# Super awesome diy enclosure!!!



## swan91 (Jun 1, 2011)

OK! so i found a solid pine tv cabinet for $40!! 
I want to make one HUGE enclosure split down the middle.. so it doesnt even look like a tv unit anymore.. soooooo... i sawed out all of the shelves and walls (it took ages, there are heaps of invisible nails/staples that i had to saw through with a wood saw)...
then i put swivel wheels on the bottom for maneuverability..and coz it is sooooo heavy!!
now im making the waterfall feature (styrofoam method).. just blocking in where everything is going to sit..
now exams are starting next week for uni, so i probs wont be doing much more for a while... but i thought id show you my progress and later ill upload more pics as i go..
just want peoples advice... i want to divide it into two.. but have the waterfall pool part shared between the two sides.. i was thinking aluminium mesh down the middle... or maybe perspex with a few drill holes in it for water to flow through and ventilation between the two sides.. what does everyone think? any pointers.. im planning on securing it to the back timber bit first then doing the styrofoam/grout/paint/sealent wall to secure it in..






sorry the photos are a bit blurry.. they are phone pics.. and excuse the super dirty car...lol

i forgot to say.. the bottom is going to be completly waterproof and im going to put soil/plants etc flush with the top of the waterfall pool bit.. the pump for the waterfall will be on the right and you can sorta see the circle i have drawn on the backbpard that im going to cut to run the water tube out of..so it will travel up the back of the tv unit so i can see leaks/blockages and replace easily..


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## Twitch_80 (Jun 1, 2011)

Fun isn't it, Im almost finished one and I have a huge tv cab sitting around, still cant decide if Im going to make another one or sell it. Def more snakes to come though.


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## swan91 (Jun 1, 2011)

ive already sustained two injuries.. in the two days i have worked on it.. a nail in my left heel.. and a staple in my right.. it is fun.. in a painful way..lol


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## Jewyy95 (Jun 1, 2011)

its gonna be a good enclosure , cant wait to see the end product. what are you doing for the doors ??


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## Twitch_80 (Jun 1, 2011)

lol ouch. Looks like it will be good, I used a textured paint for inside, it has sand in it and pond tite over it, fake grass on bottom. Have you sorted doors? (Im picking up glass thursday, cant wait to finish it)


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## swan91 (Jun 1, 2011)

well i was going to use the original little door frames but just make 2 big glass doors that shut in the middle.. i want to try to keep this all living.. no fake grass etc.. so there will be soil and plants etc.. i have pondtite and sanded and unsanded grout...

id rather one HUGE door... but it would be a bit cumbersome.. and i dont think the hinges would fare too well.. but it would look nice to have just an open glass front with no timber obstructing the view..


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## Twitch_80 (Jun 1, 2011)

I was thinking about one large door and the only idea I came up with was a shower screen door, they have the frame and the hinge is a bit in from one edge so they open really nicely. I ended up just going with sliding though. I was thinking about getting a shower screen door for the next one and building the enclosure to that size. The sliding doors overlap a little in the middle but dont have any frame blocking the view.


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## swan91 (Jun 1, 2011)

and i want to get one huge fat branch that i can drill to the right wall and extend it across the enclosure... but i dont know how to negotiate it through the division... i was thinking of cutting it in the right spot and drilling the right section to the right timber wall and the center plexiglass.. then drill the left section of the timber log to the plexyglass and then to the left side.. its hard to explain in words.. but i want to goive the illusion that it is one huge enclosure that doesnt have a division in the middle...

hmm thats a good idea too.. i assumed sliding doors would be too hard with a big enclosure like this.. french style doors would be cool! uno how they sorta zigzag and fold up...


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## Twitch_80 (Jun 1, 2011)

Yeah that makes sense, prob to big for one door, I just clicked that its really wide.


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## swan91 (Jun 1, 2011)

yea.. i think it is about 1.8meters wide.. and 1.5meters tall...lol


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## Twitch_80 (Jun 1, 2011)

Ah lol. You might have to put a frame, if its metal it can be quite small.


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## swan91 (Jun 1, 2011)

another question... is large sheets of glass expensive..? lol.. i didnt stop to think of that first!! if it is.. is plexyglass cheaper?


