Hello everybody, greeting from a newbie......

Well, after keeping several pets which I unfortunately had to get rid of with the birth of my son ( Lots of hospital trips ) i'm ready to take on this great animal. Why snake! Well itwont care so much if i run to the hospital for a few days :-) Not fair for so many other animals!

Just a couple of questions:
Have just bought a 48x24x24 presswood cage with front sliding glass doors, vents in the back and two holes in top with mesh for lamps! The baby i'm getting is of course going to be in a smaller container until it get's settled but want to get his/her future home ready. So my question basically is, what do i need?......well i know the essentials but looking for recommendations: which kind of thermostat, bulbs (have the fixtures good for 150W, ceramic) can you add heating pad even though the bottom is of wood? substrate, etc etc. all in all a shopping list

So let me hear what your setup consist of?