My DIY Snakeroom. Work in progress.

[Tsubaki]

Hello Everyone!! This topic is going to be about the build of my new snake-room! So happy i made peace with the past, and got myself to restart.. This is so exciting!! The attic is about 300 square feet according to my converter (55m2) So enough room to build what i want! Will keep everything on a smaller scale this time around though.

Short explanation about what will be build!
3 stacked vivs 250cm long(100 inch), Hight and depth 65cm (25 inch) 2 of which will be dividable in half if needed. Will also build a counter with a sink, for easy cleaning and water acces! That will be all we will build for now, because we also need to finish our bathroom. But in time we will start building the final enclosure for our mainland tiger girl, which will be around 8 by 10 feet. And add some nice baby-racks.

We first build a wall, to separate the storage space from the snake area. Foto taken from behind the wall, (old baby rack in the background)
https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/718x539q90/836/oltr.jpg

Second, lets make some power sockets!

https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/718x539q90/199/5afh.jpg

Front view of the wall, the 3 100inch vivariums will be made against this wall.
https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/718x539q90/543/eje9.jpg

Counter and sink: build! That glass vivarium is empty besides the old substrate, it was stashed in the back of the attic. (forgot i even had it :o)

https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/718x539q90/691/jobc.jpg

The start of the bottom!!
https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/718x539q90/203/sy1d.jpg

And how far we are Currently!! (i couldn't walk back far enough to get it on entirely haha) The upright boards are only there for support until we continue. The material being used is powerplex, the back wil also be laminated with powerplex for the looks.
https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/718x539q90/600/rxy4.jpg

That's all for now folks!! thanks for reading / watching!

[Tsubaki]

A tiny little upgrade, on the last pic it's not visible but the top was still open.. It's not anymore!
It look tiny on the pictures, while its so huge standing in front of it :O

https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/539x404q90/31/6j2h.jpg

[IW17]

Very cool. I love to see these come together. I'm gonna have a dedicated reptile room in my next house soiit's nice to see other people's projects.

[EL Ziggy]

Very nice start. Im looking forward to seeing the finished product. Best wishes and keep us posted!

[Tsubaki]

Thanks :D I am very much looking forward to it myself!

[sharthun]

Wow! I would love to do my snake room like that! Looks Great!

[LarryS]

Very nice! I love the undermoumt sink!

[Tsubaki]

Thanks! and i love the sink as well, so fancy haha :D

[Tsubaki]

Just a small update now, since we are working on the entire attic there isn't always much visible progress. Finished the electrical work, added some lights to the room.. Made a workbench. And glued the supports to the side of the viv's, waiting for the glue to harden! Glass is on order!

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140222_230147_zpsfa988f24.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140218_101727_zps54c60ac3.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140222_230159_zpse3784916.jpg

[Mikoh4792]

Looking good!

[MCB]

Looking superb, well done :)

I'm thinking of doing the same but it means extending the garage as the wife won't allow anymore in the house :(

[Tsubaki]

Thx!! we're still waiting for the glass, had some delay unfortunately.. :(

[LarryS]

Very very nice! Wish I could keep my work bench so organized.

[poomwah]

Very very nice! Wish I could keep my work bench so organized.

I wish I could see my workbench LOL

[Tsubaki]

Hahaha Thx! :D I'm a pretty organized person,

Sadly!!! Another delay, they made the glass the wrong size. Asked for a refund, this isn't the first mistake..

[Terranaut]

Interesting choice to build it there. Good luck with the rest of the build.

[Tsubaki]

An update! Not a visible one for you guys, but a good one nonetheless!!
After paying 526$ For glass that was delivered in the wrong size, not properly sanded (And a week later than promised). They tried to make us pay for delivery, and would only refund 100,- for their own mistake. Luckily i kept record of every email send back and forth, and i could show them exactly what i ordered. When after ages of debating i threatened to get legal aid to get my money back, they reluctantly gave me all my money back if i gave back the glass.. No problem as long as they pick it up themselves, and they did! I am never ordering there again!

Today i found a different company, called them to order the glass, and i only had to pay 220$ and thats including the guiding profiles. :D Also, i ordered today and i can pick it up tomorrow, and the people were very nice to me. So i'm happy :D

So sad we aren't home this weekend, can't wait to continue!! but i'll be patient.. Now we can continue soon, once the glass goes in we can start making real progress!!

[sharthun]

Wow what a pain! Glad you got out of that deal!


An update! Not a visible one for you guys, but a good one nonetheless!!
After paying 526$ For glass that was delivered in the wrong size, not properly sanded (And a week later than promised). They tried to make us pay for delivery, and would only refund 100,- for their own mistake. Luckily i kept record of every email send back and forth, and i could show them exactly what i ordered. When after ages of debating i threatened to get legal aid to get my money back, they reluctantly gave me all my money back if i gave back the glass.. No problem as long as they pick it up themselves, and they did! I am never ordering there again!