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## Twitch_80 (Jun 1, 2011)

Glass can be expensive, depends where you get it, mine was 150 for the two panels, tracks and handles. Its 1415x790 or there abouts. 6mm thick.


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## swan91 (Jun 1, 2011)

ouch.. where would i get cheaper glass from.. im a poor uni student lol ... and sometimes that excuse works!! i love student discounts!!!


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## Twitch_80 (Jun 1, 2011)

That was the least expensive I could find, rang 8 or 9 places. A few didnt do the tracks as well and were still charging more. Its pretty standard price.


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## swan91 (Jun 1, 2011)

is plexyglass (perspex) any cheaper?


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## Twitch_80 (Jun 1, 2011)

No, tends to be same or more and from what I have seen on here its not worth it, scratches and marks more.

You could mount one piece of glass over the whole front that doesnt open and cut out two doors on the sides out of the wood.


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## bluey87 (Jun 1, 2011)

i love seeing ppls d.i.y enclosures, put more pics of the progress


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## Jewyy95 (Jun 1, 2011)

im making an enclosure at school so i dont have to pay a cent for any additions im cheering, not even the glass or perspex . not sure if the school will provide glass though their abit cheap like that haha


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## bt1vn (Jun 1, 2011)

hey darl perspex is 7 times stronger than glass, it could be more forgiving than a sheet of glass if pressure was applied even accidentally especially at that size but it does have its bad points, it can flex a bit anyway i had 3 pieces of perspex cut up in tullamarine for $80.00 which was for 2 doors at the front plus one side section of my enclosure which is also 6 foot wide. if you use glass i would be using something pretty thick but that will be pricey but perspex leaves fine scratches very easily. if you want the address where i got mine cut up just pm me. good luck and it definitely has potential


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## BurtonReptiles (Jun 1, 2011)

bt1vn said:


> hey darl perspex is 7 times stronger than glass, it could be more forgiving than a sheet of glass if pressure was applied even accidentally especially at that size but it does have its bad points, it can flex a bit anyway i had 3 pieces of perspex cut up in tullamarine for $80.00 which was for 2 doors at the front plus one side section of my enclosure which is also 6 foot wide. if you use glass i would be using something pretty thick but that will be pricey but perspex leaves fine scratches very easily. if you want the address where i got mine cut up just pm me. good luck and it definitely has potential


i work with perspex everyday , i my self think that glass is better it does scratch easy and deffs looks alot better . but you are right with the braking part. persepex is the cheaper way ..


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## swan91 (Jun 1, 2011)

hmm thanks everyone for the pointers..ill get some quotes and look around at all the options glass vs perspex..and ill ;ost ;ics as i do more on the enclosure...

i got some quotes today.. for the glass it would cost: 6mm= $246!!
for 6mm non-yellowing UV protected Perspex = $112!
So i think the perspex is the better option!!


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## bt1vn (Jun 2, 2011)

yeah, 6mm would be the same strength as 42mm glass lol, i have 3mm which i think is more than enough but the sizes of mine are only 780mm by 585mm per door. it still allows plenty of room for vision too which is good but this may not be suitable for you anyway keep the pics coming

not sure on your thoughts about this but you can get holes cut in the perspex, if you were pretty clever you could organise some kitchen cupboard styled hinges (maybe 4 across the top) so that the glass would lift upwards combine that with some rubber around the edge to seal it off and obviously you would need 2 or 3 locks down the bottom to keep it shut so that your pets would not be able to lean against the perspex and open it up. to fix up this branch that you want in your enclosure you could again ask for another piece of perspex as your divider get a hole cut and get an off cut of lets say a 10mm steel rod (id be wanting around the 100 to 110mm length) and use that as a dowel so to make it work properly you would have to slide it halfway through the hole in the perspex add a 10mm diameter hole in the left and right side branch and then add a small amount of urethane into the hole and force the rod into the hole, sikaflex makes urethane and most auto shops will sell it. then do the same with the other side. to fasten the branch to the outter side of the inside of the enclosure drill some big screws in from the outside of say 70mm or maybe more depending on the size of the branch, just remember to always predrill your holes. i hope this all makes sense


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## swan91 (Jun 2, 2011)

hmm im so sorry... i got lost in the detailed explanation.. can you reword it or something? im not following..lol


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## timantula (Jun 2, 2011)

ive just brought 3 tv cabinets off fleabay.. it cost me more in fuel than it did for the cabinets.. havent started them yet but there are some really good ideas here.... when i start ill post piccys.


