Super awesome diy enclosure!!!

[BurtonReptiles]

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 ..

 

[swan91]

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!!

 

[bt1vn]

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

 

[swan91]

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

 

[timantula]

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.

 

[swan91]

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..

 

[Jackrabbit]

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

 

[swan91]

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

 

[dangles]

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

 

[swan91]

hmm that could work!

like this~!

 

[bt1vn]

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

 

[swan91]

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..

 

[timantula]

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.

 

[swan91]

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..

 

[melluvssnakes]

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.

 

[swan91]

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!

 

[bt1vn]

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

 

[swan91]

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

 

[bt1vn]

so wheres the updates?

 

[swan91]

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