118 gal Beardie Mansion

[Jdubclark]

Well, it took about 2 months and I've lost track of hours (50+) but I've finally finished the enclosure for my future BD. It measures 60"x19"x24". Thanks go to @jarich, @PatsyB, and @drzebra for the advice during the build. I still need to get it in the house to calibrate the temps/humidity and then I'll be set. I've attached a few pics of the final product.

 

[jarich]

Looking good man! I dont envy you trying to get that in the house.

You from New Mexico?

 

[Jdubclark]

Thank you! I don't have a clue on how much it weighs but it'll take two of us at least to move it! I'm from and live in Dallas but I lived in the Phoenix area for about 5 years. That's where I was introduced to Kokapeli so I thought that would be a fitting 'cave drawing'.
I still want to do the MH lights at some point. I think they'd really make everything 'pop' inside better.

 

[jarich]

Ah, gotcha. Ya my wife is from NM, so the Kokopelli caught my eye right away. Nice touch.

As for the lights, it does give a much nicer light for sure, but it can definitely come later. Looks like that must have already cost you quite a bit!

 

[Jdubclark]

I haven't added everything up yet (I'm almost afraid to, and then I'd have to tell my wife if she asked...), but I don't think it was really too bad of a hit. Wayfair totally jacked up my first order for the walls and pulled the ol' bait and switch on me. What started out as $1.50/ft all of the sudden was $35/ft so I called them out on it. To make it right, they gave me a full refund including shipping and gave me a $100 gift card. That essentially paid for the walls. The Plexiglas was about $60 per sheet x 2. The outside trim was only $2/ft but I kept jacking it up and cutting the wrong size or angle. I might have spent more on gas going back and forth to Home Depot than I did on the trim itself. <wink>. All the inside stuff was built from left over supplies except for the log and the cave buried in the far right corner. I used a hole cutter to make the columns and covered them with grout and then sealed it.
I'll give you a shout when I'm ready for the lights. If you happen to come across a nice deal on something shoot me a note if you don't mind.

 

[jarich]

Nice, ya I was lucky enough to have two work sites for my businesses happening when I upgraded most of my enclosures, so I just scrounged what I needed from them. Crazy what gets thrown away at a big construction site.

Ill let you know if I see any sales or deals on for sure.

 

[Canicke]

seriously insane !!! top notch digs fer shure. you takin orders ? oh - nevermind, the shipping would be killer !

 

[Jdubclark]

seriously insane !!! top notch digs fer shure. you takin orders ? oh - nevermind, the shipping would be killer !

Thanks man! Yeah, shipping would be a bit on the high side. You'd be better off driving to Dallas (from just about any location). Maybe I could come up with an IKEA version?

 

[PatsyB]

Great job, it's gorgeous! Good luck getting it in the house!

 

[Jdubclark]

Great job, it's gorgeous! Good luck getting it in the house!

Thanks Patsy! It's a short distance from the garage to my office but there's a couple of tight turns I'm worried about.

 

[Jdubclark]

Got it in with no issues. If I had to guess, it's about 300lbs so it's no too bad with two people. Now my wife has convinced me to move it to another wall and rearrange my office furniture. Just when I thought I was done...

 

[MagicNogard]

Jdubclark, that is one of the most beautiful enclosures I have ever seen. Great job!

 

[Jdubclark]

Jdubclark, that is one of the most beautiful enclosures I have ever seen. Great job!

Thank you!

 

[cody]

Thats a beardie mansion no doubt he's gonna be livin large. Is it your first one?

 

[Jdubclark]

Thats a beardie mansion no doubt he's gonna be livin large. Is it your first one?

Thank you Cody. As crazy as it may sound, I still don't have a dragon yet. I was waiting until we got back from our family beach vacation at the end of July but then my wife and I scheduled another trip for her birthday for next week. Now it looks like I'll be traveling quite a bit for work for the next few months so I'm not sure exactly when I'll end up getting one. The good news is my Dubia coloney is growing like crazy so I'll have plenty of feeders when the time is finally right.