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Is it cheaper.....

We have both bought and made one, well made lots of panels that we link together for them.

I got all the materials from Wickes. Was approx 16 quid for wood (pack of 6), we got 2, and then approx 20 quid for the mesh. Good thing is we just keep adding bits and changing the shape of the run.
 
I think it mostly depends on the size you want.

If all you have space for is a 6ftx4ftx2ft then tbh I would buy a good ready made one. If you have space for a larger one then I'd buy the bits & make it. Weld mesh can be hard to find, I found the best prices on ebay - even with delivery it was less than the diy stores :)
 
The great thing about building your own is that you can have it as large and as high as you want. So many of the bought ones are quite low.
 
I'd say on the whole it's cheaper to make your own, particularly if you can get reclaimed wood from someone you know and buy the mesh online.

The real plus is that you can make it however you want whereas a bought one you're limited to what you're given.

HOWEVER, I'd say don't attempt to make one without the skills and equipment because you'll end up with something that won't last all that long and probably won't be all that sturdy.
Quite a lot of work went in to making ours. We wanted it to be very sturdy so half lapped all the corner joins and used quite thick wood as well which we got for free but bumps the price up if you're buying it.
 
Fluffers said:
I think it mostly depends on the size you want.

If all you have space for is a 6ftx4ftx2ft then tbh I would buy a good ready made one. If you have space for a larger one then I'd buy the bits & make it. Weld mesh can be hard to find, I found the best prices on ebay - even with delivery it was less than the diy stores :)
Click to expand...

can I ask where you got your mesh? We're extending our run soon and I'll need to buy some more!
 
Mesh is cheapest on eBay I find. The bigger the roll the better value you get. 19 guage 1/2inch by 1inch galvanised wire mesh is what I recommend. It's definately cheaper to build your own and you can make it more sturdy. Get lots of timber from a local timber yard if you want to make a big one, will work out cheaper than wickes.
 
not quite a run but my chippie cage cost about 100 quid to make and its atleast 3-4 times bigger than the 70 quid one we bought from pets at home.

you can go direct to a timber merchant and get wood dead cheap then its just the mesh thats a bit expensive BUT you get the option of how thick the wire is :D
 
I built a 6ftx6ftx3ft run for £40 buying my wood and wire from homebase i think. Even a 6ft square run seems so small for our 3 tiny rabbits though tbh :oops: Each panel is seperate and clip together and I can also attach them to any of our 3 garden fences for different shapes and sizes and positions. Like 1 panel wide by 2 long (6ftx12ft) if attached to one side or 1 panel wide by 3 long (6ftx18ft) if attached in the corner to two sides of the fence. Luckily our garden is only about 16ft wide so I can attach 3 panels together and strip graze too :D

All I did was buy a pack of 6ft pieces of wood (not sure on thickness or width sorry), saw some in half for the 3ft height, then use a hammer and two nails in each corner to attach. I used nail scissors to cut the wire to size (far easier than pliers imo lol :lol:) and a hand held stapler from b&q (the cheapest one they sold ;) ).

Edit: Our run doesn't include a lid of any kind as my brain couldn't figure out a lid to fit a costantly changing shape run :lol: Paint was also extra, and in the future I would paint before stapling on the wire :oops::oops:
 
sacol4940 said:
Well I measured the area that I want to put it in last night and i can only really get away with a 6x4 foot run.

(It's going on the patio as the grassy area is like a jungle and dont think its safe for the buns to go on)

I was thinking of just getting this one:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180422433625&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

What do you think?

Let me know if you know of a cheaper/better one :wave:
Click to expand...


I have that run and I'm quite happy with it. Lifting the lid and putting it down on your own without it banging on the frame and making a racket is tricky & so I've added some knobs to make it easier! I've also removed one of the mesh end panels and fitted a new one inside the frame to act as a door as the only way in and out was from the top. You could ask if they could do this for you but I think they're already made up ready.
 
tintin said:
Screwfix sell packs of mesh panels (£5 delivery or you can get them from a Screwfix store). I have used both wire on a roll and the panels and the panels are much easier to handle. No cutting and no sharp edges to catch your hands on.

Timber merchants are cheaper than Wickes etc and will even cut the wood for you.

http://www.screwfix.com/search.do;j...ZOCFFQ?_dyncharset=UTF-8&fh_search=mesh+panel
Click to expand...


The pics on the website dont show the edges - what does the frame look like? thanks
 
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