Today i found a different company, called them to order the glass, and i only had to pay 220$ and thats including the guiding profiles. :D Also, i ordered today and i can pick it up tomorrow, and the people were very nice to me. So i'm happy :D

So sad we aren't home this weekend, can't wait to continue!! but i'll be patient.. Now we can continue soon, once the glass goes in we can start making real progress!!

[Tsubaki]

Yea so am i! it was starting to become a real pain in the nether regions. :D

[poomwah]

good luck with the new company :]

[Tsubaki]

just picked up the glass no issues at all :D

[poomwah]

does that mean we get more pics soon??

[Tsubaki]

I wish i had time to work on it this week, but very busy.. We were supposed to be much further ahead already. But without glass we couldn't do much, and now that the glass is here we have other priorities for a while.

[Tsubaki]

Dem boys are out getting the wood for the fronts, can't wait now :D!!
Sadly i have to go to work soon, so i cant help out. Still very excited to be continuing.
Looking for a spot to order heating cables, :D

[jpsteele80]

I can't wait to see the finished product, not sure what happened to your last collection but I'm going to make a small prediction here, over time it will become very large again, as reptile enthusiasts we just can't help but collect more :D

[Tsubaki]

I lost my snakes in a house fire starting in the neighbors attic, trying not to think about it too much..

I already got it figured out which (kinds) of snakes i'm getting, and building enclosures for them.. But i might end up squeezing a few more here n there. The next viv build is across the room from this stack, and it will be a 10*8ish foot viv for my mainland retic :)

[Tsubaki]

Half of the Glass, :D And i just finished cutting the wood fronts of the viv's up to size, ready for putting them on there!
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140420_083824_zps91277d16.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140420_083810_zpsc959b682.jpg

[Zelg]

New(ish) to the forum and just found this thread. Super excited to see how this turns out for you. It really sounds like you're putting a lot of work into this. Hope it all comes together for ya.

*edit*
By newish I mean I started coming on the forum regularly. Apparently my join date is a year ago. Oh how time flies..

[Tsubaki]

Thanks! and yea you've been here longer than me actually haha. :D

[Tsubaki]

A lot of work has been done today, by next week all the woodwork should be finished! Then just adding lights, heat and sealing the wood !

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140426_190324_zps57a0f45c.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140426_190637_zpsa53be66a.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140426_190658_zpsecab074e.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140426_190734_zps96000d8d.jpg

[jpsteele80]

It's looking good my friend :D

[Tsubaki]

Thank you :D

[sharthun]

Looking better each time!

[Tsubaki]

Working hard all weekend, need to get the woodwork finished!!
We also made really nice plans, we are going to be building 2 large viv's across the room, one will be 10*6 feet.. and the other is going to be 10*3ish feet. This will probably not been really soon, as we plan to finish the bathroom and downstairs toilet first.. But i will start a build thread about those as soon as we start them.

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140504_132527_zps7cbca523.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140504_132537_zps7f69a4ba.jpg

[MCB]

Looking great mate :D

[Tsubaki]

Thx mate :D

[Tsubaki]

I haven't updated this in a bit, and it's been slow since we had quite some issues. We're quite far now, and we're not giving up! We did postpone the plans for the 2- 10foot tubs for at-least a year, since we got other priorities at the moment (The money is not coming in as it used to, and i rather finish the rest of the house first). But they're still coming! We'll probably start on those next summer, hoping things will be easier by then. But we already started saving up for them. Luckily these were all paid for, and its just a matter time before they are in use.


All the wood sized down properly, ready for the final assembly! This picture was taken a while back.
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140618_124900_zpsa6ac5d21.jpg

Completely assembled! Pictures of 2 weeks ago. The gaps is where the lighting fixtures etc will be, the boards seen on the previous pictures slide in there so it closes of nicely, while still being able to access the fixtures.. (I forgot to put them in for these pictures) I can't take a picture of the entire thing, since it's 8feet tall! So top/bottom pics is the best i can do. They don't look as massive on the photo's as they do in real life, but the undivided (bottom) tub is large enough for me to lay down in, just to give you an idea. Also very pleased that we found a way to very easily remove the board that separates the middle tub into 2. Just a matter of unscrewing a few boards and it comes sliding right out. Which is nice since i'm not 100% sure yet when we will finish the 10 foot tubs, but i don't have to shy away from buying a nice giant when i see one! if it's not done by the time it outgrows the half sized tub, by removing separator we're set for another few years!
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140711_110650_zps54aac84f.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140711_110655_zpsb2da0422.jpg


So far since those last pictures were taken, we have added ventilation. The the glass sliders are all cut into the right size, completely ready for installation. Waiting for my heat-cables to arrive, and the covers for the ventilation. I had planned to make nice backgrounds for all the tubs, however this is costly. Also, we chose to go for really nice looking wood because i think it looks better than painting the outsides. I'll probably end up just treating the wood as is, on the in and the outside. It would be easier to clean as well. Even if it might not show on the pictures, but it really is a nice looking wood.

