Finally building my hutch! U/D Whole setup finally finished!

For anybody interested. My hutch is really starting to come together. It will be 6x3x2ft and it looking really good!

Any hints and tips would really be appreciated.





Larka approves.







So excited for it.

Only thing I'm stuck with is the front. I was going to put two "hidey holes" on either side with mesh in the middle. The hidey holes will be accessible with doors but the middle will just be mesh. I wanted to have a cat flap or something for them to enter the run. It's just in case a predator gets into the run..it wouldn't be able to get into their hutch if the doors are closed. What does everybody else do? Do you think having two hidey holes on either side will be too dark and not enough ventilation? I thought of meshing one of the doors, but I want them to feel safe and wasn't sure if one hidey hole would be big enough for 3 buns to hide in, should they need to.

Any thoughts?

Looks fabulous and great quality Where did you get, what type and how much was the wood? Just interested because have and still am considering building my own hutch but always struggle with that..:?

it looks food quality wood, I think your doggy thinks its his kennel :lol:

Looking good!

It's pretty tall so one end you could do half and half door, pop a shelf in behind the door, then solid at the bottom of the door and mesh the top. That way they can hide under the shelf and it will be quite enclosed or sit on top and look out the mesh

Tamsin said:

Looking good!

It's pretty tall so one end you could do half and half door, pop a shelf in behind the door, then solid at the bottom of the door and mesh the top. That way they can hide under the shelf and it will be quite enclosed or sit on top and look out the mesh

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That is an excellent idea. I am just discussing this with my Dad (my hutch builder) now. He thinks it's doable, but we need to make sure that 1ft will be high enough for my buns to get sit under the shelf. Having said that, they probably would LOVE shelf to sit on. I am planning on putting a cat flap in the middle section. Would a cat flap be fox proof?

I am painting the whole thing with the Cuprinol woodland shades. My Dad said it's pointless painting the inside, but I think it needs painting to protect it surely? What are people's opinions on this? Will this paint be ok to protect the hutch? In the winter I will be storing it outside with a cover over it, so it's not going to be in all weathers. I can't wait for my buns to see it! I hope they will forgive me for not letting them outside lately. :lol:

Obsessedwithanimals - I got all the wood from Discount DIY. I used shiplap for the sides and MDF for the bottom. I can't remember what the frame was but I know it wasn't brilliant thickness because the shiplap will hold it all together and make it stronger. It's cost about £100 so far..maybe a bit more. I have to get the bolts and hinges yet. I already have felt left over from my wendy house and I've already bought the mesh. I actually had some left over from the wendy house, too, that probably would have done the hutch but I bought more because I am replacing and double meshing my run. :thumb: My only "weak" spot will be the floor. I am going to be standing the whole setup on the grass and there is no way to avoid this. My buns will only be out during the day and I find it highly unlikely that a fox or dog would bother to try to dig their way in. It's a risk I'm willing to take, however, if it means my buns have a more natural flooring to sit on. They always have the hutch to retreat to, should something try to dig it's way in.

I think 1' would be okay as it's just part of it. If it's 3' deep then it's already got extra floor area

I'm not sure if a fox would fit through a cat flap or not, maybe?

Is it going to be in a fixed location? If so, you can mesh the floor just by cutting the grass short and laying out mesh then pegging it down, just making it slight larger that the foot print of the run. Alternatively, lift the turf and lay the mesh then relay the turf. You can go for bigger mesh than you would on the sides eg 2" square. That stops them digging out to which is the more common issue :lol:

Inside, I'd leave the wood bare and just cover the floor with lino/safety flooring to make it water proof. I take it you'll be adding a litter tray too? So the walls shouldn't need protection.

Just to add, if your replacing the mesh on your existing run, you could use the old mesh to cover the floor

I think your dad needs a career change... hutch builder!

Thanx Tamsin but we will need to move the hutch about, unfortunately. My parents like their garden and so wouldn't appreciate a bare bit. :roll: I will figure something out. Fortunately none of my buns seem to be diggers and tbh, they would only be "alone" for about 4 hours at a stretch. I may place paving slabs around the edge or something. I'll have to have a think about it.

Sooooo. I have one door on and one half-made. :lol: We seem to have ran out of staples for the staple gun (for the meshed part of the door) so I think a trip to b&Q is needed tomorrow. I really hate that place! :evil:

I will leave the inside then and just paint the outside. My plan is to lino the floor and put a litter tray either in the hutch or in the run but I know a certain madam (*cough* XENA *cough*) who likes to pee in places she shouldn't. :roll: I really doubt, however, that she'd pee enough to actually cause any damage, especially bearing in mind that they are only in it some of time. I really can't wait to paint it all and get them in it! It might even be done by next week!

