# building a new reptile room



## ExoticInsectsUK (Nov 15, 2008)

Hello everyone im going to be building a new reptile room and want to know where to get the cheapest insulation as i have a large area i need to do which is just brick roof tiles.

I have got two rep/bug rooms already but there in my home and it has central heating and insulation already so they were quite easy to do.

This is going to need wireing, ventilation system, loads of insulation, ply to seal out the weather, Heated floor, plumbing and plastering as its a empty shell.

I have most aspects sorted but need to find the best insulation to cut those heating bills and wondered if anyone knows the best one. or if someone has done it before.

I have been wicks and the rest of the sheds so know most prices but need to hear from someone that knows.

I also need help on heating i was thinking under floor heating with tiles but this would be just to heat the room & not the reptiles. I would still use heat mats/bulbs and lighting. any one know cheaper ways that are just as good.

Also i need 100+ vivs any one got any wholesale deals on:2thumb:


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## ExoticInsectsUK (Nov 15, 2008)

I take it not many people have taken on a project as big as this then:lol2:


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## Spiff (Dec 3, 2010)

i was thinking of using this stuff for doing my shed next year? didnt know if it was any good or not?

30 SQM EASY FIT FOIL / BUBBLE DIY LOFT-ROOF INSULATION | eBay


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## pollywog (Oct 6, 2005)

> i have a large area i need to do which is just brick roof tiles.


Do you mean it's a brick building with tiled roof?
Is it single skin?

How much space do you have to heat and how much space can you afford to loose through the thickness of insulation?
What temperatures do you want to reach?

My place is brick & stone construction with a brick floor, in my tropical room I have 2" polystyrene on the walls and standard fibreglass loft insulation in the ceilings, it's then lined with plasterboard.
For most of the year the only heating in the room comes from the aquarium heaters, heatmats & bulbs used on the tanks / vivs and they keep the room at around 24-28C. During the really cold winter moths I have an oil filled radiator with a thermostat that clicks on if needed.

I'm now finding that I over did it with the insulation in that room and I'm currently working on converting one of my cold climate rooms into another tropical room that will have less insulation so the temperatures can be manipulated easier.

So yes it's not as simple as what's the best or cheapest insulation, there are lots of variables.


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## ExoticInsectsUK (Nov 15, 2008)

Yes single skin brick with loft space and concrete floor.
I was thinking space insulationas and expanding foam myself i have spoke to a few builders and its ment to be best. i was thinking to add loft insulation as well and i need some insulation on the floor. The costs for just the walls and loft is £700+ and if i get under floor heating the insulation boards are £800+ so yes im trying to find someone that can help me do it cheaper. I don't want cheap stuff that doesn't work as well and im willing to pay for the best stuff to save me money in the long run. 
I did look at polystyrene but didn't think it would be good enough but if you think it would be better then i will look into it.

The temps will be reched in the vivs but for winter i want to work in a warm room. i did think of oil rads but i think a heated floor may be better and wont take up any room.

With the ventilation system i was thinking of putting one on the door flowing the air in and having the air blowing out the other side of the room & higher up to get a good air circulation.


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## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

I used this when i did my shed conversion..... Celotex PIR Insulation Board - Polystyrene Insulation - Insulation -Building Materials - Wickes Also if you order over a certain amount in £'s the delivery is free :2thumb:.


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## pollywog (Oct 6, 2005)

> I did look at polystyrene but didn't think it would be good enough but if you think it would be better then i will look into it.


I'm not saying that polystyrene would be better than any of the more fancy insulation materials just that it's proven to be more than adequate in my situation and if anything the room might be a little too well insulated for my current needs. At the time polystyrene was one of the cheaper options and a lot of the foils and that sort of thing needed an air gap so would have taken up more space than the polystyrene for little extra gain.

The first winter in my current premises my tropical room didn't need the radiator the room stayed at a good temperature all winter just on the heating in the enclosures alone, it was only last winter that I needed to boost the temperature with the radiator during the extended period of snow.

Personally I don't have any experiance of underfloor heating. What I will say is that in my tropical room with brick flooring I get a temperature gradiant of about 4C from top of the racks to the floor, this is quite handy for me as it allows me to choose temperature zones for different animals by placing them higher or lower in the room meaning their individual heaters have much less work to do.


It's difficult for anyone to say what's the best insulator or heating for you, unless there happens to be an architect or surveyor here who knows the details of the building your using, the size of space you're working on, and the wattage of all your individual heaters and can work out the thermal efficiancy.

My main point in what I'm trying to say is that in my experiance it's quite easy to go over the top on insulation even when using bog standard materials.

Go do some research look into the materials available, do some calculations and make up your own mind, don't buy something just because someone on a forum told you to as your situation is likely different to theirs.


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## ExoticInsectsUK (Nov 15, 2008)

Thanks for letting me know how you have done your room.

I have done my research but i thought i would ask on here to see what other people have done & by the looks of it most people have put polystyrene in there home or shed with abit of ply or plaster board. Don't worry im not going to do the first thing someone has said on here without looking into it. Im not wet under the ears :lol2:
I would not think most people would go to the effort to do this, most reptile shops don't so its good to see that some people do.

Its not the first time i have done a build just not one like this. I think i will just go with what the professionals have said.
Thanks:2thumb:


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## ExoticInsectsUK (Nov 15, 2008)

im going to build a second floor and have two rooms down stairs to keep the rooms at different temps:2thumb:


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## Stoke Lad (Jan 26, 2007)

I would go for kingspan board foil backed, I fit underfloor heating systems as part of my job, great at keeping an average air temp, but very expensive and hard to retro-fit, are you connecting onto your heating system or useing that electric stuff?


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## ExoticInsectsUK (Nov 15, 2008)

im looking at getting the stuff from the tile shop it instulated both sides. there is no heating system its a empty unit so i will use the under floor heating


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