[sharthun]

Awesome!!!! You are keeping a carpenter busy! lol:D


I haven't updated this in a bit, and it's been slow since we had quite some issues. We're quite far now, and we're not giving up! We did postpone the plans for the 2- 10foot tubs for at-least a year, since we got other priorities at the moment (The money is not coming in as it used to, and i rather finish the rest of the house first). But they're still coming! We'll probably start on those next summer, hoping things will be easier by then. But we already started saving up for them. Luckily these were all paid for, and its just a matter time before they are in use.


All the wood sized down properly, ready for the final assembly! This picture was taken a while back.
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140618_124900_zpsa6ac5d21.jpg

Completely assembled! Pictures of 2 weeks ago. The gaps is where the lighting fixtures etc will be, the boards seen on the previous pictures slide in there so it closes of nicely, while still being able to access the fixtures.. (I forgot to put them in for these pictures) I can't take a picture of the entire thing, since it's 8feet tall! So top/bottom pics is the best i can do. They don't look as massive on the photo's as they do in real life, but the undivided (bottom) tub is large enough for me to lay down in, just to give you an idea. Also very pleased that we found a way to very easily remove the board that separates the middle tub into 2. Just a matter of unscrewing a few boards and it comes sliding right out. Which is nice since i'm not 100% sure yet when we will finish the 10 foot tubs, but i don't have to shy away from buying a nice giant when i see one! if it's not done by the time it outgrows the half sized tub, by removing separator we're set for another few years!
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140711_110650_zps54aac84f.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140711_110655_zpsb2da0422.jpg


So far since those last pictures were taken, we have added ventilation. The the glass sliders are all cut into the right size, completely ready for installation. Waiting for my heat-cables to arrive, and the covers for the ventilation. I had planned to make nice backgrounds for all the tubs, however this is costly. Also, we chose to go for really nice looking wood because i think it looks better than painting the outsides. I'll probably end up just treating the wood as is, on the in and the outside. It would be easier to clean as well. Even if it might not show on the pictures, but it really is a nice looking wood.

[Tsubaki]

hehe we're not carpenters but thank you :D!

[Tsubaki]

Sooo close to completion now! Had some problems with the heating cables i ordered, not the right length.. Seriously, nothing going as planned. In stead of chasing after them.. I just asked for a refund, and decided to go for something better anyway... RPH's. More expensive, but a lot less troublesome to set up (Don't have to make a double floorspace to protect the cable). Ordering them tomorrow.

Left to do:
-Varnish/stain outside of the flat, to make it look nice. Considering giving it a 'old' looking finish. Would look nice with the rough finish.
-Lacquer and Sealant inside of the flat, to make it waterproof.
-Put windows in place.
-Place RHP's and hook them up.
-Decorate!

The last bit of sawing (hopefully)
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140820_183142_zps0c238d6f.jpg
Sparks!
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140820_180846_zps6240bd79.jpg
The handles i picked out for the 'maintenance hatches' The lighting fixtures will be in here, as well as the wires etc for the RPH's. Ventilation for the bottom 2 terrariums will also go through these spaces.
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140820_182552_zps75a42fc9.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140820_182601_zpsf854de0b.jpg
Took forever to get the 2nd one to fit, had to sand it down.
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140820_183157_zps360f5b5e.jpg
All 4 in place!
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140820_191623_zpsa6bb8758.jpg

[franks]

Looks great. You guys do good work for "not carpenters"

[Tsubaki]

Thanks! And i'm really happy with how it turned out so far :D Can't wait to start using them.

[Teal]

Wow, brilliant work! I can't wait to see finished pictures with tanks all stocked!

[franks]

Thanks! And i'm really happy with how it turned out so far :D Can't wait to start using them.

So... what kind of snakes are these for?

[Tsubaki]

Well nothing is set in stone yet but i already have a housing plan set up.

The bottom one will soon be the housing for my 2 year old tiger retic. (when(/if) she starts to outgrow them, we will be building 2- 10*8foot enclosures next year.)

The middle one is currently still divided into 2 tubs, one of them will house my Burmese python i'm picking up in October(after he gets out of quarantine) If he outgrows it before he can move to the bottom tub, the middle tub has a removable separator to give him more room.

The 2 top terrariums going to house my Nicaragua's in them.

