Cost of DIY Rack vs. Purchased Rack?

I've built two racks myself and purchased two. I spent about $200 making my first rack which worked out great for about 4 years. Then it started to show its age so I made a new one. I must say I did much better the second time around :P

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7087/7...dc3079ba_b.jpg

If you are handy with some tools, give it a try. If not, just buy one :P

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Originally Posted by TheSnakeGuy

I spent 175$ and built a full 3 wall melamine, 6 tub, 41 qt rack with heat. It's something that would probably go for 400-500$ according to manufacturing standards. Just a little 3 stack from Reptile Basics costs 300$(god knows what shipping costs are) with only 4" heat tape. It's designed to go in a heated room. I built mine for standard room temperatures by using 3/4" melamine and insulating the back. Also it has a 15" long piece of 12" wide heat tape under each tub to generate enough heat to keep the cool side at least 77 degrees while the hot is about 91 degrees. It's even on swivel wheels for easy moving. And the top is big enough for a 36"X18"X18" cage to sit on. It took some doing with many tools and probably 30 man hours between my father and I, but it was TOTALLY worth it to build my own. I'll have to post some pics on this thread later.

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Shipping is included... Free shipping to continental US.

I can't thank you ALL enough for your responses. These pictures are extremely helpful and I am absolutely convinced that DIY is the way to go. I know between the men in my family and myself, I can make a rack that fits my needs and is reliable. I'll be selling a full desk set and bookshelf to help offset cost (and make room for the unit and the new babies I'll be getting soon!). Obviously, the professional rack systems are sleek and reliable, but I just don't see myself having that kind of cash anytime soon and I'd rather spend it on new snakes and a fancy Herpstat!

I have some individual questions/comments:

TheSnakeGuy - what did you use as an insulator? I'll need to construct mine to work in a room temp space as well. And please post pics!

Chaos, Piercing Princess, and Snow - I'm thinking that design will be the best way for me to go for now - it won't be permanent just yet, so I need the light portability of plastic. I would have thought the flexwatt would have melted the plastic, so that's good to know!

And Kaorte - that thing is gorgeous. I won't be doing that anytime soon haha, although I'll definitely get your advice if/when I do!

Don't be fooled by the looks of mine ;) It wasn't very expensive! The most expensive part is probably the nice handles I have on the tubs :P Its a nice touch.

The handles on the tubs were a nice touch. The whole thing looks professionally done.

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

Don't be fooled by the looks of mine ;) It wasn't very expensive! The most expensive part is probably the nice handles I have on the tubs :P Its a nice touch.

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It's still really clean and well-made :) I'm impressed! And the handles are pretty sweet :P

I think I got a pack of handles for like $15. Not really that bad in the grand scheme of things :)

Also if you are building with melamine, please make sure to get the iron on edging so you don't have any wood edges. It not only looks better but helps protect the wood against moisture!

I went with the build route. Much like karote my second attempt was much nicer. First attempt:
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/05/25/7yqa4e7u.jpg

Much better attempt
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/05/25/yta8eheb.jpg
This XPVC rack cost me about 500 for everything. It holds 12 bins and is easily expanded of need be. I'm super happy with it!

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Originally Posted by Zuma22

TheSnakeGuy - what did you use as an insulator? I'll need to construct mine to work in a room temp space as well. And please post pics!

Chaos, Piercing Princess, and Snow - I'm thinking that design will be the best way for me to go for now - it won't be permanent just yet, so I need the light portability of plastic. I would have thought the flexwatt would have melted the plastic, so that's good to know!

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When you get ready to do it the original thread with designs and discussion is here: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...r-s-Snake-Rack

As for the insulator, I haven't had to insulate mine yet since I just built it a month or so ago and it's nice and warm in Georgia, but when winter rolls around I plan on enclosing it with foam board insulation. That should just be a matter of measuring, cutting, and gluing the pieces to the sides.

DIY is always cheaper to some degree without question. A big part of any cabinet is always the labour cost. You are going to pay more for material than a profesional would because your not buying in the quantity that the are but in the end your still coming out ahead. That is as long as you have some carpentry skills and the patience required to build it. That being said for many a good option is to buy a rack made by a pro. There built by people that have done it over and over and who have hopefully protected it over the years. And if you shop around there is no reason to pay as much as some manufacturers charge. I build to a of racks for clients in xpvc, and my prices aren't really that much more than it would cost to build them yourself. Especially once you consider the time and effort you going invest in doing it yourself.