Hopefully I'll be able to get the enclosure incl glass, vents, material etc, for under 200.
otherwise it'll be a B'day prezzie. 

Thanks for the help oh and skippi, pics won't be for quite a while haha!


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## J-A-X (Jan 28, 2013)

Just work your measurements out to suit a full or half sheet. Bunnings charge per cut and you can take off cuts home. 
I'm lucky. If I I can find the right guy his cuts are accurate


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## JrFear (Jan 28, 2013)

i posted this a while ago!
http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/diy-zone-5392/diy-melamine-enclosure-tools-costs-194015/


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## Bananapeel (Jan 28, 2013)

Thanks Jax. Yeah I'll get it all measure neatly.
cheers jrfear. I'll have a look!


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## Monitor_Keeper (Jan 28, 2013)

Cost of melamine for a 900 x 595 x 595 will be
roughly $60 ( slightly over estimated it for you )

$3 pack of chipboard screws
$15 tracking
$45 glass
$10 lights ( no heat chord )

Roughly be around $100 to $130

I just finished building another 6ft which cost all up around $200


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## Monitor Madness (Jan 28, 2013)

If your thinking about using the one heat cord for both tanks why not build a stack style setup. Im just finishing my off for my womas which measures 1800H x 1200L x 595D. If you do this the floor of the top tank is also the roof of the bottom tank, hope that makes sense. It will save some money. If attached a photo so you can see. The two tanks are the top and ive got storage at the bottom but you could build it without the storage. All up for materials, tiles, lights, heat cord, thermostat and glass ive spent about $450. If your building one smaller it should be less. Excuse the kids crap in the photo around the tank.


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## rvcasa (Jan 28, 2013)

Mine (1200 long) was $120 w/ all materials from Bunnings, including XL plastic door tracks (except the glass doors). 

The reason is; depends how 'fussy' you are, you can apparently get glass doors for approx. $15. 

I went for the most expensive ($35) from O'Brian - double glazed, polished corners etc. etc. as I have a 5yo feeding the Woma, so security/safety was my top priority!

I did post the whole thing on DIY section w/ prices, pics, designs and tips etc. 

Good luck 













Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Bananapeel (Jan 28, 2013)

Cheers monitor keeper, woma fan and rvcasa. Appreciate the help and the price. Thanks for the plan rvcasa! Thanks for the pics womafan. Looks fantastic. And thanks for the overestimated price haha monitor keeper.
should be able to work out an average for cost from that and pretty sure I know how to build it now too!
Thanks again everyone the help has been extraordinary!


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## Monitor_Keeper (Jan 28, 2013)

Just remember to save a little bit of the cost on the wood by shortening it just a little bit 
Example for a 6 x 2 x 2 I just built:

2x 1800 x 595 (Top and bottom)
2x 595 x 563 (Sides)
2x 1768 x 70 (Lips)
1x 1800x 595 (Backing)

See get the slides slightly shorter so that the backing does not have to be 1800 x 627 ( bigger piece of melamine )

Also you can make the lips bigger to save cost on the glass. Make sure to get quotes too because I realised today I spent $110 on beveled edges 5mm 900 x 410 float when I could have got it for $75.


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## Jacknife (Jan 29, 2013)

My 4x2x2's cost me between $150-$160 in materials.
My glass cost is a tad more($80ish) as i'm limited in my supplier availability, but the one place I do buy from have dropped the cost for me each time as I'm a return customer and am building a pretty good rapport with them...


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## Bananapeel (Jan 29, 2013)

Thanks again monitor keeper and badsville! I will use all the advice given!


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