# reptile shed... need advice



## David V (Jan 3, 2009)

So im hopefully moving into my nice new house in the summer. I currently have two burms that will be going in the shed and i would like two retics. So i will need/want 4x(8x4x2) vivs. The only problem is the mrs is doing my head in moaning that it will be too big. So what i want to know is, will i be cheaper building or buying a shed? what size should i go for? anyone know any space saving ideas for the vivs?


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

it'll be cheaper putting the missus in the shed and keeping the snakes in the house.


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

Meko said:


> it'll be cheaper putting the missus in the shed and keeping the snakes in the house.


Speaking straight to my heart meko :2thumb:

To the op, if you know what you're doing and have access to a decent timber yard, preferably having an account there, it'll be cheaper to build your own. However, inexperience or paying DIY prices will probably make it cheaprr to buy one.

Dave


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## David V (Jan 3, 2009)

my_shed said:


> Speaking straight to my heart meko :2thumb:
> 
> To the op, if you know what you're doing and have access to a decent timber yard, preferably having an account there, it'll be cheaper to build your own. However, inexperience or paying DIY prices will probably make it cheaprr to buy one.
> 
> Dave


iv been looking around on the internet for timber suppliers and found a few decent prices. i added up everything i would need on one and it worked out around the same price as it would to buy one apart from the materials i chose were thicker meaning a stronger structure. ill need to check the size of the garden at the new house before i can see how big i can go. hopefully massive lol.


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

David V said:


> iv been looking around on the internet for timber suppliers and found a few decent prices. i added up everything i would need on one and it worked out around the same price as it would to buy one apart from the materials i chose were thicker meaning a stronger structure. ill need to check the size of the garden at the new house before i can see how big i can go. hopefully massive lol.


Sounds like you've got at least an inkling of what to do, you should be fine to do it yourself then  

Couple of points to bear in mind then, work to your materials, it's all well and good planning a 4.5 metre square shed, but if the longest lengths you can get are 4.2 then you're making a lot more work for yourself joining bits and possibly leaving lots of offcuts, I.e. buying 2.4m lengths and wasting 0.15m per length to make a middle joint. 0,15m isn't much timber, but times it by 4 sides to a height of 6 foot or more, that's 7 and a half metres of shiplap, and at a rough guess (been a while since I ordered any) that's probably about ten quid. Add cut down framework, additional fixings, additional framework, etc and suddenly you've spent 50 quid extra that you could have saved by knocking a foot off each side, or equally adding a foot on each side and using 4.8m lengths 

Secondly, there are a lot of the hidden costs in project like this. Pricing timber is one thing, but add on a roll or two of roofing felt at 20 quid each, tin of bitumen, pack of roofing tacks, three or four packs of various size screws, nails, hinges, bolts, panes of glass, window frame if you want to open the windows, etc. etc. and suddenly you've added 50 or a hundred quid to the whole thing. 

Not wanting to put you off in any way, it probably all seems like I'm being really negative towards you, it's not my intention, I'd just like you to be prepared.

These are all things I have, at one point or another, forgotten to take into account, and I did it for a living for 7 years!

Dave


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## David V (Jan 3, 2009)

my_shed said:


> Sounds like you've got at least an inkling of what to do, you should be fine to do it yourself then
> 
> Couple of points to bear in mind then, work to your materials, it's all well and good planning a 4.5 metre square shed, but if the longest lengths you can get are 4.2 then you're making a lot more work for yourself joining bits and possibly leaving lots of offcuts, I.e. buying 2.4m lengths and wasting 0.15m per length to make a middle joint. 0,15m isn't much timber, but times it by 4 sides to a height of 6 foot or more, that's 7 and a half metres of shiplap, and at a rough guess (been a while since I ordered any) that's probably about ten quid. Add cut down framework, additional fixings, additional framework, etc and suddenly you've spent 50 quid extra that you could have saved by knocking a foot off each side, or equally adding a foot on each side and using 4.8m lengths
> 
> ...


ye iv taken most costs in to account. not going for windows as i live in scotland so it will just be another place i will lose heat. im hoping to go about 3.6x2.4 if i can. iv just saw one on screwfix tho whick is very tempting.Single Slope Roof Workshop 3 x 2.4m | Screwfix.com


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## mrkeda (Nov 6, 2012)

Are you going to insulate the shed if you buy one?


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

10 x 8, is that big enough? Hmm I guess you can have two vivs along the far end from the door, and then two along the side where the windows are. I'd insulate with at least 50mm on the walls and 100 on the roof, as well as 25 or 50 on the floor, if I were you.

I'm pretty sure that if you ring a few local timber yards and get the prices for what you need you can do it quite a bit cheaper than that, I'd run up a quote on the prices I get but that wouldn't help you much as I'm miles away! Worth looking into though, certainly with timber prices the internet is often not the best place to look.

dave


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## David V (Jan 3, 2009)

mrkeda said:


> Are you going to insulate the shed if you buy one?


ill insulate regardless if i buy or make, if i dont it will cost me a fortune in electicity and in the winter i really doubt ill achive the temps i need.


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## David V (Jan 3, 2009)

my_shed said:


> 10 x 8, is that big enough? Hmm I guess you can have two vivs along the far end from the door, and then two along the side where the windows are. I'd insulate with at least 50mm on the walls and 100 on the roof, as well as 25 or 50 on the floor, if I were you.
> 
> I'm pretty sure that if you ring a few local timber yards and get the prices for what you need you can do it quite a bit cheaper than that, I'd run up a quote on the prices I get but that wouldn't help you much as I'm miles away! Worth looking into though, certainly with timber prices the internet is often not the best place to look.
> 
> dave


if i was to go 10x8 i think i would do 10x3 vivs along each side stacked 2 high, that would leave a 2ft walkway for me. the door would need to be in the middle of one end for that tho.


