Help choosing a hutch or playhouse please?

[helen01]

Poppy has been with us for almost 2 weeks and I am looking at sorting out her enclosure and putting in a permanent hutch/wendy house. We have been doing some saving and can just about stretch to £150 including insulation etc. I have been looking out for second hand summerhouses on ebay and gumtree but as yet...nothing is nearby or any good

I have enough space in her enclosure for a 6 ft x 3 ft cage even double storey one, but because of a big tree in the middle of her run (and its beautiful so chopping it down is not an option:roll I cannot fit a 6 x 4 wendy house in. A 4 x 4ft wendy house will fit in the corner though. Although I am not particularly DIY minded I do think I could make two storey levels in it and make it interesting for her. Potentially she would have 8 ft of floor space and another 4 ft + on a second level.

Which one do you think is best and do you have any suggestions for me? Cost is a factor but I also want to get her a friend before the winter so really do need it to be suitable for two bunnies.

This is Poppys run (with big tree in the middle:roll I could fit the cage along the back near the shed or summerhouse in the right hand corner.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140430983694&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT i have contacted this seller to see if this play house has a wooden base.

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=11027537&fh_view_size=10&fh_start_index=0&fh_eds=%3f&fh_sort_order=1&fh_sort_by=_price_rrp_min&fh_location=%2f%2fcatalog01%2fen_GB%2fcategories%3C{9372012}%2fcategories%3C{9372022}%2fcategories%3C{9372071}&fh_refview=lister&isSearch=false
I had a look in this one today and thought that my son (age 9:shock and I should be able to put it together by ourselves:shock:


http://www.petsathome.com/shop/daisy-cottage-guinea-pig-and-rabbit-hutch-by-pets-at-home-16030
My son likes this one also as he thinks we should be able to build it by ourselves a bit easier But is it big enough for two bunnies?:?

I would really appreciate your help and feedback. My car is on its last legs (or wheels! lol) so travelling far really isnt viable. Thanks in advance:wave:

 

[Jenova]

I bought this hutch and I love it.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/large-rabbit-...&otn=5&po=LVI&ps=63&clkid=8714046067626095151

I actually designed it and the guy made it exactly how I wanted so you could pretty much ask him for anything in reason. He delivered it and set it up in my garden. I did have to pay £40 for delivery as I'm so far away though.

Play houses and shed you can actually sit inside with your buns, which is nice in the winter.

I don't really rate the hutch from pets at home. It's a bit flimsy.

 

[yaretzi]

it's stretching your budget a bit considering you'd need to insulate & board over too, but

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3FT-x-6FT-OVE...Fencing_CV&hash=item4cf639453f#ht_2743wt_1139

or

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3FT-x-6FT-WAN...Fencing_CV&hash=item4cf67f4595#ht_2945wt_1139

would be amazing. allows you to easily insulate between the joists and then hardboard/plywood over, and as jenova mentioned it's great to be able to get in with them in winter rather than freezing your bum off outside :shock:

also allows easy shelving (I've used ikea lack tables and put a piece of plywood over them, so you don't even have to build it yourself!) to make extra space for the buns, and also allows higher shelves for storage of your things.

for insulation, wickes have a great offer on at the moment - http://www.wickes.co.uk/space-blanket/invt/161206/. it's usually £13-£15 per roll, and two of those would easily do the shed, so three would be plenty! the space blanket is what I'm using in my shed, as i feel it's nice and safe with the bag over it and boarded over, as I'm pretty confident that if you hoover after installing that no fibres can escape and harm Miss Poppy

i'd definitely recommend stretching to those sheds if you can, both come with a base so that's one less worry and they seem easy enough to put up (might need someone taller than a 9 year old though might need to rope a neighbour/family member in!

the extra benefits of the shed over a hutch are: nice and ventilated, proper big size so buns don't feel so 'closed in', allows a lot of customisation and addons inside, nice in the winter to get in, insulation means that you don't need to worry in winter/summer and end up having to bring them inside and buying new housing for cold/hot spells, lasts a good long time, doesn't look weird, very safe from foxes/cats/predators, lots of storage, and finally if you were to get rid of Miss Poppy you could easily use it as something else

hope your budget can stretch!

where are you located by the way?

PS- most companies are happy to move the door if required (the tree might be in the way :roll, and add stable doors for a small fee, so you can open the top part for ventilation
PPS- your middle link didn't work for me the b&q one?
PPPS- Poppy is CUUUUUTE :shock: looks like my Täplä
PPPPS- (I need to stop doing this :shockI recommend http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....18710&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_720wt_905.. That's the one I got, although I editted the size, added windows and a stable door. The guy & his company are lovely, didn't mind me emailing at all hours panicking about the door/window/height :roll: mine is being delivered tomorrow and I'll let you know how it goes. Mine I changed to 6 x 5 with 2 windows and a stable door and it cost £270 with delivery, if you're going down a foot he'll adjust the price accordingly. 2 windows cost me £30 (although it's easy to cut it out yourself and cover with mesh, then reattach the original bit as a hinge for a shutting window ) and the stable door an extra £15.

 

[helen01]

I dont really want a shed thats too high (it would be a bonus for cleaning out though) I have a big shed on the right and summer house on the left Dont want the back garden to look like shed central! lol! I did want to convert the summerhouse for Poppy but my sons were gutted at that suggestion, its their den

I like the idea of the bike store, its something to consider, thank you I'm affrais it has to be easy enough for the kids and I to put up as I'm very limited with 'helpers'. I am located near to Hull. I cannot load the b&q site now either...it was a 4 ft x 4 ft playhouse for £139.99

 

[yaretzi]

I dont really want a shed thats too high (it would be a bonus for cleaning out though) I have a big shed on the right and summer house on the left Dont want the back garden to look like shed central! lol! I did want to convert the summerhouse for Poppy but my sons were gutted at that suggestion, its their den

I like the idea of the bike store, its something to consider, thank you I'm affrais it has to be easy enough for the kids and I to put up as I'm very limited with 'helpers'. I am located near to Hull. I cannot load the b&q site now either...it was a 4 ft x 4 ft playhouse for £139.99

The bike shed seems to be a popular idea for many people, similar size to a playhouse but a bit more adjustable in terms of size and where the door is also allows your son to stand up properly, while you get a cricked back which is always nice

:lol: @ 'shed central'! I'm moving back in with my mom & stepdad, they already have a shed and they insisted I had my bunny-shed over the other side of the garden to make sure it didn't look like 'shed central' either!

I don't think the bike sheds would be any more difficult to put up than a playhouse, I'm sure your 9 year old and you could manage it. You mention you have more, more helpers (even tiny ones) seems like a good thing ?

 

[helen01]

:lol: I have a slightly bigger helper @ 11 years old, he's fab for holding something for brief moments but then gets bored and vanishes:lol: The 9 year old is more patient, my 11 year old tends to look after the dogs as opposed to help

I will keep looking, especially at the bike store. Would I need a jigsaw to cut windows out then?

 

[yaretzi]

:lol: I have a slightly bigger helper @ 11 years old, he's fab for holding something for brief moments but then gets bored and vanishes

bribery :shock:

a jigsaw should work well, or you can just drill four holes and then saw through with a normal saw. it shouldn't be too hard!