How much did you spend on your DIY coop?

[wifeyschlegel]

my current 4x8 with 8x12 attached covered run cost around 200-250 but i also had access to the 2x3s i framed it with.
Also if i needed to buy 4 2x4s, I would just buy one 2x12 and rip it to size on the table saw. I found it to be a bit more work but often more cost efficient. I used a 4x8 pallet as my base and framed off of it as well which helped in the saving
Didnt keep a tally but over the course of the entire build, that little bit of saving added up

Yeah we checked to see if buying larger 2x4s and cutting them in half was cheaper, but it was actually cheaper to buy 7.5 foot ones, so we went with that. Thanks!

 

[TerryH]

How much did we spend? Well..... Lets just say it was more than $550.

 

[FlyWheel]

My ladies coop is 6' x 8' (48sqft), a walk in and it cost me around $900+/- to finish. Granted I was going for a nice looking one rather than just functional, and a respectable portion came from stuff I already had on hand. So "Your Results May Vary".

$500 for a 4x8 sounds about right though. best bet is to "window shop" for similar sized manufactured coops and see how much they would have cost you. Remember, go by the actual size of the coop, not how many chickens they claim it can house!

 

[Mechtel8989]

Material costs are what they are, there's not much you can do about that. At least you will get what you want and it will be built well

 

[Compost King]

all my coops, with the exception of one, has been a DIY slap together coop with mostly free or repurposed materials. One I am working on now I just paid for the roofing ($21), the concrete block it sits non $10, and Screws $??. I will estimate $35, However I haven't put in doors yet and often I need to put money into them or they aren't predator proof. I have built some completely with scrap laying around or collected from people throwing stuff out. The biggest challenge is the roof. I considered splitting Bamboo in half and making something similar to Spanish tile but thats a lot of labor for something that would need to be replaced frequently.

 

[JoannaRae]

My husband and I purchased a used child’s playhouse to convert into a chicken coop for $75. It was all cedar so I knew it would last outside. After building a base, nesting box, a new roof and adding a 6x8 run.. we were well over $500. We had shingles, paint, and some wood already so these things did not add to the cost. The coop is hardy and well built so I know it was worth the money and time. But a coop is NOT CHEAP if you want it to last

 

[Al Capon]

$1k+, building supplies add up quick..

 

[coach723]

$1K++, honestly never went back afterward and added it all up, don't really want to know, everything was purchased. All my must haves (my first coop made me crazy with frustration), my DH had to have something that looked good, so this was the end product. Some mods since it was done, large 100 x 100 fenced open run with nursery area added, automatic door added, more nest boxes, more roosts in run. Inside is deep litter now, obviously the grass lasted a minute and a half. It's been through hurricanes with no issues, anchored with mobile home anchors and coop posts are 3+ feet in the ground. Never had a predator get in. This year it needs to be repainted........

 

[MROO]

Sounds reasonable to me! Between the initial conversion and subsequent fixes and modifications, we've spent nearly that on a large playhouse/sandbox conversion. The playhouse is the coop; the two sandboxes are the run. Coop and run construction costs are the first reality checks we get when we start with chickens. And people think we're into it for the "free eggs!"
Good Luck - and if you can ... post pics!

 

[PirateGirl]

I spent about $200 on my 4'x5' coop and extended run. Almost all of the wood was salvaged as well as the shingles. The only purchases were a roll of fencing, hardware (hinges, screws, fence staples, latches, etc.), and a gallon of exterior paint. I think that cost included an extension cord and a new drill which made our lives a million times easier and we've gotten much use out of both items since.