# Spider Shed...



## Drift (Aug 18, 2012)

I have been converting my garden shed so it can accommodate my spider/invert collection 

Here is the shed I started with.




























I gave it a few coats of paint and replaced the rotten lengths of tongue and groove.
I also used some 2×2 on the floor to make a cavity for the insulation :2thumb:




























Will start another post with todays progress :2thumb:


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## kwacky (Feb 25, 2013)

Looking good.


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## mrmini (Sep 12, 2011)

Looks good,what size is the shed?


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## PeterUK (Jun 21, 2008)

Dont forget to insulate the door and window.


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## Drift (Aug 18, 2012)

Cheers : victory:

It's about 7x6 foot internal...I think lol.

I did just write a post with todays progress but was on my phone and the battery went dead lol.


Anyway, today I tinted the window to try and stop any glare and I managed to get most of it insulated with 50mm extratherm. I just need one more sheet to finish it off.
I also replaced the hinges and made a frame around the door for the insulation to sit in and to screw the plywood to.










I plan to put an air vent low down at one end (to the right of the pic above) and a extractor fan at the top of the other side and the fan will be on a reverse thermostat for when it gets too hot.

I have an oil filled radiator that i will use to heat the shed. It's 1500w.

Any ideas on what thermostat to use with the rad? 

Any tips from people who have used a spider shed for some time would be greatly appreciated :2thumb:

Cheers
Gaz


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## Drift (Aug 18, 2012)

PeterUK said:


> Dont forget to insulate the door and window.


I plan to insulate the door and I am going to fit a double glazed unit behind the glass that is now tinted to make it tripple glazed :2thumb:


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## jena rose (Aug 12, 2013)

great work!


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## TomtheTall (Jun 28, 2013)

Afraid I can't offer much advice but looks like a cracking setup you're heading towards there. Great work so far!


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## Adam B Jones (Jan 17, 2011)

Looks awesome, and seems as though you are not leaving anything out, although I'm afraid I've never done this before, so can't be of much help, but well done so far!

Is your collection spilling over?


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## Drift (Aug 18, 2012)

jena rose said:


> great work!


Thank you 



TomtheTall said:


> Afraid I can't offer much advice but looks like a cracking setup you're heading towards there. Great work so far!


Cheers  



Adam B Jones said:


> Looks awesome, and seems as though you are not leaving anything out, although I'm afraid I've never done this before, so can't be of much help, but well done so far!
> 
> Is your collection spilling over?


Thank you, I have been reading some other threads on here for info. That gave me the idea about the extractor fan 

Its not spilling over tbh, but they are not welcome in my girlfriends house lol.


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## Veyron (Mar 29, 2011)

It's not a very big space, so you'll need to plan the shelving dimensions well....although I'm sure you will, as you've done a cracking job so far !


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## Drift (Aug 18, 2012)

Veyron said:


> It's not a very big space, so you'll need to plan the shelving dimensions well....although I'm sure you will, as you've done a cracking job so far !


Cheers dude :notworthy:
I have the racking that I am currently using, that should give me enough shelving for juvies and adults.
I have some narrow book shelves that can have slings and juvies on.

The racking will go along the back wall and the book shelves can go on the right as you go through the door.

I will be adding a desk aswell that will probably go along the wall with the plug sockets on.

I'm sure no matter how well I plan the shelving out I will run out of space lol.


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## PeterUK (Jun 21, 2008)

Drift said:


> Any tips from people who have used a spider shed for some time would be greatly appreciated :2thumb:


I've had my spider shed set up about 12 years so far, so if you are stuck on anything just gimme a shout : victory: (New brick spider shed is planned in 2 years time . . 17ft x 10ft)

First thing that comes to mind is to have a thick curtain at the door as when you open it in any weather but especially in the winter, the heat will just rush out and it could take a while to get up to temperature again AND cost more much more money in the long run.

Second thing is to have a fan to circulate the warm arm evenly. I use a 12 inch oscillating fan from B&Q that is on 24/7/365. 
I was told once by a sparky that its the turning it off and on that breaks the motor, I dont know if this is correct but so far he's info has been spot on. The previous fan lasted about 8 years and this one has lasted 4 years so far.


