Anyone frame their coop walls in garage first?

[JackE]

The first photo I did in this thread with the plywood facing the other direction it was 4' wide and then a 1' wide piece. But by turning the plywood the other way I had to change that so it would line up to meet on a joist - therefore, it's giving me those odd widths. I'm trying to play around now in SketchUp to figure out maybe spacing the joists closer or doing something so I can have a 4' piece and a 2' piece that will meet on a joist.

You could just put the joists on 24" centers. That's what I did with my coop. I used 2X8s for the joists, and went over that with 3/4" plywood. It's a chicken coop, not the TajMahal. That's plenty for a coop floor.

 

[ShawnRich]

The joists do not all need to fall on 16" centers. do most of them that way, and then "fudge" the last one if you have to. As JackE says, you can go to 24" centers but for 3/4" ply, if you are to walk on it, you will find it might move a bit. Floors in houses are often (mostly) 12" centers but most of us weigh much more than a chicken...;-) For this application, I like the 16" centers and if the last spacing is like 11" or 18" ....not a big deal, IMHO.

Again, just my 2 cents.

I am a little farther north than you are had a similar winter.

 

[sacrifice]

I am almost done with my coop, and decided to do the framing in my shed then attach the frames to the floor. It worked out quite well, with everything fitting together beautifully. The important thing for me was to measure, and measure, and then re-measure. I am pretty terrible at wood working, so I figured that working in a warm place, with a huge flat floor, and in non-windy conditions was the best thing.

If anyone is wondering - the coop is (closely) based off the plans for "The Daisy" coop. I modified some of the dimensions to better fit what I had on hand and what I wanted.

 

[chiknhurder]

You could also do like I did and double your square footage without increasing the 30 square feet footprint by building 2 stories.

 

[jbher]

The joists do not all need to fall on 16" centers. do most of them that way, and then "fudge" the last one if you have to. As JackE says, you can go to 24" centers but for 3/4" ply, if you are to walk on it, you will find it might move a bit. Floors in houses are often (mostly) 12" centers but most of us weigh much more than a chicken...;-) For this application, I like the 16" centers and if the last spacing is like 11" or 18" ....not a big deal, IMHO.

Again, just my 2 cents.

I am a little farther north than you are had a similar winter.

Ohhhhh boy... my OCD will really be on high alert with that HAHA!!! I will give it a try and see what I come up with...

 

[chiknhurder]

The joists do not all need to fall on 16" centers. do most of them that way, and then "fudge" the last one if you have to. As JackE says, you can go to 24" centers but for 3/4" ply, if you are to walk on it, you will find it might move a bit. Floors in houses are often (mostly) 12" centers but most of us weigh much more than a chicken...;-) For this application, I like the 16" centers and if the last spacing is like 11" or 18" ....not a big deal, IMHO.

Again, just my 2 cents.

I am a little farther north than you are had a similar winter.

Not that this matters regarding a coop, but it's extremely rare to see 12 inch spacing on joists in the Midwest. I sold lumber for years and 2x10's that are 16 inch on center is the norm. I'm pretty positive this is standard nationwide. The dimension of the lumber, the grade of the lumber and spacing are all determined by the free span of the joists. If more support is needed, as in the case of a large 2 story with large rooms, 2x12's can be used or if too long for that, then a 12 inch spacing could be an option.

My coop is 32 square feet on the main floor (4x8 foot). I used 2x6's on 24 inch centers because they are only spanning 4 foot plus I used 3/4 inch plywood would that also adds stiffness. I weigh about 240 and have been in there many times to do work or clean it out with no problems or bounce.

 

[ShawnRich]

I guess I was thinking of my recent building..the joists are 12" as is the house I am in. Canada....maybe different standards. Regardless, 16-24"...it is not a house you frequent in. I would still be concerned about the 1' piece of plywood not having both edges on a joist. That was my only concern.

 

[chiknhurder]

Ripping a 3 inch piece off of a sheet of 4x8 plywood and ending up with a sheet that is 45 x 96 inches would also be 30 square feet. One piece of plywood and run the joists the 45 inch way. The 8 foot length would give a lot more room for roosting birds. Just food for thought.

45"x96"=4320 square inches divided by 144=30 square feet

 

[JaceAgain]

Thats how we are doing it, very smart we are assembling the entire wall including the siding in the garage, and then we'll carry them out to the yard. Just lay it on the level concrete and screw together, much easier than outside. The roof and shingles will go on outside, and so will the nest box/windows and doors.

Wow including the siding!! Won't that be super heavy!?

My plans are pretty small. Itll be easier to keep it square and hang the siding( plywood) while its horizontal vs vertical. And my husband can help me carry it out and set it in place

 

[ShawnRich]

Here is another one, play by play of exactly what you would like to do, I think.

I forgot I had it bookmarked

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/consdrss-coop-2009