"The Garden Coop" Questions

[406Jen]

I'm building a coop using purchased plans from TheGardenCoop.com

I'm at the point where my purlins for the roof are painted and ready to be attached in anticipation of the roofing, but I'm second guessing the SunTuf stuff. I'm not of the school of thought that chickens need higher quality building materials than humans, so I'm willing to use tin or an alternative.

1) Have you used a less expensive substitute on the roof, and if so was weight a factor? I assume a big plus of the SunTuf is that it's lightweight. The foundation for the roof is 4 2x4s gridded with 4 2x2s. Decent weight bearing ability, but not huge. I want to use metal roofing, but if I do that will I have to put down roof decking boards, tar paper, etc? Or will a simple sheet of metal attached to some wood slats be sufficient? (I live in Montana - my area we regularly get down to -40 in the winter and over 100 in the summer)

2) I know there are quite a few people who use these plans, but I couldn't find a thread specific to them. If this question is more appropriate asked elsewhere, just let me know and I'll go there.

Thanks so much!

Jen

 

[jetdog]

I used the sun tuff solar gray and the snow slides off with a little persuasion, I've had upwards of 3 feet of snow on top before I could clear it off,very light weight and easy to work with easy to cut if needed, been 2 years now and no leaks or cracks. All in all I'm happy with it.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I agree with Jetdog on the ease that snow slides off with. There are different grades of suntuff though so be careful which one you choose. I used a lesser grade on a small coop and it started getting cracks after one year.

As to the metal roofing.....
My large coop has reclaimed metal roofing and no issues so far. We get a lot of snow and temps down to -20 last winter. We are a drier climate typically here so condensation was not as big a concern for me as it may be for others. I did not use decking or tar paper. You may want to consider that if the coop is short the combs of those chickens will be awfully close to some extremely cold metal in the winter. (Thinking of tongue on flagpole kind of cold) If you can I would use decking under it or do a more finished roof with insulation board and sheeting inside to keep them from eating the insulation.

My roof trusses are 2x6 and spaced every 2 feet.
Not the best shots but you get the idea I think.

 

[aart]

I'm building a coop using purchased plans from TheGardenCoop.com

I'm at the point where my purlins for the roof are painted and ready to be attached in anticipation of the roofing, but I'm second guessing the SunTuf stuff. I'm not of the school of thought that chickens need higher quality building materials than humans, so I'm willing to use tin or an alternative.

1) Have you used a less expensive substitute on the roof, and if so was weight a factor? I assume a big plus of the SunTuf is that it's lightweight. The foundation for the roof is 4 2x4s gridded with 4 2x2s. Decent weight bearing ability, but not huge. I want to use metal roofing, but if I do that will I have to put down roof decking boards, tar paper, etc? Or will a simple sheet of metal attached to some wood slats be sufficient? (I live in Montana - my area we regularly get down to -40 in the winter and over 100 in the summer)

2) I know there are quite a few people who use these plans, but I couldn't find a thread specific to them. If this question is more appropriate asked elsewhere, just let me know and I'll go there.

Thanks so much!

Jen

Should probably hold the metal...but condensation could be an issue as could heat transfer if in the sun.

I'd ask the Garden Coop guy....or look at the comment section on the coop...he's real good about answering questions.

 

[406Jen]

Should probably hold the metal...but condensation could be an issue as could heat transfer if in the sun.

I'd ask the Garden Coop guy....or look at the comment section on the coop...he's real good about answering questions.

That's a good suggestion, but I'm having trouble finding the q&a thread. Can you help?

 

[aart]

Quote:
His site is complicated, and maybe not well organized, but.......


On this page:
http://www.thegardencoop.com/chicken-coop-plans.html



Near the bottom is this:
We're happy to answer any other questions you might have about our chicken coop designs and plans.

Just click here to send us an email. If you currently have The Garden Coop plans, click here to see answers to additional FAQs for current customers.

 

[406Jen]

Thank you both for the answers - the coop will be 3' slanted up to 4' tall, so I'm not worried about combs touching the roof. The area in which we live is actually classified as a high mountain desert (less than 10"/year precip) so I'm not worried about condensation from weather, but knowing that the girls themselves will give off moist heat is something to watch for. Maybe a piece of plywood over the house portion only to cut down on that possibility.....


I just got a call from a contractor friend who has enough scrap metal roofing from a project to give it to me, so I just saved bunch of $$! Wahoo!!

 

[aart]

Thank you both for the answers - the coop will be 3' slanted up to 4' tall, so I'm not worried about combs touching the roof. The area in which we live is actually classified as a high mountain desert (less than 10"/year precip) so I'm not worried about condensation from weather, but knowing that the girls themselves will give off moist heat is something to watch for. Maybe a piece of plywood over the house portion only to cut down on that possibility.....


I just got a call from a contractor friend who has enough scrap metal roofing from a project to give it to me, so I just saved bunch of $$! Wahoo!!

<thumbsup> on free roofing!!

Cold temps, humidity and metal may gather condensation that drips down on birds.

Near freezing temps and humidity are what causes frostbite...best to have as much room as possible between roost and roof, and lots of high ventilation so humid ammonia laden air can escape coop