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## Drift (Aug 18, 2012)

PeterUK said:


> I've had my spider shed set up about 12 years so far, so if you are stuck on anything just gimme a shout : victory: (New brick spider shed is planned in 2 years time . . 17ft x 10ft)
> 
> First thing that comes to mind is to have a thick curtain at the door as when you open it in any weather but especially in the winter, the heat will just rush out and it could take a while to get up to temperature again AND cost more much more money in the long run.
> 
> ...



Thank you :notworthy:

Thats a good idea with the curtain, I was concerned about the heat rushing out.

I will look into having a fan aswell 

What heater do you use? 
Do you have any suggestions regarding thermostats?


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## PeterUK (Jun 21, 2008)

Drift said:


> What heater do you use?
> Do you have any suggestions regarding thermostats?


I really cant remember what heater I have cos I've had it for so long :blush: if I remember I'll check tomorrow.
I think its a 3KW with a built in thermostat which is the main heater but I also have a small 1KW which I use in the winter. It is set at a slightly lower temperature than the main radiator so if the shed temps drop below a certain temp the smaller 1KW kicks in and helps stabilizes it. 

You will find that keeping the temps up is the easy part. 
The hard part is keeping the temps down when we occasionally have a heat wave like we did this year. Even with the door wide open, 2 x 12 inch fans and a thermostatically controlled 8 inch extractor fan, the temps went up as high as 94F (34C)


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## boxofsorrows (Nov 7, 2011)

Word of advice on security for a shed after ours was broken into - fasten the bolt/hasp&staple on with coach bolts right through the timber and large washers +nuts on the inside so they can't be prized out. Ours was screwed on with decent size screws but they ripped out when the burglar used a pry-bar on it.
Ours also now has a PIR linked to the main house alarm (wireless).


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## Adam B Jones (Jan 17, 2011)

Drift said:


> Thank you
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thats a pity, ah well, needs must! If you run out of room you could always think about a spider skyscraper shed... 

But, yeah, very cool


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## Adam B Jones (Jan 17, 2011)

PeterUK said:


> I've had my spider shed set up about 12 years so far, so if you are stuck on anything just gimme a shout : victory: (New brick spider shed is planned in 2 years time . . 17ft x 10ft)
> 
> First thing that comes to mind is to have a thick curtain at the door as when you open it in any weather but especially in the winter, the heat will just rush out and it could take a while to get up to temperature again AND cost more much more money in the long run.
> 
> ...


I have a question, just out of curiosity...

I'm assuming you've tried lots of different things over the years, but I was wondering what it's like trying to achieve a heat gradient of sorts, so that perhaps species that do not require such high temps can be placed on lower shelves, depending on where you place the thermostat? Or is that a bit tricky in such a small space with one heat source?


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## Drift (Aug 18, 2012)

PeterUK said:


> I really cant remember what heater I have cos I've had it for so long :blush: if I remember I'll check tomorrow.
> I think its a 3KW with a built in thermostat which is the main heater but I also have a small 1KW which I use in the winter. It is set at a slightly lower temperature than the main radiator so if the shed temps drop below a certain temp the smaller 1KW kicks in and helps stabilizes it.
> 
> You will find that keeping the temps up is the easy part.
> The hard part is keeping the temps down when we occasionally have a heat wave like we did this year. Even with the door wide open, 2 x 12 inch fans and a thermostatically controlled 8 inch extractor fan, the temps went up as high as 94F (34C)


I'm guessing 3kw would be equivalent to 3000w?? 
Do you think my 1500w heater would be enough?

I have spotted a small air conditioning unit at the inlaws house that I could borrow if I am struggling with the temps.





boxofsorrows said:


> Word of advice on security for a shed after ours was broken into - fasten the bolt/hasp&staple on with coach bolts right through the timber and large washers +nuts on the inside so they can't be prized out. Ours was screwed on with decent size screws but they ripped out when the burglar used a pry-bar on it.
> Ours also now has a PIR linked to the main house alarm (wireless).


