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first time making a hutch?

LittleEskimo

LittleEskimo

Mama Doe
Hey :) I was thinking of changing my rabbits hutch around a little (as she seems to have grown a lot and I need to get her a friend :/) So I was looking around at the threads and some people have done awesome jobs of making their own hutch and I want to try my hand at it. But how hard is it??? and how expensive is it?? What will I need and what measurements are there? Basically what do I need to know to make a home made hutch that can fit up to 2 rabbits. Thanks :) x
 
Ours has cost about £200 but that's including paint, screws, lino, wood for the run and a spare board. I suppose its worth it though because I know its sturdy etc. Someone (can't remember who) made a purple hutch which was brilliant :) I think they put the price of theirs on if you can find the thread lol :)
 
Cor blimey. Im hoping I can find wood for cheap enough (we have a carpenter next door that has loads of spare wood in his garden) so I might ask him about having a few pieces. I have the guidlines for sizing so I hope if I draw out some plans I can figure something out :)
 
I've made a fair few hutches. My advice is to keep it simple. Go for a basic rectangle and don't try anything fancy like slopey roofs. The basic size would be 6ft x 2ft x 2ft having the sleep/toilet area 18inches-2ft. Use a thick wood timber aprox 45mm x 45mm to make the frame by just screwing pieces of timber together. Use external plywood for the floors and decent galvanised wire mesh for the door. Use shed felt over the top of the roof in one piece and it will keep out all the rain.
 
My advice would be to speak with the carpenter next door as he can give you hands on advice. You could make the frame using 32x32mm redwood timber, if it's going out side then you need to treat the timber before assembling and treat each joint and end gain.

Any questions you want answering then I’m happy to help.
 
I drew some little sketches of what I could do and I am quite excited :) I wont be able to buy all of the materials in one so it will have to be a little project of mine where I add to it little by little. I drew out a basic retangle (not even going to try anything fancy :lol:) and I hope it can come together nicely
It's only a rough sketch don't laugh please :lol:

111021-233708.jpg
 
Looks good :)

I would also suggest that if you make the four corner pillars of the frame a bit longer they can also make up the feet. If they are 3ft long then it will stand 1ft off the ground which is big enough to make it easy to get them out if they hide underneath the hutch :)
 
I made this for my guinea pigs,but it would be big enough for rabbits!!!
It's 4ft by 4ft!!

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hope it helps!!
 
downstairs

DSCF1088.jpg


upstairs with a hidey house that I also made!!
the hay rack is a suet cage for wild birds!!
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DSCF1087.jpg
 
Oh yeah the legs I forgot about those :)

Oh wow that's pretty cool :) I don't know if I could make anything like that lol. I was thinking of making a double hutch (might turn the bottom into a run or extra layer) is it hard to make sure it stays upright?? I am worried it might not be strong enough for some reason lol
 
Stator said:
Looks good :)

I would also suggest that if you make the four corner pillars of the frame a bit longer they can also make up the feet. If they are 3ft long then it will stand 1ft off the ground which is big enough to make it easy to get them out if they hide underneath the hutch :)
Click to expand...

I wouldn't recommend doing that as it would make the hutch weaker. The top rail is called the head plate and the bottom rail is called a sole plate. The uprights are called studs, inner and outer and if the sole and head plate join up to the studs then the frame becomes weaker, not saying it does not work just saying it’s not the right way of doing things.

The studs should rest on the head and sole plate so that the weight is spread across the sole and head plates.

LittleEskimo said:
I drew some little sketches of what I could do and I am quite excited :) I wont be able to buy all of the materials in one so it will have to be a little project of mine where I add to it little by little. I drew out a basic retangle (not even going to try anything fancy :lol:) and I hope it can come together nicely
It's only a rough sketch don't laugh please :lol:
Click to expand...
Looks good, i would make each part a panel frame, front panel, back panel and two side panels out of 32x32mm timber and that will give it the strength it needs. If you like I can show you some pictures of what I mean by a panel.
 
How about making it abit bigger? 6ft x 3ft? If you are going to make your own hutch make it as big as possible to start with. Pictures look great!! Good luck with your project!! :)
 
daniel said:
I wouldn't recommend doing that as it would make the hutch weaker. The top rail is called the head plate and the bottom rail is called a sole plate. The uprights are called studs, inner and outer and if the sole and head plate join up to the studs then the frame becomes weaker, not saying it does not work just saying it’s not the right way of doing things.

The studs should rest on the head and sole plate so that the weight is spread across the sole and head plates.
Click to expand...
It's a rabbit hutch, not the golden gate bridge. It doesn't have to support any significant load, just hold itself together.
 
Stator said:
It's a rabbit hutch, not the golden gate bridge. It doesn't have to support any significant load, just hold itself together.
Click to expand...

That's not true, its got to support the load of 2 rabbits, hoping around and if its outside then it needs to support rain and snow all at the same time.
 
None of which is significant compared with the weight of the hutch itself if you are using decent wood. My hutch can support itself, the rabbits and me standing on top of it without even so much as a creek.
 
I will try to use the best wood I can (so it doesn't rot or get chewed through) I have noticed, and my boyfriend pointed out, that Rosie has gotten much bigger (not sure if it is extra food and fur) but she seems twice, maybe triple the size of what she was at the beginning of summer so I think I really do need to talk to mum about getting a bigger hutch
 
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