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## swan91 (Jun 3, 2011)

this is a quick sketch of what i want it to look like.. im horrible at Google sketch up.. so be nice..lol






you can see the water feature down the bottom.. and the area where the soil will be.. ... im just trying to figure out the tree through the middle.. because if i get a branch that is forked i cant just slide it through a hole in the center divider plekyglass.. im thinking of cutting the branch at the division.. then drilling it to the right wall and the plexyglass.. then drilling the left part of the branch to the plexyglass by cutting a section out of the back of the already drilled o right piece to fit a drill and drill the cut part of the left piece onto the plexyglass.. then drill the left piece to the left timber wall.. does that make sense? any comments/suggestions?

and ill add the box on the top out of the timber shelves i removed.. it will house all the electricals/heat lamps/ fluro lights etc.. so the lights will be flush with the roof of the enclosure..


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## Jackrabbit (Jun 3, 2011)

AMS05 said:


> id rather one HUGE door... but it would be a bit cumbersome.. and i dont think the hinges would fare too well.. but it would look nice to have just an open glass front with no timber obstructing the view..



I am currently getting quotes for glass doors as I didn't want the wooden frame down the middle blocking the view either. So they are quoting for frameless glass doors that meet the middle. I am waiting on a second quote to see what is doable.

Good luck


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## swan91 (Jun 3, 2011)

frameless..how would that work? how would you lock it?


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## dangles (Jun 3, 2011)

Someone on here had wooden framed doors, the frames were a [ shape with one side open to allow unobstructed view


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## swan91 (Jun 3, 2011)

hmm that could work!

like this~!


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## bt1vn (Jun 3, 2011)

ok well for 1 huge perspex door you could use a hinge similar to the ones found commonly in kitchen cupboards if you mounted it to the perspex so it opened up and down instead of side to side that should work. 
you would probably need 4 hinges which i would place one in the top left hand corner followed by one at 2 foot another at 4 foot and the last one at in the top right hand corner which would make sure the hinges will hold the perspex with minimal bending and plenty of strength. 

now for the middle piece of perspex which is your divider. if you got a hole cut in it with a 10mm diameter you could buy a piece fo steel rod that would be 10mm by maybe 10 to 11cm long and slide it through but only halfway. this would create a sturdy joiner to attach the branch to. you would need to cut the long branch in half. if you then drill a hole that is the same thickness into the branch that will go into the left side you would be able to slide the branch onto the metal rod, then you could do the same for the right hand side all that would be left now would be to screw the branch from the outside so it would not move. i hope this makes more sense i not can someone else help out, i can see it in my head but sometimes its harder to type out also if someone could draw a picture this might help also? im hopeless, sorry


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## swan91 (Jun 3, 2011)

yea thanks!! that makes much more sense!! would that be stable? i have the branch now.. its HUGE im not kidding it takes two people to carry it.. its about 30cm diameter at the fat end and 15 cm diameter at the smaller end.. i think it would be around the 15kg mark..if i just get REALLY long screws that would work right? also how do i go about cleaning the branch up? im thinking ill hose it thoroughly. then maybe pour a few kettles of hot water on it.. then some bleach? and maybe some sandpaper to clean it up a little.. then i was thinking of painting it with some pondtite.. to waterproof it for easy cleaning..


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## timantula (Jun 3, 2011)

Twitch_80 said:


> Glass can be expensive, depends where you get it, mine was 150 for the two panels, tracks and handles. Its 1415x790 or there abouts. 6mm thick.



wow thats cheap could you please pm me where you got them done.


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## swan91 (Jun 3, 2011)

yea that is pretty cheap... compared to my $256 quote.. but plexyglass seems to be quite versitile too.. and id assume plexyglass would hold the heat better.. and wouldnt be as heavy..


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## melluvssnakes (Jun 5, 2011)

If you use decent thickness plexiglass for the divider, it SHOULD hold up the mega awesomly huge branch that you have. As for cleaning it up, spray with mac mite or similar and you should be good to go. That's all we do with our branches. As for the pondtite, you could coat the branch with it, but it will make it very shiny and you would lose a little of the more natural look. I wouldn't worry about it. As long as you are on top of cleaning up poo as soon as you notice it, it shouldn't be a problem. Can't wait to see some pics. 
P.S. I love the idea for the doors you had in your last sketch up pic.


