8x8 Coop Building Diary!! *pictures* UPDATE on pg 7!

[enggass]

I will following closely. I am planning on an 8x8 footer this Spring myself and it too will have a lean-to roof. Probably 6' high down to 5' high. My plan is the same for the vents. What I'm curious to see is how you do the interior layout. I will probably end up filling mine up with 14+/- birds between this year and next. I currently have a 4'x6' coop housing 5 birds.
You are smart to plan big because you know you're gonna need it

 

[Morgan7782]

Of course! I went from an original MAXIMUM of 3 hens, to 6, and then 8. Well, 8 is my goal. Right now I have 4 hens, will be picking up two more in the coming weeks, and will be looking for RIR and Black Australorps in spring.

Chicken math is somethin' ain't it?! Haha! I will post pictures of the interior as well. We are just using one layer walls no need for insulation here, so the wall frame will be open on the inside. I will post pics though

LOL and I currently have a 2.5x6 foot coop housing 4 birds. Tight squeeze! But no trouble thank goodness because they free range all day. But I know they will be happy to have ALL that room!

 

[enggass]

Sounds good. I don't insulate either. Just some 5/8" Plywood/T1-11 probably. Cold climate here but the breeds I have - RIRs and BRs - are very cold hardy, and the the breeds I'll be hatching this Spring will be as well.

 

[HHandbasket]

Yeah, right. 8. Sure. Just like I was gonna stop at 5. Right? Hahahahaha!!!!!

BTW, that's one heckuva sexy builder you got there!

 

[debid]

I'm showing off your pictures while talking about what I want to build with my father who is not a professional contractor but who has built a number of structures. My dad is very worried about your foundation blocks sitting on top of the ground like that. He says that they should be on packed soil, at least, or they're going to shift and settle in the rain. He' s thinking that the quickest solution is to lift the floor up, dig down a foot or so where each block is sitting, and pour some Quickrete in the holes. Otherwise, he's fairly convinced the building will not remain square and level for very long at all.

Please do not shoot the messenger.

 

[cabincrazyone]

Quote:
I was wondering about that, too. It all depends on the type of soil, the amount of rain you get, and landscaping in regard to runoff or pooling.
It looks like the area chosen has been a flower garden in the past? If so, it's been till or turned and is soft-ish? If that's the case those small concrete pads will probably sink in. In my opinion it's the size of the pads on the ground that matters. (If you pour quickrete into a hole that's not much bigger around than the pad on top of it, it's still going to sink in. They need snowshoes! The footprint of each foundation pad must be bigger. If you're moving soon, a fast fix would be a 2x10x20 inch green treated plank under each pad.
If you were building that here in Minnesota, you'd have to plan for frost heaving, also.

Other than that, it's a fine example of craftsmanship. Kudos.

 

[Morgan7782]

No worries! That is a good suggestion. The ground beneath it is a mixture of pea gravel and packed wood chips from a stump we ground down. It is about as packed as it can get, but when I do move I will definately look into 'snowshoe' type additions to underneath the piers.

No snow here in Sacramento, and there will be light snow/dusting in Penn Valley if I move there. It doesn't get below 25 in Penn Valley often though. The ground it will be on up there will be softer I think, so I will probably use planks under the piers for extra support.

 

[debid]

Quote:
Oh, good! I was hoping you wouldn't log in to announce the walls were up only to learn that the building was likely to start sinking with the next big rain storm.

 

[PepsNick]

8, 9, 10, 100, 1,000...

I am also following very closely, as usual! This is so exciting- I will also be renovating a shed from Home Depot in a couple of months.

 

[audioguy]

We get our chicks in late April so I have some time to get my coop built. I plan to use a corner of our garden that sits behind our garage. Its about 6 X 8 in overall size. We are only getting 4 chicks to start so the size should be large enough (?).
I really like you plans so far and it looks really easy to build.
Can't wait to see it progress. I was also thinking the lean to idea for the roof as it would be much easier to gain entry.