Cheers mate, I will fit some bolts to the hasp and hinges, I will have some sort of alarm aswell 
I live right next door to a police station, they have a camera that can see my shed easily, I have a light on a pir sensor on the shed too. So hopefully I wont ever get broke into 



Adam B Jones said:


> Thats a pity, ah well, needs must! If you run out of room you could always think about a spider skyscraper shed...
> 
> But, yeah, very cool


Cheers  
If I run out of space we have a big water tight garage that would make an awesome spider house!
But I want that for my toy car


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## Darknomad (Sep 11, 2013)

U can buy cheap dashcams now that video on a loop.
U plug them in and ignore them till u need them. Can set them for g force save a bump like a break in or motion control just a thought see if ure kids or wildlife gets into you shed. Including humans


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## jorge666 (Apr 6, 2012)

I bought a 1500w with built in thermostat that was about 18£, put on either side, and if it's too much you can always turn it down, last winter was pretty harsh and really dragged, be a tragedy to succumb to the cold


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## boxofsorrows (Nov 7, 2011)

Drift said:


> Cheers mate, I will fit some bolts to the hasp and hinges, I will have some sort of alarm aswell
> I live right next door to a police station, they have a camera that can see my shed easily, I have a light on a pir sensor on the shed too. So hopefully I wont ever get broke into


I should have had a slap to the head for ours getting broken into, it was one of 12 he did in 1 night and the lad got 18mths inside because he tried to break into our house too. 
I used the round headed coachbolts, through a thick bar of timber on the inside of the doors and massive washers then locknuts. The only way to get in now is to literally stand and tear all the wood to pieces which would make a load of noise. The screws that were through originally were a decent thickness but just tore out of the wood so the huge padlock was pointless.
I also altered the windows in ours, fitted metal crossbars over them in the same way (coachbolts through) so there's no room to climb through even if they acrylic windows are broken.


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## Drift (Aug 18, 2012)

Thanks for all the sugestions and ideas :2thumb:

I will deffo fit some decent coach bolts will good size washers, will do that after it is boarded out.
I think the window should be fine as I am fitting a double glazed unit behind the glass that is already there, so would make a hell of a racket if someone was to try to get in there. (Bedroom window is on that side of the house) The tint film would act as security film too.


......................................

Does anybody know if a digital room thermostat could be wired up to a plug socket so I can plug my heater into it?

My heater doesnt have degrees it just has numbers 1-10 I think.. Or is it just trial and error and find a number that keeps the right temp?


I should add that I am doing this on a tight budget and I will tally up all the costs at some point as I have seen on another thread.
It will probably be a couple of weeks till I can afford the wood to board it out.

Cheers
Gaz


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## Drift (Aug 18, 2012)

I got a bit more done on my shed this afternoon 




























I have ordered a 6" extractor fan and one of those gravity vents for the outside. I was wanting a 8" fan but they seem hard to find at a sensible price, hopefully this will be enough to keep the temps down in the summer.

I will be getting 2 double glazed units in a couple of days so will fit them behind the tinted glass.

I will be painting the inside of the shed, think I'm going for white.

Need a nice heavy curtain to stop heat escaping when the door opens.


Thanks for looking :2thumb:
Gaz


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## jorge666 (Apr 6, 2012)

I feel bad for you mate, if you could just have them inside you could have spent all that money you used to do it up to spend on some nice spiders!


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## Oski1 (Jan 2, 2010)

Cool thread its looking good,

im looking to so the same, are you going to make the shelving yourself?


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## Drift (Aug 18, 2012)

jorge666 said:


> I feel bad for you mate, if you could just have them inside you could have spent all that money you used to do it up to spend on some nice spiders!


I know mate, spent around £300 so far  will add that all up when its done.

Will be buying spiders soon tho :Na_Na_Na_Na:


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## Drift (Aug 18, 2012)

Oski1 said:


> Cool thread its looking good,
> 
> im looking to so the same, are you going to make the shelving yourself?


Hi mate, thank you! :2thumb: never had a cool thred before :blush:

I already have some racking that should fit nicely along the back wall and doesnt take up too much floor space, will be having a desk too, think my old one will fit.

Should be nice and snug lol.