In the Future i will have 2 10foot enclosures extra, which i plan to build next year. So i will have 2/3 (depending if i put separator in) vacant terrariums. I'm not sure what animals will be added to the collection though, i'll see what i run into.

[franks]

Awesome! It's always nice to have extra space just waiting for that right animal.

[sharthun]

Looking awesome! Can't wait to see pics after the snakes move in. :cool:

[Tsubaki]

me neither :D

[themeyers]

looking great. can't wait to see it come to life.

[Tsubaki]

Getting the RHP's is going to take a lot longer than expected... Sigh

[Tsubaki]

Finally! my RHP's have arrived!.. I got really excited, until i noticed.. There are only 6 boxes! I checked the order and it only said 5 panels, even though i ordered and paid for 6 (one box is thermostats). Called the supplier and he apologized and said he will send the 6th one Monday, so i should have it by Tuesday. Literally nothing in this build goes without some sort of issue, but i just hope this panel arrives on Tuesday and that it was just a slight hiccup.(Otherwise i'm going to be hellish, they weren't cheap in the slightest and they made me wait longer than necessary already)

All ready to put them inside the terrariums, once they're in we can figure out where to drill ventilation holes and lacquer the damn thing. Sadly, i can't do it alone and my so broke his shoulder... :( .. So i have to get my father to help me out. have to wait until he has time, we have until October to get them done.

Anyway here some pictures, because who doesn't love pictures.

Only 6 boxes...
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140829_184021_zps9e0b34ec.jpg
Open box, still exciting even if there is one missing!
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140829_184242_zps87e682d1.jpg
The bottom looks very crisp and clean, nice rough surface.
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140829_184328_zps7e8ab8e3.jpg
Backside
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140829_184348_zps820febca.jpg

[Tsubaki]

Forgot to update this, the last panel arrived without any hiccups :D We're installing them somewhere this/next week.

[Tsubaki]

Today we spend a lot of time sanding and cutting holes for the ventilation, took a lot longer than expected. Tomorrow i'm going to lacquer everything, they first have to dry from cleaning off the stickers.

Big wet spot where one of the stickers used to be, there were 5 big stickers on the wood that i had to take off.
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140924_190242_zps994e5910.jpg

Cutting holes for the ventilation! This actually gives a bit of a idea how large the enclosures are, that's an adult man in there drilling the holes.
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140924_161733_zps32ec6e50.jpg

Erm, yea.. well.. a (ventilation) hole!
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140924_162419_zpsf286e6dd.jpg

This is how the air gets into the utility rooms, i actually have tube ventilators which fit in the holes. But i am testing how well they ventilate without the fans first.
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140924_190233_zpse5e097ce.jpg


These are going to be on top, making it easier to regulate the amount of ventilation.
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140924_162442_zpse775fdc2.jpg

These will be on the inside the enclosures, covering the holes. Will prevent the snakes from getting to it, and it will look a lot nicer as well.
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140924_162226_zps722e0710.jpg

[Tsubaki]

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140924_162256_zpseb4259e5.jpg

This is the main reason everything is taking so long, this is a snapshot of our other project.
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140924_190423_zpsf370ed93.jpg

[NewHerp293]

Cripes!! you have two huuuge projects going on. Looks awesome though!

[Tsubaki]

Thx! and yea, we're building all over the place, we just finished the kitchen last week. :D We did decide to make these enclosures usable asap though, since my retic has really grown out of her current tub. There will also be a new arrival on the 11th of october, so i would prefer to have my other snakes living in this tower! - They are currently occupying my quarantine tubs.

The large 10foot tub(s) however will be postponed until the bathroom is finished! (and then we still have to turn the old bathroom into a walk in closet, do the downstairs toilet, the backyard, finish the guest room.. and a few more small things like some painting and some finishing touches)

[Tsubaki]

Started with the lacquer, after doing the first tub i realized it would be a lot easier to stain the outside first.

The lacquer looks amazing, the grain of the wood looks a lot better! You can really see the difference between the bare wood and the lacquered wood. It should dry up a little less shiny than it is now.
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140926_155949_zpsc706f1d2.jpg


So i started staining the outside, the color of the stain is old oak. It looks a LOT better in real life than it does on the pictures, but that is mostly because it is still wet.
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140926_161737_zps451876a5.jpg
The pipes in the background will be behind a wall later, can't cover it up yet some stuff still left to do in that corner.
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140926_165746_zpsdb79a6ca.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140926_165751_zps49b46e4b.jpg

crawled into the back of the attic, trying to get the entire thing on one picture. You can really see the difference between the one tub that already has one layer of lacquer and the ones that don't.
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140926_180046_zpsa8ecaca8.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140926_180419_zps020e511f.jpg

The covers for the utility rooms are not forgotten!
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140926_181058_zpseb455d14.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20140926_181108_zpsab4cae65.jpg

[Tsubaki]

The staining is now 100% finished, and all the enclosures have their first thick layer of lacquer. One more layer of lacquer is needed, will probably do that tomorrow. Then it needs to dry/harden for at least 48h before we can do anything.

