• Outside dimensions: 48" x 24" x 24.5"
• Inside dimensions: 47" x 23" x 22"

Height

Looking at the basic size of 4x2 foot floor space, you have two options for height of the enclosure. You could go with a 2' height, which is perfectly acceptable, or go with 30" height. I will be building with the 30" height, as I plan to use MVBs in my enclosures. These bulbs need to be up to 18" away from the basking surface (please check the manufacturer's instructions for each bulb). By using the 30" height, you have enough room for the MVB to be installed inside the enclosure, and still be able to cut out a large enough viewing window.

Fortunately and unfortunately, it only takes two sheets of 4x8 feet oak plywood to build a single 4x2x2 feet enclosure and a few pieces of 2x4 or 1x2 or whatever you decide to use for a little added strength. Fortunately, because of the price of oak ply, two sheets is very affordable. Unfortunately, there is a lot of scrap material left. I have gotten prices of half-inch thick 4x8 feet sheets of oak plywood for between $65-80. Personally, I like to make the most of my materials, but if you only own a single uromastyx and are looking into a 4x2 feet sized enclosure, at least it won't cost you nearly as much as a 120 gallon fish tank.

Cutting the wood sheets

The first sheet of plywood would get cut in half lengthwise and in half sideways. This gives you four pieces measuring approx (minus blade width) 48"x24": (2) pieces would be the front and back of the enclosure, (1) piece would be for the roof, and the final piece would be cut a bit shorter for the floor of the enclosure. assuming the plywood is half an inch thick, the final piece gets cut down to 47"x23" (I would suggest cutting this piece AFTER cutting and putting the front, back and sides together to be sure it fits snugly and doesn't leave huge gaps anywhere).

Your side pieces cut off the second sheet of plywood would measure 24" tall x 23"wide. When putting the front, back and sides together, you would be installing the side pieces in between the front and back, giving your inside dimensions 47" x 23". Now, unfortunately your leftover scrap measures 72" x 48" which you really can't do anything with, although it's worthwhile keeping this for other future projects.

It is for this reason that I have personally gone with a larger enclosure, although my design uses six sheets of oak ply, giving me (2) enclosures that measure 5'6" x 2' x 30" a storage area 12" (same length x width) a spare enclosure not attached to the unit of 4x2 feet x 27" and a small stacked gecko enclosure for a friend of mine which has (2) 16" x 17" x 20" units. I would recommend against using my design unless you're ready to undertake a big project and a heavy cost (although guidelines for this project will follow later).

Floor

I designed the floor to be supported by putting together a substructure of 2x4s to add strength, especially if using a deep substrate, which will add a lot of weight to the floor. The 2x4s are installed so that the longer side is flat and the shorter side (1.5") is vertical. I have also added 2x4s in each of the four corners of the enclosure to add strength and prevent any twisting of the enclosure when it is being moved, bumped into etc - better safe then sorry.

The floor is to be installed on top of these, making your floor surface 2" from the bottom of the panels that make up the sides of the enclosure. Be sure to remember this when cutting out your viewing window where the glass will be installed. You will want to leave a lip of approximately 2" so that sand will not come out of the enclosure or get into any tracks for the glass. It should probably also be mentioned that the vertical 2x4 supports are installed between the floor itself and the roof, not from the sub-structure 2x4s.

Now, when you go to cut your 4x8 sheets of plywood, you will find that there are very few cuts needed. You can probably get these done while at the store picking up the two sheets. Home Depot or Lowes will make the first two cuts free. You could really go and pick up one sheet at a time and get all your cuts free (although this may take the DIY fun out of it for those who like to do everything on their own; for those who do not have the ability to do this, it makes things easier).

When you put everything together, be sure that you install the side panels in between the front and back - this will make sure you are utilising as much of the wood as possible, not having to run out and by extra sheets because you cut something incorrectly, or tried to make the unit longer by installing the sides outside the front/back panels, thus causing your roof and floor not to fit. When that is done, all that is left is to use a router or jigsaw to cut out the opening for your glass and decide how to mount it (rollers, hinges, etc).

Finishing

Finally, use a good, safe sealer (such as Acrylacq) to seal the inside of the plywood as well as a clear, odourless aquarium sealant along all the inside edges.

