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boogles
Hatchling
131 Posts |
 Posted - 29/09/2011 : 12:27:23
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Ive been looking into putting my product design degree to use and builind a stack for my 2.
HOWEVER...
having costed out wood from homebase/b&q i cant see how with glass and runners i could build something for cheaper than buying a vivexotic l36 flat pack for £43.50
http://www.surreypetsupplies.co.uk/vivexotic-lx36-ellmau-beech.html
i havent even looked into getting glass... the wood alone looks to be too expensive...
any thoughts?
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Red123
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
2030 Posts |
Posted - 29/09/2011 : 12:35:13
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| Will be interesting to hear other peoples thoughts on this as I have also been wondering about cost of building against surrey pet supplies prices. I have a feeling that unless you have a family member who can get wood or the glass very cheap or even free its going to cost more than buying. |
Corn Snake
, 1.0.0 Amel (Stan),
Royal Pythons
1.0.0 Normal (Nigel)
1.0.0 Albino (Tony)
Boa Constrictor Imperator
0.1.0 (Agatha)Western Hognose
0.1.0 Normal (Stevie)
0.0.1 Schneider Skink (George)
1.0.0 Extreme Blonde Harlequin Crested Gecko (Bert)
4 GALS.
Tarantulas
Red Rump (B. Vagans) Jo.
Chaco Golden Knee (G. pulchripes) Charlie, Greenbottle Blue (C. cyaneopubescens) Gus, Honduran Curly Hair ( B. albopilosum) Titch, Mexican Fire Leg (B. boehmei), Salmon Pink Bird Eater(L. parahybana), Fort Hall Baboon (P. Lugardi) Blanche, Stout Leg Baboon (E. Pachypus) Graham, Chilean Rose (G. Rosea) Glen.
Border collie x (BoB), 2 Cats (Lucky & Dip), 17 Goldfish, and The Dubia Family |
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boogles
Hatchling
131 Posts |
Posted - 29/09/2011 : 12:42:10
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this is what i was thinking....
it would be interestig to see peoples costings and sources for previous projects..
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eekamouse
Egg
71 Posts |
Posted - 29/09/2011 : 14:49:56
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| simple answer, no, you can't built a viv cheaper than todays online prices. there are, however a couple of good reasons if you are inclined to have a go. firstly if you need something custom built (see robs diary thread) and secondly for the satisfaction of building your own! |
0.1.0 yorkshire terrier 'poppy'
0.0.1 cornsnake 'curly' |
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boogles
Hatchling
131 Posts |
Posted - 29/09/2011 : 15:11:24
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Im all up for customisation... i think this is the beauty of the vivexotics. you can retro fit them with almost nything inside and out. Altho as i was looking at designing and building a 3ft viv it seems pointless to go to all the trouble when i can jsut hack about a vivexotic...
its a shame because i had something really funky in mind shape wise... with some features ive never seen before ;) maybe one day.. |
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mkmattyk
banned
United Kingdom
837 Posts |
Posted - 29/09/2011 : 16:43:46
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| i thought of building a stack myself but the wood and everything cut to size would have cost me just short 100pounds... however ive been looking into modifying bookcases and stuff for viv stacks and so far the besta range from ikea seem to be the best option, im thinking about getting some when ive moved house, ill put a link on as soon as i get home from work |
Edited by - mkmattyk on 29/09/2011 16:45:23 |
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mkmattyk
banned
United Kingdom
837 Posts |
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Kittypuss85
Hatchling
United Kingdom
128 Posts |
Posted - 29/09/2011 : 20:04:19
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| I think it can be cheaper if you are building several at once but building 1 vs buying 1 not much difference |
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kdlang
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
3556 Posts |
Posted - 29/09/2011 : 20:15:02
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I saw on another forum that Ikea Pax wardrobe carcasses have been used successfully to build viv stacks. You can buy shelves for them in packs of 2 for about £12 i think. In this way i think it is cheaper to build your own stack than to buy one but for individual vivs i don't know.
I am thinking of going along the Pax route to make my own custom built set-up |
4.1.0 corns - Izzy (Carolina) Alice (Amel) Peanut (Butter Motley) Swayze (Ghost) Carmellia (Butter Motley)
0.1.0 cat - Kizzy
1.0.0 Dog - Dobbie
Location - Chesterfield, Derbyshire
www.support-dogs.org.uk |
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Auld Baldy
Ikea's Pimp
United Kingdom
1619 Posts |
Posted - 29/09/2011 : 22:18:03
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I have done both the 'cheap' DIY route and the SPS Lx36. The flatpack wins hands down.