After the lacquer dries we have to put in the ventilation grids, which will take no more than an hour tops. Put in the sliders for the windows, which i estimate will take a few hours (Could be faster :D). Then all there is left to do is put in the sealant, let dry.. And then i can start filling them!

[Tsubaki]

In case anyone is still following this thread. Done with the lacquer, read the can again.. Its not 48 hours that we have to wait until it has hardened.. but 4! days! But the good thing is after 48h i can apply the sealant without issues. Just have to wait putting in the rhp's and grids for a few days, now that we're so close to completion i'm getting so impatient! Just cleaned out the tubs where the snakes are living now, and was kinda disappointed i had to put them back in there. And by the amount of times Renji tried to get in my face i can really tell he wants to move as well :P

[LarryS]

The room is looking great! Very nice work.

Looking forward to seeing them occupied!

[Tsubaki]

:D:D:D Here we go, getting so close now!!! Sealant n window sliders... Thats all there is to it now!

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/IMG-20141004-WA0009_zpsf9840388.jpg

[sharthun]

Getting close to move in day!! Nice work!

[Tsubaki]

thx sharthun!

The windows are in, and yes i know they are still very dirty :D. Just quick snapshots with the glass in, should have probably closed them for the picture but oh well. Now all there is left to do, is put in the sealant (which is going to be a butt load of work, and also really crappy work) And something i forgot about last time, spray the insides of the utility rooms with lacquer. That will be about an hour worth of work.

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20141007_113804_zpsa5217598.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20141007_113809_zps5973e366.jpg


Ill go work on them now :D

[polito]

Your room is looking absolutely amazing, this is one of the first threads I looked at on the enclosure forum and I continue to check it everytime I log on. Can't wait to see it finished!! Everything looks well built and high quality, great job man.

[Empyrean]

Looks fantastic!

Are those vivs mounted to the wall? How much work would it be if you had to move houses? I'd love to do something like this but would be terrified of needing to move for a job or something.

[Tsubaki]

Finished with spraying the utility rooms, will work on the sealant over the weekend. Really bad at that, so wish me luck. Earlier we decided to add the lighting later, budget did not allow what we wanted immediately. However we caught a break, will be adding 6 Phillip Xitanium LED driver rimless LuxSpace lamps. :D (I literally quoted my so on that, all i heard was 'Fancy BlahBlah Lights BlahBlah)

Can't be long until they are in use now, our new snake is coming this Saturday (Will be quarantined for a while first, so Saturday is not the deadline) Part 2 (10 foot tub(s)) will have to wait as other projects take priority. As everyone that follows this thread will have noticed, we do not progress that quickly. We both work full-time, and are remodeling the entire house at the same time. In the time that it took us to get this far, we also build a kitchen, 2/3rd of a bathroom, and moved some walls around :D

Your room is looking absolutely amazing, this is one of the first threads I looked at on the enclosure forum and I continue to check it everytime I log on. Can't wait to see it finished!! Everything looks well built and high quality, great job man.

Thanks! we are very pleased with how it is turning out, and spared no expenses. As said we're far from finished, but i'm glad people enjoyed part 1 so far.
Looks fantastic!

Are those vivs mounted to the wall? How much work would it be if you had to move houses? I'd love to do something like this but would be terrified of needing to move for a job or something.

They are mounted on a wall we build there you can see that on page 1 post 1, the bases are not movable. We have only moved into this house 2 years ago, and have no intention of moving. As said before, we are still remodeling every inch of it. It is more than big enough for now and future plans, i see no reason to move. If we DO move, we will just have to start a new project! (But we will probably pick a house that doesn't require this amount of construction)

[Empyrean]

They are mounted on a wall we build there you can see that on page 1 post 1, the bases are not movable. We have only moved into this house 2 years ago, and have no intention of moving. As said before, we are still remodeling every inch of it. It is more than big enough for now and future plans, i see no reason to move. If we DO move, we will just have to start a new project! (But we will probably pick a house that doesn't require this amount of construction)

Ahh...for some thought that wall was on the other side of the room for racks. I understand now. Great work!

[Tsubaki]

Ah yes, i see what you mean now. Those racks you see are on the back on the tubs, thats where we keep a lot of our tools etc :D. When the attic is finished, i should make a video walking through it because it see now it's a little hard to tell how it is set up.

