Input on Odin's new indoor enclosure, pretty please!

Odin's Gma

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We have wood. (and a lot of other stuff)

But tonight I will have beer. Tomorrow the build begins!
 

DawnH

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What about peel and stick vinyl tile (new they are .34 cents for a 12" x 12" piece, if you have a restore they might have them cheaper) and calking well? That way you don't have to worry about rips. You can go up the sides as well...

I really wish you would buckle down and get on this, I am super excited...LOL :D
 

Odin's Gma

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I really wish you would buckle down and get on this, I am super excited...LOL :D

So am I! Of course my son works all weekend which is going to slow us down. Not that I can't do It all myself, but there is so much to do! Plus, what is the point of having big strong kids if you can't make them do all the heavy lifting, right?

The plan for today is:
1) Get the room prepped and cleaned out a bit. (It's my older boys bedroom, he is away in the military with no plans to be home for quite a long time.)
2) Get the base framing and plywood cut and at least partially assembled.

We are still having "spirited discussions" over the best way to frame the larger box in particular. I am estimating a minimum of over 60 pounds per square foot of weight with the soil mix, water and plants, with an overall weight load of @550 lbs for the 9 cubic feet of soil we are planning on. The mix will be a combination of organic topsoil, peat moss and coco coir.

Because of the weight load we decided to go with slightly thicker plywood than we originally discussed, @ over 1/2" for the base and over 1/4" for the sides. I forget the actual sizes. (something silly like 23/32's or some darn thing for the base) and instead of 1x1's for the framing, we opted for 2x3's.

The entire inside will be treated with Drylok and then double lined with 6 mil plastic sheeting / shower curtains (we ended up buying the sheeting also because even the extra long shower curtain wouldn't be long enough for complete coverage without seams in the large box).

All interior seams will be sealed waterproof / mold resistant caulking.

It is amazing how much discussion (and math) can go into building what seems like a simple box when you are dealing with two incredibly stubborn people and the logistics of weight load and waterproofing!

When all is said and done, I would like to have both boxes assembled this weekend and hopefully sealed with Drylok. I will start a new thread with the actual assembly, pics, math, measurements, etc. for anyone who prefers visuals for this sort of thing.

First, I need more caffeine. A LOT more.
 

DawnH

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So am I! Of course my son works all weekend which is going to slow us down. Not that I can't do It all myself, but there is so much to do! Plus, what is the point of having big strong kids if you can't make them do all the heavy lifting, right?

The plan for today is:
1) Get the room prepped and cleaned out a bit. (It's my older boys bedroom, he is away in the military with no plans to be home for quite a long time.)
2) Get the base framing and plywood cut and at least partially assembled.

We are still having "spirited discussions" over the best way to frame the larger box in particular. I am estimating a minimum of over 60 pounds per square foot of weight with the soil mix, water and plants, with an overall weight load of @550 lbs for the 9 cubic feet of soil we are planning on. The mix will be a combination of organic topsoil, peat moss and coco coir.

Because of the weight load we decided to go with slightly thicker plywood than we originally discussed, @ over 1/2" for the base and over 1/4" for the sides. I forget the actual sizes. (something silly like 23/32's or some darn thing for the base) and instead of 1x1's for the framing, we opted for 2x3's.

The entire inside will be treated with Drylok and then double lined with 6 mil plastic sheeting / shower curtains (we ended up buying the sheeting also because even the extra long shower curtain wouldn't be long enough for complete coverage without seams in the large box).

All interior seams will be sealed waterproof / mold resistant caulking.

It is amazing how much discussion (and math) can go into building what seems like a simple box when you are dealing with two incredibly stubborn people and the logistics of weight load and waterproofing!

When all is said and done, I would like to have both boxes assembled this weekend and hopefully sealed with Drylok. I will start a new thread with the actual assembly, pics, math, measurements, etc. for anyone who prefers visuals for this sort of thing.

First, I need more caffeine. A LOT more.

LOL! This sounds like me and my husband. Both stubborn Leo's but in the end we make a great time. I cannot wait to see it. I am totally a visual person so YES, please post tons of photos, etc. I was telling my husband last night that I was really excited to see what you come up with. Once an enclosure addict, always an enclosure addict! :p
 

Odin's Gma

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Once an enclosure addict, always an enclosure addict! :p
I am starting to see that! As a matter of fact, with this being our second build, I decided I needed my own power tools for this one, so I bought a set. My own drill, reciprocating saw and circular saw, a smaller one than we already have. I'm not a very big person, especially compared to the hulking beasts that live in this house, and our big circular saw is not ideal for me. But now, Gma has her own power tools, so look out! :eek:
 

Oxalis

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I am starting to see that! As a matter of fact, with this being our second build, I decided I needed my own power tools for this one, so I bought a set. My own drill, reciprocating saw and circular saw, a smaller one than we already have. I'm not a very big person, especially compared to the hulking beasts that live in this house, and our big circular saw is not ideal for me. But now, Gma has her own power tools, so look out! :eek:
Your own power tools? :eek: I love it! :D I hope you get lots of help on this project! When working on both the indoor and outdoor enclosures, my fiancée (who's a total engineer) loved telling me how I should be designing/building it if I "wanted to do it right." XD Our indoor enclosure is holding up pretty well, but once he loses the rest of his fish to old age, we'll be removing the fish tank from the room and making Steve's enclosure even bigger. :)
 

Odin's Gma

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Your own power tools? :eek: I love it! :D I hope you get lots of help on this project! When working on both the indoor and outdoor enclosures, my fiancée (who's a total engineer) loved telling me how I should be designing/building it if I "wanted to do it right." XD Our indoor enclosure is holding up pretty well, but once he loses the rest of his fish to old age, we'll be removing the fish tank from the room and making Steve's enclosure even bigger. :)
Now I do! The main structure-building I have done in the past was small scale (dollhouses) so a dremel, cheap drill and a little handsaw was really all I needed. This requires more horsepower!

My son seems to fancy himself an engineer, and his plan for the enclosure would probably stand up to hurricane force winds! The argument last night was me trying to make him understand that his plan, although fantastic, was overkill x10! At the very most, this build will be good for 2 years, but I expect 1 is all we will get from it, so there is no need to build something to last 50 years when it will likely be firewood in 2! I am going for short-term simplicity, he is going for world-record level strength. Boys. :rolleyes:
 
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