Simplest (and sturdiest) DIY Rack?

I've been reading all of the stickied threads on building DIY racks with wild abandon, but I have to admit, building a rack seems quite different than any construction or building I've done (pretty much all larger art pieces).

So I'm a bit confused and curious as to which DIY rack design is the best to start with. Really, which would be the simplest to build while still being sturdy and able to last. And the part that worries me the most is attacking the heating elements properly.

Am I, as a beginner, better off with purchasing a rack when the time comes rather than attempting to build one this summer, giving time a plenty for mistakes and restarts? I have no grand plans, just a small rack with room for three to five tubs, which may go unfilled until I find the perfect ball pythons and feel I have the experience for them.

Ive built some and bought most and honestly would rather buy than build. Rich at www.reptilebasics.com has good prices for complete racks

I think it's easy and worth the savings to build your own rack. Figure out your measurements, get your local building supply store to cut up a sheet of melamine and then just pre-drill and screw it all together. If I was going to build mine again I wouldn't have done two tubs on each shelf without a support in the middle because the bottom shelves have sagged a little bit, but if you just want 3 to 5 tubs that wont be a problem. My rack, which can hold 8 30qt tubs and 4 6qt tubs cost me about 100$ (Canadian) to build. Much cheaper than buying one and having it shipped to me, and this way I can say I built it myself!

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Originally Posted by MustBeSatan

I think it's easy and worth the savings to build your own rack. Figure out your measurements, get your local building supply store to cut up a sheet of melamine and then just pre-drill and screw it all together. If I was going to build mine again I wouldn't have done two tubs on each shelf without a support in the middle because the bottom shelves have sagged a little bit, but if you just want 3 to 5 tubs that wont be a problem. My rack, which can hold 8 30qt tubs and 4 6qt tubs cost me about 100$ (Canadian) to build. Much cheaper than buying one and having it shipped to me, and this way I can say I built it myself!

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I agree. I have bought and built racks. I personally would not pay the price anymore for already built racks. They are just too easy to make and a lot less expensive.

I just built my first rack and it wasn't difficult. I'm not quite finished with it. It was a learning process and the next rack I build will definitely be different, but I'm glad I built my own. Of course, i like to build stuff and play around with tools. If you're not into that type of thing maybe purchasing one would be better for you.

Thank you for the replies everyone! I do think I'm leaning towards building one myself, especially since it doesn't look worth it price wise to purchase smaller racks (larger racks I would defiantly want to purchase though!) I do like building thinks, but so far most of the stuff I've constructed have been impractical, like models of DaVincis flying machines, sculptures, stuff like that. I may not have practical experience building useful things, but I am a little familiar with most of the basic tools at least! XD

Is melamine the best material to start with? I know it's easy for me to get, and have pre cut, so I do like that idea. Luckily there is a reptile store close to my work where I know I can pick up heat tape, and a temp gun/thermostat/ect if the price is right. Any precautions I should take with attaching the heat tape to the rack?

As well, I know I've seen it around here, but what size of tub is the best for Ball pythons?

Just use aluminum foil tape to stick the heat tape down. My warning for that stuff is that it's probably the stickiest tape in the world. Other than that you just tape it down. As for bin sizes... I think most people use 32qt or whatever the next size up is... 42 or whatever. I use 30qt (couldn't find 32qt but there's a pretty small difference between the two) but I would like to move my girls into something a little bigger. Someone else can comment who uses different sizes of bins. I only have 6qt and 30qt.

If I'm unlikely to have any really big girls (unless I adopt a full grown girly), it sounds like a 30-40qt would suffice. As far as tub dimensions go, I'm assuming that length and width have priority over height.

And, discovering how heavy melamine is, I may have to put off building the rack until I move, since I would have to ship it across the country. Though I have been entertaining myself by trying to plan out a few designs. My favourite so far is a small rack/bookshelf/storage design, with room for five tubs stacked length-wise on one side, and a few bookshelves (that could be converted to house smaller tubs) on the other side with a storage area underneath. I saw a design up in one of the stickied diy threads where a person had a mantelpiece like top, which I loved. I do like the idea of a rack with storage though.