Even with 'free' bits of board, chest of drawer carcase or book cases lying about it is a no brainer. Costs of glass, door runners, strapping for braces, adhesive, sealant, varnish. Don't expect much change out of £30. Buying the raw board, case etc immediately bumps the cost over the flatpack delivered to your door and ready to build price. This is without considering the time for collection, working and assembling everything.
Unless you have a garage or workshop there is the disruption and mess of stripping, sanding, cutting to size. The grinding of door edges which has extra charge if done at glaziers, otherwise it really messes up the kitchen sink doing it yourself, plus wet glass is slippy.
If you are not a handy-man with access to a circular saw or at least a jigsaw and workbench, expect to have to re-cut or square off squiggly cuts. Followed by reworking the dimensions. Ever seen someone trying to even up odd sized chair legs? Fine if you are happy to end up with a footstool. 
I honestly wish I had just ditched the DIY idea and bought 2 Lx36 at the outset, and that was with already to hand bits and pieces, cheap salvage glass and various tubes of gunk. They would have been built up in jig time and given me more time to figure out where the heck I'm going to put them!
If you have a reason such as particular dimensions or layout then go for the DIY by all means but if it is just adding another viv to your snake estate then SPS can't be beaten. The bonus is there is enough bubble wrap to keep you amused for weeks. 
Just my 2 groats worth from experience. |
1.0.0: Miami Normal: Taggart
0.0.1: Carolina Normal: Wee Woody
0.0.1: Grey Rat Snake: Mirkey
0.0.1: Amel Corn: Blaze
1.0.0: Carpet Python: Vambo
0.0.1: MBK: Fester
0.0.1: Florida King Snake : Rattler (Rattle & Hum)
0.0.1. California King Snake: El Diablo Diego
0.2.0 Tarantulas : Ermintrude & Euphemia. |
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boogles
Hatchling
131 Posts |
Posted - 30/09/2011 : 09:17:13
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quote:
Originally posted by Auld Baldy
I have done both the 'cheap' DIY route and the SPS Lx36. The flatpack wins hands down.
Even with 'free' bits of board, chest of drawer carcase or book cases lying about it is a no brainer. Costs of glass, door runners, strapping for braces, adhesive, sealant, varnish. Don't expect much change out of £30. Buying the raw board, case etc immediately bumps the cost over the flatpack delivered to your door and ready to build price. This is without considering the time for collection, working and assembling everything.
Unless you have a garage or workshop there is the disruption and mess of stripping, sanding, cutting to size. The grinding of door edges which has extra charge if done at glaziers, otherwise it really messes up the kitchen sink doing it yourself, plus wet glass is slippy.
If you are not a handy-man with access to a circular saw or at least a jigsaw and workbench, expect to have to re-cut or square off squiggly cuts. Followed by reworking the dimensions. Ever seen someone trying to even up odd sized chair legs? Fine if you are happy to end up with a footstool.
I honestly wish I had just ditched the DIY idea and bought 2 Lx36 at the outset, and that was with already to hand bits and pieces, cheap salvage glass and various tubes of gunk. They would have been built up in jig time and given me more time to figure out where the heck I'm going to put them!
If you have a reason such as particular dimensions or layout then go for the DIY by all means but if it is just adding another viv to your snake estate then SPS can't be beaten. The bonus is there is enough bubble wrap to keep you amused for weeks.
Just my 2 groats worth from experience.
This is exactly what i was thinking... ordering my 2 vivs tonight..
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eekamouse
Egg
71 Posts |
Posted - 30/09/2011 : 10:10:42
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| i can see the ikea designs could be converted and might make a good starting point for building. by the time you have added glass (polished edge if you cant do it yourself), runners and sills, you have to be looking at at least £20 per 2' unit on top of the cost of the ikea base. if you were to build in bulk using 8'x4' sheet material and glass, then certainly it could become cost effective provided you have the correct tools. |
0.1.0 yorkshire terrier 'poppy'
0.0.1 cornsnake 'curly' |
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eekamouse
Egg
71 Posts |
Posted - 30/09/2011 : 10:20:54
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| just a word on glass. i noticed the new viv we bought has plain 4mm stuff and is not toughened. when i built vivs and aquariums years ago we always had the glass toughened to BS. your local glazer will do this for you but it will double the cost with polishing as well. personally, i would always use toughened especially with children around. just something to consider and i hope its a help. |
0.1.0 yorkshire terrier 'poppy'
0.0.1 cornsnake 'curly' |
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Kehhlyr
ǝʞɐɔ sǝʌoן
United Kingdom
8173 Posts |
Posted - 30/09/2011 : 23:50:38
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I managed to build a 36x16x16 triple viv stack for under 70 quid.
