Repurposing pieces of furniture into two hutches!

Hey guys! I have recently found that repurposing furniture looks super cool! I want to do it for my little ones so I’ve been looking around for different things. I recently went to the nearby Care & Share and found two different pieces that I want to work on! They are $25 together, one being $10 and the other $15. I’m super excited to share how it goes with you guys and if anyone knows any tips or pointers that'd be greatly appreciated! Also I was wondering if there was a specific type of paint that would be okay for rabbits, just in case they chew on the wood.

I’m picking up the furniture now!

BunRabit said:

Hey guys! I have recently found that repurposing furniture looks super cool! I want to do it for my little ones so I’ve been looking around for different things. I recently went to the nearby Care & Share and found two different pieces that I want to work on! They are $25 together, one being $10 and the other $15. I’m super excited to share how it goes with you guys and if anyone knows any tips or pointers that'd be greatly appreciated! Also I was wondering if there was a specific type of paint that would be okay for rabbits, just in case they chew on the wood.

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Yeah , i had the same idea , for my rabbits hutch .

Just got home with them! I’m excited to start!

What is the depth of the pieces?

Blue eyes said:

What is the depth of the pieces?

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They’re about a foot and a half

BunRabit said:

They’re about a foot and a half

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Its a tad small but they’re going to be able to get some free time during the day. The hutch will be for night time/ when we aren't home. And since I’m heading to college next year, having these hutches will be a blessing for my parents to clean, especially since I’m going to make it easy to clean

Have you planned how you are going to arrange them? 18" is very narrow. It would be like living in a hallway.

I was thinking you could take the back out of one and then put it in front of the other. This would make the structure 36" deep.

You could also turn the whole thing, then, on its side to create a larger floor space.

Side by side as they are in the photo, the floor space would be about 60" (assuming each is about 30" wide) by 18." That's 7 & 1/2 sq ft.

One in front of the other would be 36" x 30." (still 7 1/2 sq ft)

But on it's side while one is in front of the other, it would be 36" x 70"(?) [the original height when standing?) That would be 17 1/2 sq ft!

It is the floor space that counts most when measuring hutches. Upper levels are nice but aren't added to floor space since it isn't continuous open space.

So just sharing some thoughts and how to maximize the space making use of the pieces you have.

Blue eyes said:

Have you planned how you are going to arrange them? 18" is very narrow. It would be like living in a hallway.

I was thinking you could take the back out of one and then put it in front of the other. This would make the structure 36" deep.

You could also turn the whole thing, then, on its side to create a larger floor space.

Side by side as they are in the photo, the floor space would be about 60" (assuming each is about 30" wide) by 18." That's 7 & 1/2 sq ft.

One in front of the other would be 36" x 30." (still 7 1/2 sq ft)

But on it's side while one is in front of the other, it would be 36" x 70"(?) [the original height when standing?) That would be 17 1/2 sq ft!

It is the floor space that counts most when measuring hutches. Upper levels are nice but aren't added to floor space since it isn't continuous open space.

So just sharing some thoughts and how to maximize the space making use of the pieces you have.

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Well I have 2 bonded rabbits, a buck and a doe and I have another buck who also needs a hutch. So thats why I was going to do two separate ones. But thank you! They all would be free to roam of course, as it is only a home base

We made our cage from a kitchen oven cabinet. Those cabinets are deeper since they have to hold an oven. Nevertheless, our cage isn't large enough for it to be closed up. It is open all day, every day without exception.

The only place we used paint was underneath the tile floor to 'seal' the wood under the tile. For the back and sides, we used stick vinyl so it would be wipeable.

We used wired closet shelving for doors and an 'airy' wall.

BunRabit said:

Well I have 2 bonded rabbits, a buck and a doe and I have another buck who also needs a hutch. So thats why I was going to do two separate ones. But thank you! They all would be free to roam of course, as it is only a home base

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Oh. Well then they really, really should be turned on their side. Assuming the shelves are 70" in height, if they are turned on their sides, that will be 8.75 sq ft. If they are kept upright, they will only be 3.75 sq ft. of floor space. That isn't roomy enough by any standards.

Blue eyes said:

Oh. Well then they really, really should be turned on their side. Assuming the shelves are 70" in height, if they are turned on their sides, that will be 8.75 sq ft. If they are kept upright, they will only be 3.75 sq ft. of floor space. That isn't roomy enough by any standards.

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My parents don’t want them taking up much space. If I don’t convince them that these won’t take up much space then they’re going back outside. Its the first time they’ve considered letting them be inside since my one got flystrike

Are they going in your bedroom?

Blue eyes said:

Are they going in your bedroom?

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No, the basement. I’m thinking of splitting the basement into two so they each can free roam during the day

BunRabit said:

No, the basement. I’m thinking of splitting the basement into two so they each can free roam during the day

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That would be great. If your parents are not ok with using the whole basement, some ex-pens could help section off areas.