Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I think I was talking to Chris Harper2 almost a year ago about design ideas and modifications. It's basically like any regular room except I added plenty of extra outlets with enough amps/power to maintain a collection of 100-150 herps plus a space/room heater. I didn't really do anything special with insulation (faced w/moist.barrier). I used metal studs and allowed for about 3 inches of space behind the walls for air flow. I had a tough time deciding on what type of ceiling I wanted....drop ceiling vs. drywall...each has advantages/disadv. The obvious with drywall...snakes can not escape through the ceiling... but disadvantage...if they somehow do get loose and end up in the ceiling, i could never get to them without cutting drywall and patching. Plus, it's nice to have access for running wires, etc etc. I wanted the room to be perfectly snake proof but started realizing that they can get in and out of anywhere if given the chance. I have 4 recessed lights that swivel so I can someday showcase cages in the future. Plus it allows me to work almost anywhere in the room with good lighting. There was a HUGE learning curve with this project but I couldn't be happier with the results. I can safely keep the room heated to 75-85 degrees with little effort. I have learned a ton of short cuts that I can use when I work on finishing the rest of my basement. Overall the room is 400 square feet. Over the next year, I plan on completing the bathroom so I have easier access to plumbing.lol
-----
Sincerely, Jason
-----
www.NortheastSnakes.com
NortheastSnakes@aol.com

Looks great can't wait to complete mine. How much did you spend? If you don't mind me asking.
-----
"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer

I didn't realize it before but the pics came through so blurry. Sorry...You can't even see all the outlets along the wall. I think its b/c the upload was interrupted. Also, I don't have any pics of the room with the snakes in it. All of my snakes are currently housed in Sterilite containers, which isn't the most visually pleasing and doesn't make the room look as nice as it could. I just checked out Vision's website and look forward to getting some their new racks when they're available and when I can afford them...they seem nice and less expensive than all others who charge so much....to me, over $1000 for a rack setup for 20-30 adult colubrids is outrageous...but thats just my opinion. I would really like to create more space for some of my larger snakes. I think I may try custom builing my own PVCX cages (homemade Boaphiles) using 'L' angles and surface to surface bonds...but not quite yet. I will probably try making one and go from there.

So....back to the costs...
Steel Studs: I got about $300 worth ($100 studs) but only needed half of that so I used the other half to frame out my future bathroom. This to me, steel studs were the BEST investment since it only costs about $30 more overall than using wood and zero, I repeat, zero sawdust. You can get a cheap form of a hildi gun ($60) to nail the bottom tracks into the cement floor and a box of sheet metal screws was about $30.
electrical:minimal costs but lots of time invested into researching how to do it properly
Insulation: I didn't really pay much attention to this cost...it wasn't too much either
Drywall, Mud and Spackle tools: I can't believe how much drywall prices vary. When I bought it, it was about $6 per sheet...now it's $10 per sheet. I forget this cost too.
Paint: My wife bought the paint and primer. I borrowed my brothers Wagner to power spray two coats of primer.
Floor, subfloor, and ceiling: the most expensive part was the floor. Overall, this cost was about $1600

OVERALL GRAND TOTAL $3500 including all tools, such as screwdrivers table saws miters, etc etc, and materials needed to complete the job.
-----
Sincerely, Jason
-----
www.NortheastSnakes.com
NortheastSnakes@aol.com

Wow, I won't show that to my snakes or my my wife they would all be jealous. One question. How did you cover the steel support post? It looks like you did it in wood. I've got two that I have to do, and I would love to have them look that good. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Ya know...interesting thing about the poles...I almost framed it out and drywalled it....what a mess that would've been. They sell something called Pole-wrap at Home Depot....it was near the window/door section....You can do a search for it online to see examples of it. It was the easiest part of the whole darn project. The instructions were clear and you simply use liquid nails to attach it to the pole. They even make the base and ceiling molding to go with it but it is separate. Its great! Plus it stained real easy too. We used a gel stain so we wouldn't be as likely to drip on the floor.
-----
Sincerely, Jason
-----
www.NortheastSnakes.com
NortheastSnakes@aol.com

Was it really a year ago we talked?

feels like a year since we talked...but i could be wrong...so much has transpired over the past year that it has been hard to keep up with.lol

Now I just have to work on nice caging but I'm in no immediate hurry.
-----
Sincerely, Jason
-----
www.NortheastSnakes.com
NortheastSnakes@aol.com