[Tsubaki]

Didn't have much time today, but i did manage to finish the sealant on one of the tubs. I think i did a pretty good job :cool: It should dry up clear, but i think it looks nice either way. We also made some copper wire locks, easier to use than normal locks.
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/IMG-20141011-WA0000_zpse5b8044c.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/IMG-20141011-WA0002_zpsd057b91a.jpg

[David VB]

Looking good and looking forward to that video of the complete project ;)

[Tsubaki]

Thanks :D going to put in more sealant today, thought i had all day but i just got invited to dinner. Oh well, i'll see how far i can get!

[David VB]

Not going to snake day then??? I wish i could, but have to work :(

[Tsubaki]

Nope there is nothing that i am looking for, i already got what i wanted :D Maybe next time.
Managed to finish all the sealant btw!

[toddnbecka]

Very nice work, when can you drop by and build me a few enclosures like that? LOL.

[Tsubaki]

Thx! And ehhhm :D schedule full untill 2016 sorry.

[Tsubaki]

Yep.. Another delay! All the lamps came in as ordered, but with the wrong size glass diffusers (too small, they don't even fit in the rim).. Egh.
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20141013_075143_zps391c8042.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20141013_075215_zpsd2028f69.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20141013_075231_zpsca6792fc.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20141013_075318_zps87cc11ee.jpg

[Empyrean]

Wow...everything really does get delayed in this build. You're almost there! Hopefully everything goes smoothly from here out.

[Tsubaki]

You're absolutely right, delay is the key word in this entire project. Luckily it did not cost us anything other than time, but reading back.. Yea we had a lot of delays, even ones i did not post about. Like only receiving half of the glass sliders for example, and an issue with our cutting table. etc..:D


we're still waiting for the glass, had some delay unfortunately


Sadly!!! Another delay, they made the glass the wrong size. Asked for a refund, this isn't the first mistake..


After paying 526$ For glass that was delivered in the wrong size, not properly sanded (And a week later than promised). They tried to make us pay for delivery, and would only refund 100,- for their own mistake

Getting the RHP's is going to take a lot longer than expected... Sigh

Finally! my RHP's have arrived!.. I got really excited, until i noticed.. There are only 6 boxes!


Yep.. Another delay! All the lamps came in as ordered, but with the wrong size glass diffusers (too small, they don't even fit in the rim).. Egh.

[Tsubaki]

We found different kind of diffusers, better ones even. These are fitted into the ceiling separately, and the lighting fixture is installed above it. This way when i take out the lighting fixture, the animal still can't get into the utility room. Also picked up about 450 liters of substrate today (That's about 120 gallons i think)

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20141020_193037_zps4c1fc253.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20141020_175315_zpsf66a9554.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20141020_180218_zps7fd75a51.jpg

[Tsubaki]

Was too impatient, fitted them all in right away. And the result was definitely worth it! Those are not coming back off easy! Next to the clamps they already had, i glued them on with an industrial adhesive.. I did just realize i haven't even had dinner yet, and its 10:30pm.. So while i am waiting for my pasta to cook, picture time again!! Hope you're not bored with my pictures yet haha:D

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/IMG-20141020-WA0004_zps524aa569.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/IMG-20141020-WA0005_zps04a81b27.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/IMG-20141020-WA0007_zpsc9bb6700.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/IMG-20141020-WA0009_zpsfc4b2282.jpg

[NewHerp293]

Definitely not bored of pictures on this thread!! Looking forward to more all the time more like :) its all coming together great!!

[Tsubaki]

Thanks very kind of you :D

The glue needs to harden for 48h, then we will hook everything up in a 'temporary' manner.. Can't wait! We will need thermostats with longer sensor cables in the long run though, for now we will have to place them inside the utility rooms b/c of the short cables. For the actual functioning of the tower it does not matter, but the planning is to put the thermostats etc together in the control box. (And i would also like thermostats with season settings)

[EL Ziggy]

Looking good Tsubaki. You're almost there! I so wish I had the talent to build and create something so nice :)

[Empyrean]

Those lights look fantastic. I'm so jealous of your setup. Your hard work is really paying off!

[toddnbecka]

Loving your work, when I get around to building enclosures I hope they look half as good.

[Tsubaki]

Going to hook everything up today, can't wait :D


Looking good Tsubaki. You're almost there! I so wish I had the talent to build and create something so nice :)

Thanks! I am very happy the way it turned out as well, however t.b.h. i woulnd't call it talent. And after having experienced building this once, i would do it completely different the next time around. Which is a good thing, since we still got some things left to make.

Those lights look fantastic. I'm so jealous of your setup. Your hard work is really paying off!

Thank you! i love the lighting myself as well!

Loving your work, when I get around to building enclosures I hope they look half as good.

Thank you.I am sure they will, just be patient! :D

[David VB]

Looks great, have fun finalizing all of it ;)

[Tsubaki]

Thx David,


We're on the test run now!!!! :D decorated them for the most part as well. We will see how long the plants will last, but ferns and heathplants should be pretty sturdy. I still seriously doubt the ones in the retic tub will last long though. But a girl can hope!

