My Best Night Box Design Yet

Nicholas Bova

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Here is my winter box. It is made of a galvanized airconditioning box. Lined it with insulation then plywood.. The top is lined plywood with a uvb light on a timer. The oil radiator heat keeps it toasty and even has decent humidity. We also cut a drop down door but havent used it as it is too cold out.

Good luck!
How could I incorporate a basking lamp
 

BevSmith

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This is fantastic! Thank you for the step-by-step photos. Super helpful.
 

janevicki

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What an awesome night box! You have thought about every little detail on how to do the night box. Thanks for sharing. It really helps me out because I wish to make one also and I'm going to pull up this post and try to do it as close to yours as I can. I really like the idea of the oil filled heaters for winter. Hopefully I can save on my electric bill this winter....:)
 

Cowboy_Ken

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I really like the idea of the oil filled heaters for winter. Hopefully I can save on my electric bill this winter....:)
My outdoor heated box is heated by an oil filled radiator heater and I've used it/them for all my outdoor boxes. Other than the fact that they "function as advertised", with no moving parts to wear out from use, they last forever. I've got backups in the garage as a replacement, but there they sit gathering dust.
 

MichaelaW

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How do you get the lip on the lid to fit over the walls if the plywood on the top and bottom are the same size? I'm going to try and build a 4x8 for this winter and but am a total newbie at building things, so we'll see how it goes.
 

Tom

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How do you get the lip on the lid to fit over the walls if the plywood on the top and bottom are the same size? I'm going to try and build a 4x8 for this winter and but am a total newbie at building things, so we'll see how it goes.

I make the lid out of a full uncut sheet of plywood. Then I make everything else fit inside.

So the lid is 48x96"
The outside of the box is about 44x92"
The inside of the box where the tortoises hang out is about 41x89" when its all done.
 

MichaelaW

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I make the lid out of a full uncut sheet of plywood. Then I make everything else fit inside.

So the lid is 48x96"
The outside of the box is about 44x92"
The inside of the box where the tortoises hang out is about 41x89" when its all done.
I make the lid out of a full uncut sheet of plywood. Then I make everything else fit inside.

So the lid is 48x96"
The outside of the box is about 44x92"
The inside of the box where the tortoises hang out is about 41x89" when its all done.
Would you happen to know the dimensions of each piece of plywood on the inside walls? I think I'm going to need to get those cut at Lowe's.
 

Tom

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Markw84

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I pre-cut all mine, but I am pretty experienced with layout and woodworking. It does take a bit of experience and math to get things right. I like having everything ready to assemble. Goes quite quickly that way. However, Measuring as you go is much easier and less mistakes. It is just a more tedious process. Since I made more than one, it made sense to me to have an exact plan.

I would never have Home Depot or Lowes pre-cut though. I find their cuts are rarely accurate enough for things to fit properly. If the cuts are not accurate, you will have a lot of gaps to fill and/or pieces that will not fit inside the parts you already assembled.
 

MichaelaW

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I pre-cut all mine, but I am pretty experienced with layout and woodworking. It does take a bit of experience and math to get things right. I like having everything ready to assemble. Goes quite quickly that way. However, Measuring as you go is much easier and less mistakes. It is just a more tedious process. Since I made more than one, it made sense to me to have an exact plan.

I would never have Home Depot or Lowes pre-cut though. I find their cuts are rarely accurate enough for things to fit properly. If the cuts are not accurate, you will have a lot of gaps to fill and/or pieces that will not fit inside the parts you already assembled.
Do you recommend a circular saw? My neighbor has one but I don't have a clue with power tools.
 

Markw84

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Do you recommend a circular saw? My neighbor has one but I don't have a clue with power tools.
I have a table saw, but also will use a circular saw for this. Without experience this may not be a good choice for you unless you are pretty handy.

Perhaps you can find a cabinet shop, or sign shop that would cut the pieces on their table saws for you. They would do it properly.
 

Tom

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Do you recommend a circular saw? My neighbor has one but I don't have a clue with power tools.

Gotta learn sometime…

See if the neighbor, or a friend or family member will come help, and teach you how to safely use it. Anyone should be able to use one safely with a little instruction and practice.

