about to convert a bedframe into a tortoise habitat

[John1982]

the overhead lighting will be easy, but is there a safe way to install a UTH (in preparation for those cool "winter" nights we sometimes get here in miami) with this?

I've always gone with top heat and it hasn't let me down yet. It's as easy as attaching the heater to the inside roof of a box/hide and adding a bit of insulation to help hold heat. This type of setup works best with lower hides - when my tortoises are in their hide the peak of their carapace is only 1-3 inches away from the above heat source.