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/Terrarium_zps5b88bff2.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/Terrarium4_zps512ea492.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/Terrarium3_zpsfc40fde5.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/Terrarium2_zpsd86fa798.jpg

[Tsubaki]

Still need water bowls and stuff. :D

[sharthun]

Simply incredible! !

[Tsubaki]

Thanks!! i love how it turned out so far :D

[Tsubaki]

Just went to check on the temperature, and it was pretty low.. Took me some time to find what the problem was, but one of the thermostats is broken.. Sigh.. brand new and already stopped working. Oh well.. I just sat in front of the tubs for a while, the sight makes up for a lot :D i really like the substrate and the rocks. They're all colorful slate rocks, with quartz layers in them :D

[Empyrean]

Just went to check on the temperature, and it was pretty low.. Took me some time to find what the problem was, but one of the thermostats is broken.. Sigh.. brand new and already stopped working.

I'm sure you were expecting that by now :D. I hope you've learned to keep ALL of your receipts after this project!

[Mikoh4792]

Beautiful substrate. What exactly do you use?

[guyabano]

Very nice! Same question as Mikoh4792^

[Tsubaki]

I'm sure you were expecting that by now :D. I hope you've learned to keep ALL of your receipts after this project!

Yes, i was sort of expecting Something to be wrong. Didn't know what it was going to be though. I hooked up the middle terrariums to the same thermostat as the top ones, conditions remain exactly the same. Not going to keep it that way, but good to know i can temporarily combine them until i get a new one. (If one ever breaks again)

And yes i have always kept every receipt as long as the item was still in the house, and off-course if it is worth returning if there was a problem with it.:D

Beautiful substrate. What exactly do you use?

Very nice! Same question as Mikoh4792^

Thanks both, the main substrate is called 'turf' in dutch and i think the correct translation would be Peat-soil i think. The stuff on top is coconut grinds mixed with moss.

[Tsubaki]

Apparently one of the bags i used did not only contain ground coco, but also cocoa-shells(Stupid, i could of seen it but i was oblivious). Theobromine is toxic when digested for all kinds of animals, so i decided to remove the top layer. Even though chances are slim they eat any, and even slimmer they eat enough to get sick. I rather not risk anything. Replaced it with rough ground coco, and added some flat moss. It looks really cool! Now all i need is some nice leaves, which shouldn't take to long since everything is already turning yellow. The heat panels work amazing, the heat distribution is really good and it does not dry out the bottom :D

Mobile phone picture of the flat moss.
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20141022_181656_zps90c52111.jpg

[kwhitlock]

Looks amazing..! Build me one! ;)

[Tsubaki]

Thanks :D And i think it would be pretty expensive to fly me over to come build that for you :D

[Tsubaki]

The thermostats should get here, between 3 and 7.. the waiting.. Sigh.

[Tsubaki]

Here we go! :D

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20141028_162426_zps88752298.jpg

[Cmwells90]

Wow so I just started reading this whole post and I want to say congrats on all the amazing work! Even with all the delays you had you did an amazing job! Congrats on the build and house, I'm sure it looks great and thank you for including us on this, it makes me want to start on my own project!!

[SnoopySnake]

Looks great so far!!

[Tsubaki]

Wow so I just started reading this whole post and I want to say congrats on all the amazing work! Even with all the delays you had you did an amazing job! Congrats on the build and house, I'm sure it looks great and thank you for including us on this, it makes me want to start on my own project!!

Thanks!! The positive replies really make me happy, i am glad i started this thread. 100% sure i will share part 2 of my snakeroom, as soon as we get to building it. Kudos for reading the entire thing, delays included haha :D

Looks great so far!!
thank you! :D

[Tsubaki]

The thermostats seem to be working fine now, tomorrow i got the entire day off so i can see what exactly they do. They have 4 time groups, have to make sure they are all set right since the rph's take some time to heat everything up. Also added tiles at the back of the sink/counter, the thermostats are in place, but still have to stain the cover (that's over the wires) so thats why they're still hanging loose. Their positioning is convenient though, this picture is taken from the stairs so this is what you see walking up the stairs.

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/0e2b1fff-e2eb-4384-aff1-f74c66329251_zps50281cf7.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/Terrarium5_zpsad6a8651.jpg

[ohh_kristina]

This is amazing! Really inspiring to see someone create such awesome habitats for their animals. You can really see the passion for the hobby in projects like these.

[LarryS]

Wow, really love the work you've done with this room!
How about a video tour?

[sharthun]

Wow, really love the work you've done with this room!
How about a video tour?

