how to set up a dark room

[Greg_Nuspel]

You can get equipment for so cheap now (ebay), look for sodium vapor safelights. They are so bright you'll be amazed that they don't expose your paper. Drawing up your space before you build is a great idea. Get the largest enlarger you can get so you can play in the future, they are also usually more rigid. If you work for a living put in an alarm clock to remind you it's 2:00am and you need to get some sleep. Have fun :-)

[tirediron]

Yep, eBay - I've seen lots of complete kits for a few hundred dollars. A good Durst or Omega enlarger with a colour head (even if you don't want to print colour you can use the magenta for polycontrast paper). Two timers, at least one which has to have a timed outlet for the enlarger, four trays (11x17 if you can), print washer, grain magnifier, safelights, and don't forget the film side of it; a changing bag, couple of 2-3 roll patterson tanks, thermometers and LOTS of good-quality chemical containers.