Would this work as an enclosure?

[Ralis]

So, following on from Taterbug's comments on my other thread, I'd like to pick all your DIY savvy brains. Here is the cupboard that I'm talking about. It's built into a bay window and I've hated it since we moved in and would love it if I could turn it into something more useful.



I'd be looking at completely gutting the top two cupboards and removing the divider. It's vaguely trapezoid shaped and the combined measurements are about 80" at the front and 60" at the back. It's 24" deep but only 16" high. The combined height of all 4 is probably around 34". Ideally I'd like to put sliding glass doors in the front.

Problems to overcome: I can just about build Ikea furniture so a project of this size is pretty daunting and I'm not sure what tools I'd need.

Heating and lighting: This is the coldest room in the house. In the summer that's great but in the wintertime it gets really cold in there. Also, with the limited height I'd be looking at mounting the basking lamp on top of the enclosure which would mean cutting holes in the top, unless I converted the whole lot but then I'm not sure how I would go about heating a space that big, especially in the winter.

Ventilation: I'm not sure how much I would need but I'd like to avoid cutting too many holes in the top. Because it's built in, everything except the front is up against an outside wall. Could I put vents at either end next to the doors?

I also have no idea how I would go about putting the wiring in for the lights. There are plug sockets on either side of the cupboards so I guess there would be a lot of drilling holes and threading wires.

Would it even be feasible to convert it? I'd be looking at a time frame of having it done by the summer because Gorbash will be growing out of his current enclosure by then.

 

[brittani299]

Hello make sure that it is not made out of pine or cedar. Both are toxic to reptiles. I personally wouldn't use it even if it was made out of plywood be uses it could have either one of those woods in it. Here is some pictures of a custom double stacker a friend made for me. I sealed the wood with sealer that is pet and child safe. I drilled two holes in the back of both units for air circulation. This picture is an older one but it shows what I did.

 

[Ralis]

I didn't think of that. I have no idea what sort of wood it's made out of because it came with the house. The other option would be to remove the cupboards completely (my original plan for them before I got a beardie) and custom build something into that spot from scratch. I had originally planned to lower it and turn it into a window seat.

 

[Taterbug]

I think it has lots of potential! I would totally try and convert it. If the inside is moldy, stinky, water damaged or very splintery, I probably wouldn't use it.

As far as wood, cedar is expensive and has a distinct smell. You would know it. Pine that is kiln dried and untreated may be ok even unsealed, but I would want to research a lot more to be sure. Pine is not typically recommended due to oils in it that can be irritating, however properly sealed with polyurethane or other similar waterproof sealer there shouldn't be a problem. The poly should be allowed to cure for a week or two, until fully cured and no longer smelly. You should seal any wooden cage for hygiene, it makes it way easier to clean up.

As far as your space/cabinet...
Can you use the whole thing? It would be quite spacious if the whole thing can be used, and you could mount your lights inside.

How cold is your area? How cold is the inside of the cabinet? If it's not super cold, you can use the foam board insulation (same stuff for the DIY basking rocks and backgrounds) to line the exterior wall. You can cover it with something, or follow some of the rock wall tutorials to make it look like stone.

If you can do the whole space, you could mount a CHE for winter nights and a bulb for day heat. If it's lined in the foam board, you shouldn't have a problem with keeping it warm and might not need the CHE. Otherwise you probably need to make holes in the top for lamps.

For vents you can rent a drill and a hole saw for it to cut holes anywhere you like. There are even attractive little vent covers you can cover the holes with, or you can use screen. You can also consider making one of the doors a screen. Ventilation is important to keep humidity down and supply fresh air, too much is only a problem when heat can't be kept in.

For the wires, it would be easiest to drill a hole for the wires to go out. Run them along the ceiling and down the wall in the front corner, and out the hole and floor level. They will be less likely to be seen that way. Plaster them down with tape so they don't get snagged. You will only have 2-3 wires at most.

For the doors, you could replace the wood doors with acrylic pretty easy. The down side is acrylic can scratch. Glass will be more expensive and cumbersome to have fitted with hinges, but it can be done!

You could also redo the front completely but IMO it might look pretty good with four smaller doors. It's shallow enough you won't have to climb in to get to anything.

I have no idea how thick the top is, but it might need reinforcement so it is thick enough for screws to mount the lights.

Wow sorry, I got carried away! Good luck!

 

[Ralis]

So I took the temps there first thing in the morning with my IR temp gun. The top cupboards were 55F and the bottom ones were 50F. That's with the heater running in there 24/7 because it's the cat's room too.

Whatever it's made from is pretty solid. I was climbing on top of it hanging curtains without any problems. The whole thing is painted white on the inside too. The previous owners of the house had this thing with painting everything white including the power outlets and light switches! I'd need to sand down the inside and reseal it.

Personally I'd prefer to completely rip the front off and redesign it. The four little doors annoy the heck out of me as it is. I'd much prefer to replace it with sliding glass or acrylic.