"Most recommend a half inch, which I cannot source for the life of me anywhere near me without paying more than I would for pre-builts of the same thickness."
Bingo. I use AP enclosures (little ones, 4 feet long) and I can't replicate those for the price they charge, and since I don't have CNC equipment mine wouldn't be nearly as well built. Even a decent saw doesn't leave quite as nice an edge as the AP panels (I use a cabinet saw). I would spend days to get a lower quality enclosure for more money and a workshop full of PVC dust. I do build my own PVC racks, mostly because I use non-mainstream tub sizes.
I have not purchased PVC sheet since the before days, but I was paying $110 for a full sheet of 12mm. Looks like 1/2" plywood is about $75 currently; after all the coating needed (waterproof inside, finish outside), I don't see the cost savings. I haven't run numbers, though.
"A wooden vivarium lined with thin PVC and silicone at the seams and corners." Silicone doesn't reliably bond to PVC, and working with that thin sheet can be challenging -- you'd have to use mechanical fasteners to attach it to the wood, and then ideally a solvent weld at the joints. Lining rabbeted joints with Lexel can work for a non-structural seal on 1/2" sheets, but I don't think anything but a butt joint would be possible on ~ 1/8" PVC sheet.
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