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## Oski1 (Jan 2, 2010)

I already have some racking that should fit nicely along the back wall and doesnt take up too much floor space, will be having a desk too, think my old one will fit.

Should be nice and snug lol.[/QUOTE]

Sounds good, could I ask about ventilation? are you just going to fit a simple vent on one of the sides? 
also how effective are oil rads I am not sure I have ever used one before,
thanks


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## Drift (Aug 18, 2012)

Oski1 said:


> I already have some racking that should fit nicely along the back wall and doesnt take up too much floor space, will be having a desk too, think my old one will fit.
> 
> Should be nice and snug lol.


Sounds good, could I ask about ventilation? are you just going to fit a simple vent on one of the sides? 
also how effective are oil rads I am not sure I have ever used one before,
thanks[/QUOTE]

Yeah sure, I have put a 6×9 vent in the floor, not sure whether to fit another air vent tho.










I have an adjustable vent for the inside that I will fit on top of the lino.

I have only tested my heater in our conservatory and it managed to warm that up, so should be good enough for my shed.


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## Graylord (Jul 17, 2007)

The privacy of having a shed is priceless !! mine isn't much bigger than yours and i reckon not insulated as well ,i find an 800watt oil filled rad does the job just fine . There are a couple of light bulbs in vivs as well but i still think the rad does most of the work.


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## PeterUK (Jun 21, 2008)

Re the hole in the floor.

1) Are you going to fit an extractor so that it draws the cooler air upwards into the shed ?

2) Have you worked out a way to block the hole in the cold weather to stop the cold air getting into the shed ?

3) Will you fit a fine mesh across the hole to stop unwanted guest entering ? (I used a 1/4in wire mesh to stop rodents and then a fine metal mesh for insects)

ps. You will regret having the window fitted and not covering it over. In the summer it will overheat the shed and you will lose heat through it in the winter. 
Been there and done that and it didnt work out well. My window is now painted over and covered in the inside by Kingspan and then boarded over with plywood. When my brick shed is built there will be no windows at all, as I want total control over the temperature.


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## Drift (Aug 18, 2012)

PeterUK said:


> Re the hole in the floor.
> 
> 1) Are you going to fit an extractor so that it draws the cooler air upwards into the shed ?
> 
> ...


Hi mate, I wasn't going to fit a extractor to the floor, I imagine as the extractor is on it would draw the air from under the floor.
Its hard to see in the pic but under the insulation there is a plastic vent with fine mesh built in, I have a closeable vent for the inside.

I was hoping for the window tint to stop it getting too hot in the summer and tthe d/g unit should stop too much heat escaping... wont be too much effort to insulate and board it over at a later date.


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## Drift (Aug 18, 2012)

Another update 

My extractor fan turned up so got that fitted.










My double glazed units got made so fitted them.



















You may have noticed I have also painted 
I got some free paint called milky coffee lol, so did the walls with that then decided to do the ceiling white.




















Just picked up some free lino as the piece I had was not big enough. 
Fitted a blind on the window and a curtain pole for the door, I have a curtain for the door that needs cutting down so will get the missus on with that :2thumb:

Need to put the light up, pin all the wires in place, wire up the extractor fan and fit the lino. 
Would like to get it ready for next weekend as I am going to doncaster show with money :whistling2:

My girlfriend made me this lol.










Gaz


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## PeterUK (Jun 21, 2008)

awwww aint that sweet ! 
Sum won wuffs yoo :flrt: 


:lol2:


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## NikDan (Aug 31, 2013)

great thread and a even better job  followed since im hoping to do the same with my shed at some point !


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## Drift (Aug 18, 2012)

PeterUK said:


> awwww aint that sweet !
> Sum won wuffs yoo :flrt:
> 
> 
> :lol2:


:lol2:

Tis sweet 



NikDan said:


> great thread and a even better job  followed since im hoping to do the same with my shed at some point !


Thank you :2thumb:
Don't look too close as it's not perfect lol. But good enough


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## MEDICALMAN (Jul 9, 2012)

mrmini said:


> Looks good,what size is the shed?


shed size.


