BaaKaaawk's Spring 2020 Coop Build Thread :)

[Rachela]

Here's today's update- got the front on! I think this officially puts me on Day 10.

Need to figure out what to do above the front door there... big open space. Maybe a coop sign. Was also thinking of doing a little sign that said all the inhabitants and their names and possibly year added. Nothing elaborate, but I could kind of use a stencil and use a color that was close to their color. Would add an interesting element.

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What kind of siding did you use? Very classic look to it.

 

[BaaKaaawk]

What kind of siding did you use? Very classic look to it.

Actually, I used treated fence boards from Lowes (6' dog-eared ones in huge piles in the outdoor lumber area). They only cost $1.65 per board. So if you do the quick math, you're getting 3 square feet of coverage for about 55 cents per square foot- and a great look in the process, plus it is treated lumber for long outdoor life. A sheet of 4x8 subfloor plywood costs around $20 which is around 65 cents per square foot and doesn't look anywhere near as nice. The big difference is the labor of course- you can slap a sheet of plywood up and you're done... doing a bunch of lap siding takes a lot of time and cuts.

 

[briarandwillow]

That's honestly the cutest dang thing. Good job building it all yourself!

 

[Rachela]

Actually, I used treated fence boards from Lowes (6' dog-eared ones in huge piles in the outdoor lumber area). They only cost $1.65 per board. So if you do the quick math, you're getting 3 square feet of coverage for about 55 cents per square foot- and a great look in the process, plus it is treated lumber for long outdoor life. A sheet of 4x8 subfloor plywood costs around $20 which is around 65 cents per square foot and doesn't look anywhere near as nice. The big difference is the labor of course- you can slap a sheet of plywood up and you're done... doing a bunch of lap siding takes a lot of time and cuts.

Off to look at this product. So cool

 

[BaaKaaawk]

Off to look at this product. So cool

Here you go, price varies by area I assume. They usually stock these in big piles outside the lumber entrance.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Severe-Wea...d-Wood-Pine-Dog-Ear-Wood-Fence-Picket/3525606

 

[thomas_trevett]

Here you go, price varies by area I assume. They usually stock these in big piles outside the lumber entrance.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Severe-Wea...d-Wood-Pine-Dog-Ear-Wood-Fence-Picket/3525606

Alright, what's your next project?

 

[Rachela]

Here you go, price varies by area I assume. They usually stock these in big piles outside the lumber entrance.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Severe-Wea...d-Wood-Pine-Dog-Ear-Wood-Fence-Picket/3525606

Did you nail in or predrill? I’m assuming would be okay without any plywood behind if living in cold climate. Any advice on trim you used?

 

[BaaKaaawk]

Alright, what's your next project?

Painting this one! Haha. I actually just finished building a pretty awesome treehouse... I think I am going to take a break. When I sold my old coop where this one sat on craigslist, it literally sold in 1 day with like 20 emails about it... which told me there is a lot of demand here in Charlotte. So I think I may build some nice looking 4x4 coops for people here just to keep busy.

Did you nail in or predrill? I’m assuming would be okay without any plywood behind if living in cold climate. Any advice on trim you used?

I used 2" trim nails (a lot of them) on the siding. If you look at my interior pictures and the framing, you have to plan 2x4 nailers though so you have something to nail into. That's not hard, you just need them regularly spaced.

As for "trim" the window and door surrounds, etc. are all also those 1x6 fence posts! I just ripped them down with a circular saw (usually in half) and used that as my trim.

For the temperature, I don't really know northern coop building to be honest, you may want to ask someone like @aart about that. That said, with the lap siding (overlapping the bottoms and tops 1/2 inch) there are no gaps, so there should not be drafts if you had a solid bottom.

 

[thomas_trevett]

Not a negative question here, but what is the reasoning behind the hardware mesh flooring in the coop? Are you assuming they are going to spend the majority of the time roosting and this allows for the poop to come through the wire and decreases your clean-out time?

 

[BaaKaaawk]

Not a negative question here, but what is the reasoning behind the hardware mesh flooring in the coop? Are you assuming they are going to spend the majority of the time roosting and this allows for the poop to come through the wire and decreases your clean-out time?

It's 1x1 metal wire. It's plenty tough enough to keep predators out- but the wonderful thing is the poop (falling from 18-40 inches up) goes right through it. So I don't barely ever have to clean the coop- just rake the poop out from underneath, which is easy and takes just minutes.

I see you are in GA. An open bottom is one of the benefits of living in the south with our weather. You get up in the Northern states and they don't get that option- but then they build poop trays with the sand and those work like litterboxes.