I use a circular saw for all of my boxes. I'd like to have a shop with a table saw, but that is a fantasy for now. You can do anything with a saw and some saw horses! You can always come here and ask for help too. I'm self taught, and each box gets better and better as I learn more and gain practice.
 

MichaelaW

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Ok, so I made a diagram of the exact measurements for my cut list just to get an idea. I've already spent time lurking around at Lowe's and checking out the materials I'll need. What do you think about using pressure treated wood? I know you go with the plain wood, but down here in south Texas, when it rains, it pours, so it's not quite as dry as where you are. Do you think I could get away with pre-cutting only the plywood at Lowe's? If I can get that out of the way, cutting the rest should be no problem.
 

Tom

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Ok, so I made a diagram of the exact measurements for my cut list just to get an idea. I've already spent time lurking around at Lowe's and checking out the materials I'll need. What do you think about using pressure treated wood? I know you go with the plain wood, but down here in south Texas, when it rains, it pours, so it's not quite as dry as where you are. Do you think I could get away with pre-cutting only the plywood at Lowe's? If I can get that out of the way, cutting the rest should be no problem.

Pressure treated stuff should be fine on the outside, but I wouldn't use it inside or for the frame. I find that primer and exterior paint holds up pretty well. Every May I paint the tops white and every October I paint them dark again. This keeps the paint fresh on top which is the only place I see wear.

I've also been toying with the idea of using some of that corrugated, UV protected plastic on the tops. That would protect your tops too.
 

JLM

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Has anyone used a gas charged strut/support on the lid? I have one on a shed made of plastic and think it would make sense for this lid made of very heavy wood. Anyone have success with this that could offer advice?
 

Tom

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Has anyone used a gas charged strut/support on the lid? I have one on a shed made of plastic and think it would make sense for this lid made of very heavy wood. Anyone have success with this that could offer advice?
I've though about it several times, but never done it.
 
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richosullivan

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On my small box (which measures 24 x 20, i use black vinyl runner on the top:

http://www.acehardware.com/product/...76&cp=2568443.2568451.2626210.2627537.2627551

And use these types of screws to help ensure water doesn't seep in (dealing with Florida rain) - the drill bit is right next to the screws at Home Depot and Lowes so assume that would be the case at most stores.:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt...rene-Washer-1-lb-Box-53-Pack-116043/205142716

For my larger house, I used polycarbonate roofing, and put it on a slight angle to assist with run off:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Suntuf-2...gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CNbFwpbwgdYCFRQWgQodtncFfw

Here is a photo from my large box (has worked well so far and we've had rain what seems like almost everyday since the end of June).

20170124_072431_resized.jpg
 
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Tom

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On my small box (which measures 24 x 20, i use black vinyl runner on the top:

http://www.acehardware.com/product/...76&cp=2568443.2568451.2626210.2627537.2627551

And use these types of screws to help ensure water doesn't seep in (dealing with Florida rain) - the drill bit is right next to the screws at Home Depot and Lowes so assume that would be the case at most stores.:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt...rene-Washer-1-lb-Box-53-Pack-116043/205142716

For my larger house, I used polycarbonate roofing, and put it on a slight angle to assist with run off:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Suntuf-26-in-x-6-ft-Polycarbonate-Roof-Panel-in-Clear-155030/206166246?cm_mmc=Shopping|THD|G|0|G-BASE-PLA-D22-Roofing|&gclid=Cj0KCQjw557NBRC9ARIsAHJvVVOSCgkK0zoJhEnfwdkVhnUbfOmm3_hql3MuFyWrKUokpWRLrLkntVEaAs8cEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CNbFwpbwgdYCFRQWgQodtncFfw

Here is a photo from my large box (has worked well so far and we've had rain what seems like almost everyday since the end of June).

I like the corrugated poly carb roofing idea. I've been using that over some of my bird cages and its working really well. I used white to block the summer sun. I'm going to try it on my tortoise boxes after I re-paint them this fall.
 

richosullivan

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I like the corrugated poly carb roofing idea. I've been using that over some of my bird cages and its working really well. I used white to block the summer sun. I'm going to try it on my tortoise boxes after I re-paint them this fall.

It's pretty cheap for a big sheet, and is so easy to cut - i just put a 1 x 2 at one side to give it some tilt so the water runs off the back. It also stand up really well to a lot of direct sun (at least Florida sun).
 
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