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## MEDICALMAN (Jul 9, 2012)

PeterUK said:


> I've had my spider shed set up about 12 years so far, so if you are stuck on anything just gimme a shout : victory: (New brick spider shed is planned in 2 years time . . 17ft x 10ft)
> 
> First thing that comes to mind is to have a thick curtain at the door as when you open it in any weather but especially in the winter, the heat will just rush out and it could take a while to get up to temperature again AND cost more much more money in the long run.
> 
> ...


not sure about warm arms - but the sparky is correct with fans - factory fans just stay on as once going is more efficient just to leave them until the rotor dies.


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## Drift (Aug 18, 2012)

MEDICALMAN said:


> shed size.


Is that a question?



Been working in the shed this morning.

Got the lino down and sorted the cables out, still need to wite up the extractor and fit another double socket next to the one thats there.





























I have put the heater on and it is nice and toasty at the min lol.
It's 25c and the heater seems to be off quite a lot.

Cheers
Gaz


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## Adam B Jones (Jan 17, 2011)

Will there be a natural gradient where it's cooler in some areas? ie, lower down or on other side of room from rad? Or is it too small a space to achieve that? Just wondering as you could put species like P. subfusca or G. porteri etc in those areas...


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## Drift (Aug 18, 2012)

Adam B Jones said:


> Will there be a natural gradient where it's cooler in some areas? ie, lower down or on other side of room from rad? Or is it too small a space to achieve that? Just wondering as you could put species like P. subfusca or G. porteri etc in those areas...


I imagine there would be, I will be able to answer this a bit better once I have thermometers all over the place


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## Adam B Jones (Jan 17, 2011)

very true! looking great


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## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

Drift said:


> image
> 
> 
> I have put the heater on and it is nice and toasty at the min lol.
> ...



Looking very good :2thumb:, i converted half of my shed 2 years ago now & it's brilliant. I haven't even had to turn the radiator on yet (i also breed Royal Pythons so the mats & heat cable kick out heat). I do have a heat gradient in my shed, it's cooler down towards the floor & this is where i keep most of my T's (at the bottom of my adult Royal rack). If you look on my profile in my photo albums there's one of my shed conversion. My shed area inside is small, approx 5'3" x 8'


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## Malagasy (Nov 27, 2011)

Very professional looking! Im very jealous I have always wanted a shed of my own! :flrt:


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## Drift (Aug 18, 2012)

I got my spiders moved in yesterday 
Still need to organise it a bit better and I'm wiring the extractor up tomorrow.

The heater is set quite low and it has no problem keeping the temp between 22c and 25c.

There is a heat gradient as the lower shelfs are about 22c and the top shelf is about 25.

Here is a couple of pics, it is quite messy as I need to sort out where things belong and maybe get another 4 tier rack to replace the 2 tier but it's fine for now 



















Also got the curtain fitted on the door. Works great! Stops heat from escaping brilliantly. 











Well happy and proud of myself that I have got this done 
Just need to organise it and get more spids 

Thanks for looking
Gaz


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## Adam B Jones (Jan 17, 2011)

Excellent work  It looks good enough to live in, all you need is a fold down bed!


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## Drift (Aug 18, 2012)

Adam B Jones said:


> Excellent work  It looks good enough to live in, all you need is a fold down bed!


Thank you  

Your not wrong! I have a bed I use for fishing that would be ideal lol.


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## Adam B Jones (Jan 17, 2011)

Sweet, I take it that'll be coarse fishing of some kind or other? Although that's another story.... I'm into game fishing for salmon and brown trout. Although if it's got fins, I'll fish for it


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## sage999 (Sep 21, 2008)

Adam B Jones said:


> Sweet, I take it that'll be coarse fishing of some kind or other? Although that's another story.... I'm into game fishing for salmon and brown trout. Although if it's got fins, I'll fish for it


Good man. Had a few salmon and allot of sea trout myself over the years. :2thumb:


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## jb92 (Apr 24, 2010)

The shed looks great, giving me a lot of inspiration for my current build!
JB Owens


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## Drift (Aug 18, 2012)

Adam B Jones said:


> Sweet, I take it that'll be coarse fishing of some kind or other? Although that's another story.... I'm into game fishing for salmon and brown trout. Although if it's got fins, I'll fish for it


Cool, I fish for eel's mostly and fish for pike this time of year.
I sometimes fish for barbel and never fish for carp! Lol.




jb92 said:


> The shed looks great, giving me a lot of inspiration for my current build!
> JB Owens


Thank you :2thumb:


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## Adam B Jones (Jan 17, 2011)

Drift said:


> Cool, I fish for eel's mostly and fish for pike this time of year.
> I sometimes fish for barbel and never fish for carp! Lol.
> 
> 
> ...


