How much did you spend on your DIY Stand/Canopy

[brit0211]

How much money did you all spend on your DIY stand/canopy?
Just want to get a feel for how much it will cost in relation to just buying one new...
I have been looking at the pics you all posted and DIY stands look so much nicer than the junk they sell at stores (unless you get into the big-buck ones obviously)

 

[robchuck]

I've yet to build a DIY stand, but I have built several canopies.
The biggest canopy I've DIY'd was for my old 65 gallon reef. The materials (plywood, trim, screws, white paint for the ********, and stain) for that canopy cost me a whopping $40. I also recently built a light box that is supported by stilts and contains a 250W MH, out of scrap wood from Menards for under $10.

 

[radioactive]

I buily a canopy for my 180g in wall tank w/ oak wood and everything was 160.00. This is including the doors.

 

[squidd]

Part of the fun or "challange" of DIY is "scrounging" materials to use...
Of course there are always going to be "some" things that need to be purchased to put the project together, and "some times" you can purchase a "ready made" product cheaper than buying all the parts...
The "scrap wood" or cut offs from a lumber yard are a good place to start on a "furniture" project like a stand or canopy...
That said, it is often better to "get the materials to fit your plans" than to "change the plans to fit the material"...
I work in the home construction industry, so most all the material for my stand and canopy were "cut offs", "scrap", and best of all "free"...
Total cost..$0

 

[msd2]

If you have the time the canopy is cheap to build, its what goes in it that adds up

 

[squidd]

Actually Time IS Money...
And if you add that all in, sometimes it end's up cheaper to go out and buy...

 

[msd2]

LOL ur assuming squidd that everyone's time has value
Then yeah if u calculate what I charge per hour its definitely cheaper to have it made, but something is to be said doing it yourself.

 

[cubuffs]

for my 180, I spent about $600. However, $450 of that came from the Tiger Maple wood that I used on the outside of the tank. It is beautiful!

 

[jon.316]

A bow front stand for my 155 cost about $300 and looks at least 10x better and is 10x stronger than anything i've seen yet. I used the best wood and stain from home depot . But if u were budgeted you could build a nice stand for under $200.
If you have the time and the tools, I'd def say build your own!!

 

[squidd]

Originally posted by msd2
LOL ur assuming squidd that everyone's time has value

Well if you know say, a half a dozen people with talent/skills that "don't" put a value on their time..
Send them to me and I'll hire them... Cheap...:yes: