Drainage question
 

Hi everyone,

I'm attempting to make an outdoor tortoise table enclosure, and I have a question about drainage. Should I line the table with pond liner and then make holes in the liner? Or should I not line it and just put the slats of wood closer together?
http://i67.tinypic.com/24oumg7.jpg
I don't want it to become water logged.

I tried uploading photos but photobucket stopped them showing!

Any advice would be very welcome :-D

I would leave un-lined but varnish the slats to stop them rotting. Leave the varnish to dry for a week or so for it to become inert.

We have a high water table so I put stones down, then pond liner then the wood. I then put a garden mesh on more stones then the wood followed by substrate. The latter was a mistake as they dug down and pulled up the mesh to burrow under, all the stones moved and a big mess.

blooming photobucket !! try tiny pic - I am so sorry I couldn't remember your breed of tortoise though it makes little difference unless a Horsfield - I would leave unlined as Jonathan recommends and as Jan says its a mess especially if you have Horsfields..one of mine tried to get up a redundant pipe once and managed to get under the wire where it was around the pipe - they are like velociprators testing the perimeters. Plenty of drainage but I do like the slats - lots of little bugs grown also and weeds through them so don't dig out too much - all helps the planet ! CB

Hubby made a raised outdoor table for my hatchlings a couple of years ago. We used decking to make the table and I lined it with weed control sheeting. This keeps the soil in but lets the water/rain drain through.

Thanks for the replys. I do have horsefields, I think I'll leave it unlined and see how things go.:-D

I'm not sure exactly what it is you are making. Is it an outdoor portable type table or a permanent outdoor enclosure? The only picture that is showing is very small. An outdoor table can potentially be dangerous both for not being able to escape the heat and a heavy downpour so careful planning required. Also, wood that leaks resin in the sun can cause problems if they get it on anything they eat or on their face/eyes etc

and water level can easily 'creep' up into the safe house if ground can not absorb downpour quick enough. sure you will assess and make secure , let us know how it goes, always interested in design , CB