Are you aloud to fish for Eels in England still? 99.9% certain it's illegal in Scotland as the numbers are too low. I hear barbel are very hard fighters, but have never fished for them. Anyway - off topic! I really am very impressed with the shed, looks like you have a cracking collection as well, I like the tanks, are some of them clearseal 18x10x10's? These are great for adult terrestrials, and cheap also! Have you done anything to make the lids fit more snug? I got one which I put a new lid on because it was far too easy to lift off for my liking !!


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## Drift (Aug 18, 2012)

Adam B Jones said:


> Are you aloud to fish for Eels in England still? 99.9% certain it's illegal in Scotland as the numbers are too low. I hear barbel are very hard fighters, but have never fished for them. Anyway - off topic! I really am very impressed with the shed, looks like you have a cracking collection as well, I like the tanks, are some of them clearseal 18x10x10's? These are great for adult terrestrials, and cheap also! Have you done anything to make the lids fit more snug? I got one which I put a new lid on because it was far too easy to lift off for my liking !!


Yea it's legal down here  trying to catch a monster... not successful yet lol.

Thanks! My collection is getting there, going to doncaster show tomorrow so will get a few slings to raise  the shed is not big but I think it is big enough for the amount of spiders I want.

Yea thats right they are clearseal, got them for £5 each 
The lids was a concern when I witnessed my LP lifting the lid up lol. I use elastic around the tank to keep the lid on, works really well. You can see the elastic on the pic above at each end of the tanks.


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## sage999 (Sep 21, 2008)

Great job on the shed. Always nice to have your own space. :2thumb:


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## Drift (Aug 18, 2012)

sage999 said:


> Great job on the shed. Always nice to have your own space. :2thumb:


Thanks  loving the space!



A couple more pics of my work space.



















I wired up my extractor fan this morning, it shifts some air and drags the cooler air up from the floor vent pretty good.
Ordered the thermostat too 

EDIT: Not sure what to do with the wasted space next to the desk? 
Might just get a big storage box for my spares.


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## Adam B Jones (Jan 17, 2011)

Drift said:


> Yea it's legal down here  trying to catch a monster... not successful yet lol.
> 
> Thanks! My collection is getting there, going to doncaster show tomorrow so will get a few slings to raise  the shed is not big but I think it is big enough for the amount of spiders I want.
> 
> ...


It really does look brilliant, I kinda want one now, even though I don't actually need one!

Good call on the elastic, I'll be trying that myself, although I've no idea where I'll get those tanks for 5quid!!! Were they 2nd hand?

Not sure which bit you mean about wasted space? Is it the bit between the desk and the racks? Or under it? I'd agree, always good to put random bits and bobs in these kind of areas that you may need but don't always use regularly - Although I can see plenty space for more spiders in general  Hope you enjoy tomorrow and end up with some nice additions!

Ps - I've just thought - when you say eels, do you mean freshwater or conger? 

Pps - I can actually spell "Allowed" lol, I noticed I wrote "are you *aloud* to fish for eels" in my post ha! Momentary brain blockage


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## Tarantulaguy01 (Mar 31, 2012)

Very nice well done.how are your temps holding now the night's are getting colder


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## Drift (Aug 18, 2012)

Adam B Jones said:


> It really does look brilliant, I kinda want one now, even though I don't actually need one!
> 
> Good call on the elastic, I'll be trying that myself, although I've no idea where I'll get those tanks for 5quid!!! Were they 2nd hand?
> 
> ...


Yea the tanks were second hand, the guy just wanted rid, got a few heat mats with them too. Could do with new lids tho as a couple are cracked.