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## swan91 (Jun 5, 2011)

cool! thanks for all the feedback guys!! exams start tomorrow for uni.. so i havent done much.. but ill be getting the perspex and doing some more work on it in the holidays! ill post pics as i go!


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## bt1vn (Jun 6, 2011)

if your worried about the weight you could increase the size of the hole in the divider and match it with the same thickness metal rod but get your metal rod first. if your worried about the screws on each end you could drill a hole or 2 depending on the size of the branch and use something like an anchor bolt i think its called. it is basically a bolt without a head but is has a nut on it and it has a metal sheath over the bottom and as you tighten it up the sheath at the bottom end will spread and force its way outwards causing it to be 100% stuck into the branch. if you go this way still use a decent thickness bolt as you will be pretty annoyed if it moves and you would be doing it right the first time round... cant wait for the pics this thing is going to be unreal. goodluck with the exams


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## swan91 (Jun 6, 2011)

Thanks for being so helpful!! hopefully it will look amazing and people might have a go at one themselves!!


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## bt1vn (Jun 18, 2011)

so wheres the updates?


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## swan91 (Jul 17, 2011)

here is where im up to now.. i got caught up with the hardest exams i think ill ever have to do in my life.. so i havnt done much more..and that expandafoam is frustration in a can... i ran out so ill need about 10 more cans!! lol.. ive grouted the timber at the bottom before gluing the styrofoam water feature to the base.. ill grout over it again and incorperate the water feature.. then ill grout again.. then seal with pond tite.. i need to get a wall for the front of the base though.. so it will probably be another trip to bunnings again..lolView attachment 209713

oh and that branch would have weighed around 30kg! it was a hassle to hold up on my own while securing it in! but im happy with the result..

View attachment 209714


View attachment 209715


View attachment 209716


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## Just_Plain_Nuts (Jul 17, 2011)

My advice , stay clear of perspex, it scratches too easily and bends too easily. The best solution is frameless glass, no timber frame, no sagging, super clear, doesnt scratch, animals wont escape. Are you sure your branch diameter is 30cm ???that's not a branch , that's a log...here is what the frameless glass looks like on an old tv cabinet....we currently use a better system for the handle and locks but you get the idea.


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## swan91 (Jul 17, 2011)

wow that looks amazing.. thanks for that.. the only issue with glass is the cost.. as my tv cabinet is around 1.8mX 1.2m... i might get perspex and when it looks a little iffy ill switch to glass when i have a bit more money..lol..
also how did you attach the hinges? glue?


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## Just_Plain_Nuts (Jul 18, 2011)

The glass gets holes cut out for the hinges to bolt through. It has to be toughened glass though. If you use perspex on such a large area the snake will just push it and bend it open, it is very flexible. You either have to build a very rigid timber frame(very difficult and cumbersome) or you go very thick perspex which will cost you more than the glass. We looked at the whole perspex idea when we first started making enclosures and found that for anything other than really small enclosures, perspex was useless...mainly for its flexibility and secondly its tendancy to scratch. There's no point saying that it's ten times stronger than glass when a snake can just push on it and bend it to get out.


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## swan91 (Jul 18, 2011)

yea true.. thanks for the help  i might see where i can get some cheaper glass panels then.. what thickness do you recommend? 4mm or 6mm?


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## Just_Plain_Nuts (Jul 19, 2011)

6mm toughened


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## Erebos (Jul 19, 2011)

Just_Plain_Nuts said:


> My advice , stay clear of perspex, it scratches too easily and bends too easily. The best solution is frameless glass, no timber frame, no sagging, super clear, doesnt scratch, animals wont escape. Are you sure your branch diameter is 30cm ???that's not a branch , that's a log...here is what the frameless glass looks like on an old tv cabinet....we currently use a better system for the handle and locks but you get the idea.


 
Dang your enclosures are nice one day I'll conjer up enough cash and get you to custom pimp me up a frilly tank.


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## Amature (Oct 10, 2011)

anys pics of the finshed product? i have the same unit and dont know how to go about it


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