That was all the wood, the runners, the glass and the glass handles.
Don't get me wrong, it's not the tidiest looking in the world as I didn't buy any edging strips, my plan was to build one for as cheap as possible so I did miss things out.
Vents are another thing that I didn't fit, I drilled a series of holes in the back instead. |
-=Kehhlyr - The Resident Loon
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boogles
Hatchling
131 Posts |
Posted - 06/10/2011 : 12:39:00
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| whered you get the wood form for this? and the glass? |
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Kehhlyr
ǝʞɐɔ sǝʌoן
United Kingdom
8173 Posts |
Posted - 06/10/2011 : 13:16:49
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I bought a sheet of 8x4ft white melamine coated from B&Q and had them cut it into the measurements for me, I then went through the self service tills because then I didn't get charged for the extra cuts.
The glass came from a local glaziers, was about 3 quid per section. Not toughened glass though, just standard glass with the edges stone scrubbed so they're not sharp.
The downside is that the edges of the glass can chip easily if you're not careful when putting locks on or could be broken easily if something hits them.
They are strong enough to keep in corns/kings/milk and a small retic, but I wouldn't trust the glass for anything with more muscles (boas, royals etc). |
-=Kehhlyr - The Resident Loon
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Red123
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
2030 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2011 : 09:34:16
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quote:
Originally posted by Kehhlyr
I managed to build a 36x16x16 triple viv stack for under 70 quid.
That was all the wood, the runners, the glass and the glass handles.
Don't get me wrong, it's not the tidiest looking in the world as I didn't buy any edging strips, my plan was to build one for as cheap as possible so I did miss things out.
Vents are another thing that I didn't fit, I drilled a series of holes in the back instead.
Pics? |
Corn Snake
, 1.0.0 Amel (Stan),
Royal Pythons
1.0.0 Normal (Nigel)
1.0.0 Albino (Tony)
Boa Constrictor Imperator
0.1.0 (Agatha)Western Hognose
0.1.0 Normal (Stevie)
0.0.1 Schneider Skink (George)
1.0.0 Extreme Blonde Harlequin Crested Gecko (Bert)
4 GALS.
Tarantulas
Red Rump (B. Vagans) Jo.
Chaco Golden Knee (G. pulchripes) Charlie, Greenbottle Blue (C. cyaneopubescens) Gus, Honduran Curly Hair ( B. albopilosum) Titch, Mexican Fire Leg (B. boehmei), Salmon Pink Bird Eater(L. parahybana), Fort Hall Baboon (P. Lugardi) Blanche, Stout Leg Baboon (E. Pachypus) Graham, Chilean Rose (G. Rosea) Glen.
Border collie x (BoB), 2 Cats (Lucky & Dip), 17 Goldfish, and The Dubia Family |
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Sta~ple
qeeun speler
United Kingdom
6129 Posts |
Posted - 14/10/2011 : 14:40:56
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By the time you've added labour into it :P
My 3ft lx cost me £36 so XD Unless maybe you are doing a stack or buying stuff in bulk maybe not? Although if you already have wood lying about spare or anything you can convert into a viv it would be silly to not try and attempt to use that. |
   
A very special super, duper thanks for K :3 |
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danny
Hatchling
United Kingdom
369 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2012 : 16:35:55
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| i know this is and old thred but my half complete viv bulid has cost me 8 pounds so far |
1x staffy-Roxy
I x iguana-zilla
Several tessera corns
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ashby_steve
Hatchling
United Kingdom
258 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2012 : 16:41:33
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My viv build ( http://www.thecornsnake.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=23252 ) was cost effective,
spent about 105 on it all together which isn't bad for a 3 viv stack.
i commented on it what i had spent and a few people mentioned places to get things a bit cheaper
good luck! |
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danny
Hatchling
United Kingdom
369 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2012 : 16:45:49
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I like the feet :) im in the process of building 2 one is a twin at a cost of 8 pounds all in (just under)the other is just over 3 foot at a higher cost of 13 pounds all in (just under) i shall update my topic once the twin has had one more coat of varnish and dried it takes bloody ages lol.
All in all viv building can save alot of money you just need to use your imagination :) |
1x staffy-Roxy
I x iguana-zilla
Several tessera corns
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Edited by - danny on 09/06/2012 16:46:28 |
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Topic |
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Viv building. Cost effective?