Thats right the gap between the desk and racks, think I will use that for my spare stuff, well it needs to go somewhere lol.
But yea, loads of room for more spids:2thumb:

I fish for fresh water eel's (Anguilla Anguilla) :2thumb:





Tarantulaguy01 said:


> Very nice well done.how are your temps holding now the night's are getting colder


Thanks :2thumb:

The tems are keeping between 22-25c the heater is more than enough to keep the temp up. 
It's set to medium and is only just above number 2 on the thermostat (out of 6)
The heater stays off most of the time.


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## MEDICALMAN (Jul 9, 2012)

Drift said:


> Cool, I fish for eel's mostly and fish for pike this time of year.
> I sometimes fish for barbel and never fish for carp! Lol.
> 
> 
> ...


I feed the pigeons; I sometimes feed the sparrows too.


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## Drift (Aug 18, 2012)

MEDICALMAN said:


> I feed the pigeons; I sometimes feed the sparrows too.


:lol2:

Was writing it in a hurry and never read it back :blush:


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

Drift said:


> I have been converting my garden shed so it can accommodate my spider/invert collection
> 
> Here is the shed I started with.
> image
> ...


'round these parts we call that a cabin!:lol2::notworthy:


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## JungleRich (Mar 6, 2012)

mega jealous! haha
you've done really well there mate

bit of a suggestion for the door...

it might help a bit if you stitch a shower curtain (or similar heavy/less permeable than cloth) material to the side of the curtain facing the door to increase insulation then fit strips of velcro on the curtain and around the door frame. it may help keep heat in/cold out especially if theres small gaps around the door.


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## Drift (Aug 18, 2012)

Had this shed up and running now for a few months and it has been perfect! 
Holds temperature brilliantly, it keeps at 27c on the top shelf and 23 on the bottom shelf, give or take a degree or so.

I have bought some more racking and screwed it all to the walls to stop it moving when lifting a tank off, also put a small book shelf next to the desk under the window, ideal for bits and bobs.

I have fitted weather strips around the door as there was a draft and nailed the curtain down one side, no drafts there now.
I blocked up the extractor fan aswell as the heat could just walk out.

I just need to put up one shelf above the desk running the length of that side suitable for sweet jars then its done!

Here is a few more recent pics. 





























To anyone thinking of converting a shed I would say do it! 
It's a nice quiet place to work and is lovely and warm in these colder months 


Thanks for looking :2thumb:

Gaz


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## pauln (Jan 24, 2007)

Absolutely brilliant. You have done an excellent job on that. I wonder how many others that will inspire to do the same thing.


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## Mr Mister (Oct 12, 2011)

It's a nice shed mate. And it's great that you are so handy.

But.

I will NEVER live in a g/f's house again. Ever. Done it before, and I ended up taking to the garage just to get some peace.

So great work my man, but I will stick to having mine where I can see them.



: victory:


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## Drift (Aug 18, 2012)

pauln said:


> Absolutely brilliant. You have done an excellent job on that. I wonder how many others that will inspire to do the same thing.


Thank you  



Mr Mister said:


> It's a nice shed mate. And it's great that you are so handy.
> 
> But.
> 
> ...


Thanks  I learnt most of this from working with a builder/carpenter, also did 8years glazing.

Haha, I know were your coming from mate! 
She thinks the spiders need feeding every day :whistling2:


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## Tarantulaguy01 (Mar 31, 2012)

That really does look good well done:2thumb:


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## Drift (Aug 18, 2012)

Tarantulaguy01 said:


> That really does look good well done:2thumb:


Thanks mate  I couldn't be more happy with it.


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## Adam B Jones (Jan 17, 2011)

MEDICALMAN said:


> I feed the pigeons; I sometimes feed the sparrows too.


...."It gives me a sense of enormous well-being".....


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## Mr Mister (Oct 12, 2011)

Drift said:


> Thank you
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
You need a secretary in that shed is what you need.

:whistling2:


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## pepey05 (Aug 6, 2014)

Great set up. Hopefully we will get to see it soon! You must be a proud spider daddy :lol2::lol2::lol2:


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## Drift (Aug 18, 2012)

pepey05 said:


> Great set up. Hopefully we will get to see it soon! You must be a proud spider daddy :lol2::lol2::lol2:



Hi Jules, thank you  
Will let you know when I'm free next, probably over the weekend.