I agree. That would be awesome!! ;)

[Tsubaki]

Guess what woke me up this morning?! 3 thermostat alarms screeching so loud i thought the house was on fire. After getting over my initial shock, (it was really really loud). I figured out at-least the thermostats alarms work as they're supposed too. I have another few thermostats of this brand, but on those i only turned on the visual alert, because i walk by them often anyway. Since these are in the attic, i thought it'd be smart to turn the sound on though. What i did wrong was set the opted temperature raise in the morning too steep, (+ 6 degrees) and the alarm variable at 5 degrees. - Special kind of Stupid :p, as soon as group 4 switched to group 1, the alarm would go off.. Turned them off and i have been tweaking the settings all day so far, think i have gotten them right finally.

No idea if anyone finds it interesting, but i do so ill add this.
I have set them up like this now:
temperature group one: 6:30 - 10:00. Heat up from 23°C - 27°C
temperature group two: 10:00 - 18:00 Heat up from 27°C - 30°C
temperature group three: 18:00 - 21:00 Cool down from 30°C - 27°C
temperature group four: 21:00 - 6:30 Cool down from 27°C - 23°C
0.9 degree below/above set temperature, rph's turn on/off until they go over/under again. Hotspot is 3/4°C higher than thermostats measured temp, cool sides 2/3°C lower. However they do not drop below 22°C anywhere, not even at night. I figured out what to set the thermostats too by using several calibrated measuring devices, aren't properly calibrated infrared thermometers / air-temp guns the best thing ever? How to be extra sure the temperature is right :D

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20141102_150132_zps71e7143e.jpg


This is amazing! Really inspiring to see someone create such awesome habitats for their animals. You can really see the passion for the hobby in projects like these.

Thank you very much :D Can't wait until we can finish the room, so much left to do.

Wow, really love the work you've done with this room!
How about a video tour?

Video is a nice idea, still working on details though. Have to stain a few parts, and seal the thermostat feelers on the inside.

[kaylablack]

Hey Im just curious if you have finished the room yet. Im dying to see some pics since so far its outstanding!
Thanks and great work! I agree, that projects like this show the passion for our animals!

Kayla

[Jrich]

Very cool and inspiring

[Tsubaki]

Everything is running fine so far, the temperature hold up great even on icy cold days.

I really enjoyed the bio active substrate as long as it lasted, there were earthworms, millipede and tiny beetles living in there which was cool! Sadly we had to take it out as it was very prone to some funky fungus that i did not trust, and after a snake pooped the house was overrun by tiny flies that drove me to absolute madness:mad:. So we replaced it with wood chunks covered with some moss, a bit more expensive and not as natural but what can you do.. It still looks amazing though! T.b.h. it's hard to make them look bad since the terrariums themselves look amazing. I did not throw away the substrate, used it to grow my herbs on it.. My rosemary is growing twice as fast now :D

I'm trying to find a very high quality satin fern for the retic tub.. The poor plant has been Xena's favorite pillow from the start and it is smushed to bits. The snakes themselves all seem to be really enjoying their tubs, they are eating and shedding like pro's!


Hey Im just curious if you have finished the room yet. Im dying to see some pics since so far its outstanding!
Thanks and great work! I agree, that projects like this show the passion for our animals!

Kayla

The room isn't going to be finished this year, as we are going to finish the bathroom and guest room first. Since all snakes are now housed properly, we decided it was a good idea to house ourselves properly first for now :D. As soon as we're continuing i will start a new building thread! Thank you for your interest!

Very cool and inspiring

Thank you :)

[Tsubaki]

We're opening shop on these again! I miss the natural beddings a lot, the woodchunks don't raise humidity as I'd like, it just traps water. No fungus and no little flies (thankfully) but i wasnt planning on stirring this amount of substrate daily forever. Decided to give it a go, im going to make more natural backgrounds for the tubs! (I've done that once before) Then cover it all in a clear 100% waterproof resin, should even be able to use them as aquariums after that. This will allow me to try a new bioactive substrate on a different base (didn't try before because it's a very water heavy mix), without moss Hopefully without flies, i suspect the flies came with the flat mos, there were so many they litteraly drowned my bug light. The grid and container were full. I'm not iffy about bugs, but there were at least 50 in each room of the house, just because one snake pooped. Took me 5h to clear those f***ers out.. anyway off to the store i go! Might start a new topic about doing backgrounds, or just place it in here. :D

[SoPhilly]

Yay! I love this thread! Someday when I have money... lol. Good luck, and please keep updating this!

[jossh27]

The wire you used to lock the glass is it just a copper wire you bent into shape?

[Tsubaki]

It sure is jossh :)

@ SoPhilly, nothing left to update on this really, i will probably start a new topic for part 2 :D (well part 3 really)

[jossh27]

I lack all creative attributes my father neglected to pass on to me... Thank god for all you people on here!