I wouldn't worry about painting the inside of the hutch. And love Tamsin's idea of putting the shelf in.
Personally if it's do-able I would try to make the mesh bit on the front so that it opens too. I say that because my hutch has a fixed mesh panel in the middle, and I find it quite annoying to reach in a clean around. It's made worse in my case because the hutch is in the shed and I can only really access it from one side so I end up twisting around awkwardly, but since yours is quite deep you might have a similar problem reaching around a fixed panel.

Regarding digging, could you make something just to go under the edges on both inside and outside? The Runaround mesh products have this - I think they call it a 'skirt' (you can see it on this photo http://www.runaround.co.uk/collections/mesh-products/products/wide-tunnel-connector-plate) - and my understanding is that it aims to stop digging in. Personally I'd think it would need to be a bit wider, but I get the theory - my rabbits always dig right next to whatever they're trying to get out of - I don't think they'd have the sense to back up and try a bit further back, and the same might hold for anything trying to get in. You can also tent peg through the skirt to hold the whole thing down more securely.

esupi said:

I wouldn't worry about painting the inside of the hutch. And love Tamsin's idea of putting the shelf in.
Personally if it's do-able I would try to make the mesh bit on the front so that it opens too. I say that because my hutch has a fixed mesh panel in the middle, and I find it quite annoying to reach in a clean around. It's made worse in my case because the hutch is in the shed and I can only really access it from one side so I end up twisting around awkwardly, but since yours is quite deep you might have a similar problem reaching around a fixed panel.

Regarding digging, could you make something just to go under the edges on both inside and outside? The Runaround mesh products have this - I think they call it a 'skirt' (you can see it on this photo http://www.runaround.co.uk/collections/mesh-products/products/wide-tunnel-connector-plate) - and my understanding is that it aims to stop digging in. Personally I'd think it would need to be a bit wider, but I get the theory - my rabbits always dig right next to whatever they're trying to get out of - I don't think they'd have the sense to back up and try a bit further back, and the same might hold for anything trying to get in. You can also tent peg through the skirt to hold the whole thing down more securely.

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That's a good idea, Esupi, about the mesh "skirt". I figured paving stones might be the same. Like I said, I'll have a mess about with it and see what would be a practical thing to do.

I did think about the problem of having a fixed panel in the middle, but my plan is that I won't have a divider in the side where my shelf is..so it's be much easier to access that bit. Also, I plan on not needing to clean it out often if they have a litter tray. We shall see. The amazing thing about having a hutch builder for a Dad, is that I can tweak things that I dislike further down the line. :lol:

My Dad insisted on building me a cat flap, so we have made one. :lol: It needs some tweaking, but it looks good. The hutch doors are on (I've asked for double meshing so that needs adding) and then the shelf needs to go in before the roof goes on.

It is HEAVY. :shock: Have no idea how my parents plan on moving it about but hey ho. :lol: I can't wait to see how the buns like it.

Looking good

A handle each end might be handy for moving it about.

Looks great :thumb:

Tamsin said:

Looking good

A handle each end might be handy for moving it about.

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My Dad has decided to put the hutch on castors. I thought they would sink into the ground..but he's adamant that it would be ok. He's usually right about these things so will give it a go. He said it would make it easier to move on the pavement when we are going to store it. He has a fair point. If it works then it would save a lot of strain on the hutch when moving it about. We were going to be putting handles on either side, but this way we won't need to. I think I might be painting it tomorrow before the roof goes on.

After the hutch is sorted I need to renovate my run, double mesh (and possibly paint it to match) and we are good to go.

Looks amazing so far! Can't wait till it's finished ! xx

Looks amazing! Do you have any tips for building a hutch? My dad is going to be making me a new one soon

I'm in the process of building a new hutch for my buns, mine is getting built into my shed, I'll start a new topic once its finished.

Looking good DAD well done!
Just keep an eye on the MDF floor.
Be good to see it when it's finished.

The Hutch Man said:

Looking good DAD well done!
Just keep an eye on the MDF floor.
Be good to see it when it's finished.

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Why? Is it not good wood to use?

I debated about using MDF or chipboard etc, but decided the MDF looked stronger.

Tips on building a hutch? Hmm. I have no idea. :lol: My Dad has done most of the difficult bits. I just sawed a few bits an directed him in the design. :lol: