PVC enclosure: to build or to buy?

[Shaybe13]

Hi all!

I have a roughly 2 1/2 year old redfoot that I am planning on upgrading to a bigger and hopefully long-term enclosure. I really love the look and longevity of the PVC enclosures but know the material itself is quite expensive. For those of you that have tried building one, is it worth the hassle or would you recommend paying to get one custom built? I built his current enclosure by myself so I do have some practice with assembly, I just don't know if the cost difference would be worth it in the end.

 

[Tom]

I find it cheaper to buy one already made than buying the materials to build one yourself. This is without even considering the time and tools necessary to do it correctly.

I love Animal Plastics, but their wait time is literally 8-9 months in most cases, and sometimes longer. Their quality, precision, and value is second to none, but you will wait a long time to get your enclosure.

Recently I have switched to buying my enclosures from @Markw84 He designs and builds them himself and the ingenuity on display is above and beyond genius level. I think the man might be from some sort of advanced alien race! His enclosures come pre-wired and ready to go with all the heating, lighting, thermostats already installed. It is cheaper to buy one of his ready-made enclosures than it is to buy all the parts separately and do it yourself. I don't care about the price of enclosures. I simply buy whatever works best. I could buy any enclosure I want, and I choose Mark's Smart Enclosures over all others. Nothing works better, and I couldn't do it cheaper if I spent dozens of hours doing it myself. To be fair, I am friends with Mark, but I would still be buying his enclosures even if I didn't know him because of everything listed above.