Been thinking about updating this thread soon with more recent pic's and just to say it is doing brilliantly lol. So will tidy up and take some pics


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## fazzer (Jul 19, 2009)

*Spider shed*

Cracking job m8 , I've just knocked mine down after 17 years , it was looking tired and my eldest lad at last moved out so moved into his room . Going back to the window situation , are they fixed panes or openers ? I used double glazed upvc windows in my shed with a large opener , found this really useful in the summer to keep temps down , and to avoid unwanted visitors , i made up a sliding fly screen on the inside . Also about 10 years ago I got a second hand double glazed door and basically made it fit , this really made a difference in the winter months as even though the original timber door was insulated , it wasn't completely draft proof even with a heavy curtain . As you have glazing experience you should be able to pick one up relatively cheap , I'm an x fitter myself . A lot of people are going over to composite doors now so there are a lot of upvc doors being skipped now . Definitely worth the trouble , also aids with security . You can't beat a man cave in the garden , as I've found having my creatures in the house has it's down sides , lot more disturbances from the family and I've got to be so careful whilst feeding , incase of escaped roaches . Sticky traps everywhere . Job well done Bud


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## rikki446 (Nov 24, 2011)

That's excellent bet it's nice to just relax in there as well


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## AuHr (Nov 21, 2013)

Great job! LOL I had to take a double look at the picture above your desk!


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## Drift (Aug 18, 2012)

fazzer said:


> Cracking job m8 , I've just knocked mine down after 17 years , it was looking tired and my eldest lad at last moved out so moved into his room . Going back to the window situation , are they fixed panes or openers ? I used double glazed upvc windows in my shed with a large opener , found this really useful in the summer to keep temps down , and to avoid unwanted visitors , i made up a sliding fly screen on the inside . Also about 10 years ago I got a second hand double glazed door and basically made it fit , this really made a difference in the winter months as even though the original timber door was insulated , it wasn't completely draft proof even with a heavy curtain . As you have glazing experience you should be able to pick one up relatively cheap , I'm an x fitter myself . A lot of people are going over to composite doors now so there are a lot of upvc doors being skipped now . Definitely worth the trouble , also aids with security . You can't beat a man cave in the garden , as I've found having my creatures in the house has it's down sides , lot more disturbances from the family and I've got to be so careful whilst feeding , incase of escaped roaches . Sticky traps everywhere . Job well done Bud


Sorry only just seen this.
Cheers mate 
Yeah just fixed panes in the window, it did cross my mind to get an old pvc window and door, could get one easy just don't want to ruin the look from the outside. 

Haha, I have quite a few free roaming red runners in there now, just started using a chrap live roach trap from china, it works too!



rikki446 said:


> That's excellent bet it's nice to just relax in there as well


Cheers 
Well worth doing! I often just go in there for no reason lol, good to get warm when its cold out 
Just need to boost the wifi so I get a better signal in the shed lol.



Keep forgetting to get some recent pics, I will soon 

Have a good day
Gaz


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## Drift (Aug 18, 2012)

Just been in the shed to get some recent pics 









Cheers
Gaz


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## Hootz (Aug 28, 2014)

Is it a 33GTS on the wall?


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## Drift (Aug 18, 2012)

Hootz said:


> Is it a 33GTS on the wall?


Yeah its my skyline r33 gts-t. Ignore the silly bodykit in the pic, just a temp thing 
Getting it back on the road in a couple of months


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## pepey05 (Aug 6, 2014)

I can just see your Lp, beautiful big old gal!! Like the scooby in your drift picture!! Im still in awe of your shed, me I would live in it lol


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## Fordyl2k (Nov 29, 2010)

Nice build mate, Also nice R33  Im a supra man myself


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## Adam B Jones (Jan 17, 2011)

Good to see it's still doing well!


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## Madeyes (Mar 1, 2014)

Really top job.


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## Sickone (Jul 10, 2013)

That's class hat's off! : victory:


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