Playhouse to Coop Conversion on Shoestring Budget (UPDATE)

Am just getting back into keeping a backyard flock after 25 years. I live in a nice neighborhood in a small town that's not particularly poultry friendly. Property is 1/3 acre, but not fenced. So, my challenge is to come up with a coop and run that is functional, doesn't scream "I'm a chicken coop," and do it all on a shoestring budget. I found several members here at BYC who had converted Little Tykes playhouses. That looked like just the ticket for me so I bought one on Craigslist for $75, a roll of 1/2" hardware cloth for $16, $12.00 in misc. hardware (flat metal braces and a box of washers), and a bunch of free lumber scavenged from pallets in the bone yard where my DH works. Decided I'd start a thread detailing my playhouse to coop conversion and a run made from mostly recycled materials - partly for bragging rights and partly to chronicle the process for the next newbie needing some ideas on an inexpensive (and cute) coop and run for themselves.

Here's the Little Tykes playhouse I bought. Not sure what model this is, but it's larger than a few I'd looked at. This one is about 4'x5' (outside dimension). Notice the flat metal brackets near the four corners. I added these for structural strength and so the coop can be moved without it coming apart. For those who don't know, these playhouses are meant to be quick assembly/quick knock-down. You'll need to add the bracing and some additional screws to the roof so that it won't fall apart in the first big wind.


This model has 2 small arched windows with hot pick shutters and two very large arched windows without shutters. I will be hanging an exterior nest box on one of those larger windows. The other will only be screened until foul weather, when I'll add a plexiglass covering.

This photo shows the nest box window with basic wood framing. Once the box is built, it will be attached to the wood frame with screws and I'll probably add a bracket to the bottom for some additional support. Since it will likely be late summer before the ladies will need to nest, I'll cover this opening with hardware cloth now and add the nest box later.


This next photo shows the back side of the coop which will butt up to run. Notice the fortuitous little arched opening at ground level. It seems perfectly suited for a pop door, doesn't it? It will be temporarily screened, however, so the ladies can spend some time out in their new digs while I'm working on the run in Phase II of this project. That big window will get the addition of a rectangular plexiglass window in addition to the screen - hence the wood framing. The arch at the top will remain open for good ventilation. If the weather turns really bitter next winter, I'll add some sort of temporary cover.


For the benefit of the newbies with questions on how to secure hardware cloth inside the coop, this is a photo of one of the small shuttered windows. I used the screws with a small rubber washer that were leftover from my greenhouse project. There are meant to secure the corrugated fiberglass roofing. I added a larger metal washer so it can't pull through the 1/2" openings on the hardware cloth.


Here's an interior shot showing most of the hardware cloth installed. This is looking through the window that will look out to the run. The pop door will be in the opening at the bottom right.


Last photo is an exterior shot showing most of the wire installed. At a distance, it still looks pretty much like a kid's playhouse - which is what I'm shooting for.


This is as far as I got in about 4 hours of no rain here in the Pacific Northwest. I'll update this thread as the project progresses. Hope you find it interesting, if not informative.

My project cost so far: $103.00

I would be remiss if I didn't post one last photo...these are my sweet little girls at 2 days old (now 3 1/2 wks)...6 Light Brahmas. No names yet. Until they feather out, I can't tell them apart.

Beautiful. I plan on squirting some of that insulation into a few drilled holes to keep the cold out, in a few spaces I was able to cut along the bottom and slide in some thin pieces of foam insulation. It was easy to do the roof. On the door windows I didnt put screen just some plexi for light I did that one one wall window too. I added plexi around the door so that the seal was more closed. Here in Maine we have to keep the cold out.

I love it...Great idea

What a neat idea! I have been running through several options for our first chicken coop, things that I could convert, but hubby has vetoed them all. He would rather build one. He is a great (over)builder, so I know it will last the test of time. I am curious to see how this turns out. Thank you for chronicling your progress. I am certain that your creativity will spark a ton of new ideas for others.

Will 6 chickens be comfortable in that house for the winter? I'm always worry they do not have enough space so there is no pecking fights.

I HAVE THE SAME ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!What a hoot, we are doing the same thing this spring!!!!!!!!! It will be my breeding pen!!!!!!!!!!

Good luck, looks great!!!!!!!!!!


Gotta show this to the DH!!!!!!!

thats adorable!!!

Great conversion you did, and you got IMO the best breed in the world!

Thanks for the nice comments everyone.

Thanks for the input on insulation, Card. Been ruminating on that, too. Winter in these parts is dramatically milder than Maine, but we can get several weeks of freezing weather in the winter. It's really headline news, however, if it makes it down into the teens. We average one halfhearted snowfall, too. I've been wondering if the double wall construction of this playhouse and the installation of a ceiling light would keep it warm enough on those rare occasions when hell freezes over. The completed coop will be 24" off the ground, plywood floor covered with painted cement board and 3-6" of wood shavings. I have access to some high density styrofoam sheets (also from the boneyard at DH's work) for temporary window coverings. These can be inserted from the outside to deter the hens pecking at them. I may hold off on going to the expense of spraying that expanding foam insulation into the walls until I see how this performs. I'll use the hen's water supply in the coop as the decision maker. If the water freezes, I'll spray foam in the walls.

The jury is still out on the question of "is this enough space for 6 hens," Dumb_cluck. It may not be. I bought six chicks because I wanted to make sure that I ended up with three hens. The feed store said these were all females, but no guarantees. I'd have to rehome any Roos. In fact, I've started calling one of the chicks Izzy - as in, "Izzy a boy or Izzy a girl?" If they all turn out to be hens and I have an overcrowding issue, I'll reduce the flock to 4. I'm confident that the coop is big enough for that number.

OMG, Sheaviance1, my DH is like that, too. An "over-builder" in the extreme. He's the manager of Quality Control at an aerospace firm. Go figure. He's wrapped so tight, he squeaks when he walks It took him 2 full summers to build my greenhouse. He even had one of the engineers draw up blueprints on the CAD computer at work! He offered to build a coop and run for me, but I said I really wanted the satisfaction of doing it myself. Not sure he bought that story. Truth was, I didn't think the hens could wait 2 years for a roof over their little heads. God bless him, though. He's been wonderful about pulling apart pallets at work and bringing home all the lumber I want.

That is so awesome, Jerseygirl! I'm eager to see what modifications you do with your playhouse.

Construction is on hold due to the interminable rain we get here in the Pacific Northwest. Weatherman says clearing for the weekend, so I'll probably post an update on this project Saturday or Sunday. Meantime, keep those questions coming. I'm open to any and all suggestions on how to make this a really great home for my girls.

What will you do for light in the winter? How about heating in the winter?