4x2x30" design

Using this size enclosure, you can easily mount all your lights inside the enclosure. You can also cut out a nice-sized viewing window where the glass will be installed, and leave enough of a lip on the top to hide the lights as well. This gives the enclosure a nicer appearance, where you don't have to look at any domes or bulbs. Once again we use the same substructure as the 4x2x2 enclosure, the only difference being the cuts to make sure you have a 30" height. Having the added height does not change the amount of material you need, and this build still requires only two pieces of plywood. Once again, this is a cost-effective build that will leave you with some scrap but will also give you a beautiful enclosure that will look much cleaner then a 4x2x2 with domes on the top (especially if using MVBs).

• Outside dimensions: 48" x 24" x 30.5"
• Inside dimensions: 47" x 23" x 28"

This picture has a 6" lip on top and 4" on bottom to hide bulbs and prevent sand from escaping, while having 20" of viewing height! Of course, you could also add another 2" on top to completely hide the 6" long MVBs, and still have an 18" viewing window.

Finishing

Here is a picture of what your final enclosure could look like. This enclosure was built by Jbreddawg of the RepticZone forums, and measures 48" x 25" x 30". While this may look like a complicated build, the structure itself is fairly simple, with the natural looking rock wall on the back would be for more advanced or more adventurous builders. This build also shows that the glass could be mounted as swinging doors that open out instead of having doors on sliding tracks. This makes cleaning and other maintenance a little easier.

5x2x2 design

After a quick look at the cuts for the other two sizes of enclosure, I realised you can use two sheets of wood still and make a larger enclosure. Assuming you want to go with a larger floor space and are not concerned with trying to hide bulbs, you can go with a 5x2x2 size.

Everything goes together the same way as the 4x2x2, only you give your uromastyx an extra two square feet of floor space by adding 1' x 2' additional floor space. This also gives you more room to experiment with bulbs, possibly even providing two basking spots (one for UVB, and one just for heat). Now, I know the question that will come up is "Could you build a 5x2x30" to hide your bulbs inside the enclosure?" The answer is yes, but it would take three sheets of plywood to accomplish this. I am trying to use these examples as a way to build a cost-effective enclosure, while giving the owner several options to fit their space; there is of course nothing preventing you from doing so, but the final decision is left to each builder.

Other options to consider for a build

The enclosure that Jbreddawg built has another unique feature. He built in a door on top of the enclosure to access bulbs and domes from above without disturbing the uromastyx inside the enclosure. In these pictures you can see the door open and closed, where it not only hides the bulbs from sight in front, but also has wire mesh that will separate the domes and bulbs from the inside of the enclosure. This option may be nice for those who are building a single enclosure, so you can check on your bulbs without disrupting your uromastyx. If you are looking to build two enclosures stacked one directly above the other, this is also possible with the use of a front door on a hinge in front, rather than on top. Keeping this door open would be the only trick to figure out when looking into the stacking option (you wouldn't want the door slamming and breaking any of the glass) although there are a variety of hinges available for this type of thing.

Lighting

Lighting is the second important part of building your own enclosure. As far as lighting goes, I assume most people would use the basic idea of one end as the hot end, and the opposite being the cool end. You could try and make a basking area towards the center of the enclosure, and provide more heat to one side then the other, but the gradient will be strange. The most important thing is to make sure your thermal gradient exists and is stable. The hot end can be at either side of the enclosure, the choice is up to the builder. Providing a more central basking spot may be difficult or impossible with a floor space of 4x2 feet; only if the enclosure is 5' or longer may it be possible.

Ventilation

I would strongly recommend a vent near any bulbs, as to keep the bulbs from overheating. I would also put a vent on both the cool and warm end just to allow a fresh exchange of air in through the cool end vent and out the warm end vent (as we know that heat rises and cool air falls). This should provide airflow throughout the enclosure without the need for fans, although you would have to check this after construction and modify it as necessary. The use of a thermostat is highly recommended.

Materials and enclosure décor

I feel that we need to mention safe materials for using inside the enclosure. For basking platforms, slate works very well to absorb the heat from the bulbs, and also maintains that heat for quite some time. Even a basking platform as simple as a pre-cut piece of slate sitting on top of some uncoated paving slabs is a simple platform that the uromastyx will love, both on top of and below the slate; they will hide, sleep and lurk under the low hide created by this basking platform. Be sure whatever paving slabs you decide to use are not coated with any kind of weatherproofing, stain guard, or other potentially hazardous materials. Always keep in mind that the temperature requirements of an uromastyx are much higher than your average reptile. Again, it is better to be safe than sorry.