Adapt a prebuilt shed or build your own?

[Martha in missouri]

Morning from Missouri, ☀

I am leaning towards a pre-built shed and adapting to a coop. It will be a wooden type. I have questions about how/where to place it. Or would it be better just to build my own? If I built my own, I like the Wichita style.

With a shed would rot be an issue from sitting on the ground/gravel?

BTW, my husband is in no way a handyman type. 🛠

Thanks!

 

[ColoradoPip]

Based on the information you've provided I recommend buying and modifying a shed. I am in the process of building my own and it's not easy, takes a huge amount of time (and patience), and if I didn't have a lot of free wood I would have seriously considered a shed.

The shed should be placed on top of treated 4x4s (or concrete) which will protect it from the ground.

 

[DobieLover]

Morning from Missouri, ☀

I am leaning towards a pre-built shed and adapting to a coop. It will be a wooden type. I have questions about how/where to place it. Or would it be better just to build my own? If I built my own, I like the Wichita style.

With a shed would rot be an issue from sitting on the ground/gravel?

BTW, my husband is in no way a handyman type. 🛠

Thanks!

If you can build, building it yourself will be less expensive and you can build it exactly the way you want.
The benefit of modifying a pre-built shed is time saving or utilization of an un-used structure.
My DH can no longer build. I do all the building here.
If you build, you would want to set the shed on a compacted base of crushed stone on high ground and build the floor on a skid of 2, level pressure treated 4x4s.

 

[AgnesGray]

My husband and I are nearing completion of a 10x10 shed coop we bought at Lowes. It didn't come with the floor so a floor had to be built for it and there are vague instructions on how to do that in the kit (We should have paid more and let them install it with the roof - it's worth it in hindsight. We added windows and ventilation. Overall, it was very doable and came out ok, although we 100% agree that we will never do that again. Next one we will build ourselves.

If we had it to do over and with the experience that I had before I started (so less than now), I wish we would have bought coop plans and built that instead. Not only for the cost savings, but for the pre-planned layouts and having everything geared to chickens from the get go... less afterthought revisions which are making it drag on much longer than anticipated. Just my two cents.... can totally be done though.

 

[21hens-incharge]

A big question is if you have tools and time......

If you do and find very good instructions it is less costly to build your own.
We will all be here to cheer you on and lend our help if you get stuck.

 

[K0k0shka]

You don't have to rely on your husband to build things. Women can learn to build, too (and anything else really). In this day and age, all you need is Youtube, some tools and materials, and you're all set. It's never been easier to pick up a new skill!

 

[AgnesGray]

You don't have to rely on your husband to build things. Women can learn to build, too (and anything else really). In this day and age, all you need is Youtube, some tools and materials, and you're all set. It's never been easier to pick up a new skill!

This is why I say "we"! It's been both of us the entire way through and we wouldn't want to do it any other way! Our skill sets complement each others so neither of us would want to do it alone.

 

[K0k0shka]

This is why I say "we"! It's been both of us the entire way through and we wouldn't want to do it any other way! Our skill sets complement each others so neither of us would want to do it alone.

That was meant for the OP, but yes, it's always more fun to do it together!

 

[AgnesGray]

That was meant for the OP, but yes, it's always more fun to do it together!

Rereading it, that makes way more sense! Got a notification saying "replied to your post", but it's been a long day so maybe I misread that as well. ✌

 

[K0k0shka]

Rereading it, that makes way more sense! Got a notification saying "replied to your post", but it's been a long day so maybe I misread that as well. ✌

Probably said I replied to a post you're following as I didn't quote you.