I hope this is the correct forum for this post; if not, let me know and I will post wherever appropriate.

I am (finally!) starting the process of converting my garage (attached and shares a wall with my study) to a reptile room/rodent room/improved laundry room. I live in an area where we get moderate temps throughout much of the year, hot summers, and winter lows that are only occasionally freezing; more typically dropping into the low 40s.

I am not a breeder - my snakes are pets. As per my signature, I mainly have pythons and one BRB. Once the garage conversion is complete I'll be adding a few Kingsnakes to the collection (POSSIBLY exploring breeding), another BRB and a dwarf boa. I feel like I am just at the point in terms of snake numbers where it may be worth it to raise rats, and having had them as pets throughout my childhood, I think I'd be OK doing that if the converted garage is appropriate for them.

My GTP is a display snake and is staying in the house; the BRB may well stay in the house as well due to her specific husbandry requirements. I believe if I get the garage done properly I can house the other pythons and any new additions there.

My question is whether any of you who have tackled a similar conversion are willing to share lessons learned, things you found to be important to consider, and any random tips. I have a flexible budget and while I don't want to go crazy here, I don't need to stress about looking for all possible savings - quality is more important and I'm grateful to be able to focus on that. Thanks in advance for any responses!

Oh, and one specific question: has anyone installed a solar panel on an outdoor shed or garage, and would that be worth considering here?