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My buddy and I built this not too long ago. It is a 3 tier cage system that is 48"long x 20" deep by 12" tall (x3 tall obviously) They are all separate cages stacked on top of each other. We decided not to do shared walls because although it save a little weight and material it would have made fixing one if damage occurred very difficult. All three cages were made out of 2 sheets of melamine for the 5 walls. The front wall is made out of higher quality solid wood with window tracks and cut glass. In all the materials to make the 3 gages came to about 300.00. Adding the RHP's, full spectrum lighting and thermostat bumped it up to a little over 600.00. I purchased the shelving which is powder coated metal with PVC shelves for 60.00 at costco. I am able to stack 2 high in between shelves without any sagging. The final build will incorporate 3 more like (when out baby Womas are big enough) cages and finally 2 - 24" x 24" x 20" on top (yes a par if chondros will be in our future).
I am sure there is a more cost effective way somehow but these are very sturdy, hold heat and humidity well and I will be able to use 1 thermostat for the 6 cages and 1 thermostat for the 2 arboreal cages. They are well built and easy to clean. All exposed cuts were painted and all seams were filled with dap 3.0 silicone type sealer.
We are preparing to build the remaining 3 like cages, when we get it finished I may provide a cut list you could take to home depot and have them make your pieces out of the 2 sheets of melamine. With this you could complete the assembly with minimal tools.
Hope this helps
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