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## mrkeda (Nov 6, 2012)

David V said:


> ill insulate regardless if i buy or make, if i dont it will cost me a fortune in electicity and in the winter i really doubt ill achive the temps i need.


As My_shed said, 50mm on the walls, 100mm on the roof and I'd go 50 on the floor too and it should keep fairly toasty in there, if you buy, board up those plastic windows but I'm more the certain you already know to do that lol


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## David V (Jan 3, 2009)

mrkeda said:


> As My_shed said, 50mm on the walls, 100mm on the roof and I'd go 50 on the floor too and it should keep fairly toasty in there, if you buy, board up those plastic windows but I'm more the certain you already know to do that lol


i think im definitly building one now, even from timber suppliers that arent that cheap i can still build one of better quality with thicker material for a similr cost.


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

David V said:


> i think im definitly building one now, even from timber suppliers that arent that cheap i can still build one of better quality with thicker material for a similr cost.


Good choice, stands to reason of course, the sheds you buy include the labour prices, and in some cases delivery. There are probably a lot of shed models you can work from on google sketch up if needed.

Dave


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## David V (Jan 3, 2009)

Sooo its only about 2 months until I build my shed, decided on a 12x10 8ft tall the the frount and 7ft at the back( pent style roof). Plans have changed for what will be kept inside. I will still have my 2 burms and a boa I have( was going to sell but he's such a nice chap I can't let him go), decided against getting retics because ever since I had to let my bosc go iv been dieing to get another varanid. So I will have two 8x4x2s and an 8x2x2 all side by side on the floor taking up 10x8x2 of floor space (doors will be on the side instead of the frount.) On top of that I will have a 10x8x6-5 for a monitor. I plan to get a upvc door and a double glazed window for the south facing wall so the monitor can get natural sunlight. The only thing I don't know about is wether to put the shed flat on the floor, a slab base, or on bearers. There will be around 3 tons of sand/soil mix for the monitor added to the weight of the shed I'm looking at around 3.5-4 tones. This makes me think possibly build on the ground on a waterproof membrane then 2x2 frame insulated with kingspan. Thoughs?


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

David V said:


> Sooo its only about 2 months until I build my shed, decided on a 12x10 8ft tall the the frount and 7ft at the back( pent style roof). Plans have changed for what will be kept inside. I will still have my 2 burms and a boa I have( was going to sell but he's such a nice chap I can't let him go), decided against getting retics because ever since I had to let my bosc go iv been dieing to get another varanid. So I will have two 8x4x2s and an 8x2x2 all side by side on the floor taking up 10x8x2 of floor space (doors will be on the side instead of the frount.) On top of that I will have a 10x8x6-5 for a monitor. I plan to get a upvc door and a double glazed window for the south facing wall so the monitor can get natural sunlight. The only thing I don't know about is wether to put the shed flat on the floor, a slab base, or on bearers. There will be around 3 tons of sand/soil mix for the monitor added to the weight of the shed I'm looking at around 3.5-4 tones. This makes me think possibly build on the ground on a waterproof membrane then 2x2 frame insulated with kingspan. Thoughs?


3 to 4 tons of material, thats going to cause a shift in the ground over time, and could cause your shed to end up on the slant......Personally, I'd create a 4 to 5 inch thick concrete hard standing on top of tamped down hardcore. 

There again though, I like my floors bombproof, and if your weight is spread evenly over a goodish size, 10 foot by 8 foot if I understand correctly, that'll only equate to about 50kg per square foot. 

Could you draw a plan of how the vivs will be laid out so I can wrap my head around it though, probably just me being thick but I can't seem to see how they're going to go. And also, did I understand correctly that your monitor viv with 3-4 tons of soil is going on top of your other vivs?

Dave


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## David V (Jan 3, 2009)

my_shed said:


> 3 to 4 tons of material, thats going to cause a shift in the ground over time, and could cause your shed to end up on the slant......Personally, I'd create a 4 to 5 inch thick concrete hard standing on top of tamped down hardcore.
> 
> There again though, I like my floors bombproof, and if your weight is spread evenly over a goodish size, 10 foot by 8 foot if I understand correctly, that'll only equate to about 50kg per square foot.
> 
> ...


ok I downloaded an app on my phone to give a rough idea, you are right in thinking the soil/sand will be over a 10x8 area and will be on top of the snake vivs. Iv decided 3 tons is enough.

So in this picture section 1 and 2 represent 8x4 vivs and 3 is an 8x2 viv. All will be 2ft tall. Section 4 will be floor space for storage ect.








In this picture the lines represent structural wood, this pattern will be on the floor and.roof and at every point that they cross there will be a vertical support. They are crap drawings but you get the idea. The monitor will be on top of these vivs.


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## mitsi (Feb 1, 2012)

sounds good , but id put the snakes on top of the monitor viv, thats goin to be alot of weight bearing down on the snakes viv.


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## David V (Jan 3, 2009)

mitsi said:


> sounds good , but id put the snakes on top of the monitor viv, thats goin to be alot of weight bearing down on the snakes viv.


Logically it looks like a better idea but its not practical, they would be 6 ft up and if they take a dump right at the back ill need to climb up a ladder then crawl to the back of the viv to clean, also i dont fancey trying to lift an adult burm above my head on a regular basis lol. Having them on the floor is the only option. The structure I plan to use is more than capable of holding the load, with 3 tons of sand soil mix thats only 37.5kg per square foot which isnt much.


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## David V (Jan 3, 2009)

had a good think about layout and this is what iv come up with


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