Build Mentor in Texas?

[jthornton]

Hi! I'm just a girl with visions of chicken coop grandure with NO building skills + limited funds for pre done coops. I want to get my hands dirty, and I'm not afraid of hard work. I also own zero tools and wouldn't know how to use them. I am married but I am probably more handy around the house than he. Lol!

I'd love a mentor. Maybe someone I can help to build my coop so I can learn. Does anyone know where I'd find someone like this?

If not, any words of advice or nuggets of wisdom from those who were once in my shoes

You sound just like my neighbor, she has very few tools and makes everything from scrap and junk. She has several coops and they don't look anything like what you see on here but they are all fully functional.

JT

 

[stephanie@sunshineacrestx]

Look at what @STxChickenman has done so far as it can be covered in wood or metal if you can start with say 12 x 12 that way you do not have cut as many boards or sheeting of sizes you can buy and they will be large enough for the birds you want

That's a great idea! Thanks!

 

[stephanie@sunshineacrestx]

You sound just like my neighbor, she has very few tools and makes everything from scrap and junk. She has several coops and they don't look anything like what you see on here but they are all fully functional.

JT

That's awesome! I figure I should at least learn how to use a drill since that would make work easier!

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Here are plans for a 12 foot long by 8 foot tall panel. I make my runs panelized for easy installation and also to make them easy to disassemble. Hope this helps.

 

[Duckworth]

I built mine over the summer. Good tools to have are a cordless drill/screw driver and a chop/mitre saw. A simple hammer is also helpful. I also have a small, cordless circular saw, but didn't use it a lot. Home Depot will cut your sheet lumber for you.

In planning your build, you need to keep three measurements in mind:

1. The sizes lumber comes in at the store

2. The dimensions of lumber that can be safely transported by your vehicle

3. The dimensions that you need for your coop.

The first two drive the third. I have a mid-sized SUV. I can carry dimensional lumber (boards) as long as eight feet. I can also carry sheet lumber, like plywood, up to four feet wide. But I can't carry a four by eight foot sheet. I have to have that cut down to what will fit behind the front seats with the other seats down. Four by four foot sheets fit fine. So when I planned my build, I planned it based on the dimensions I could fit into my vehicle. I went to the store knowing what sizes of plywood I would need to fit my build at home and had the store do the cuts for me. That way, I needed to invest in fewer power tools. It's a duck coop, not fine furniture, so I don't need precision cutting, though my local Home Depot did a great job of getting it right.

I would recommend looking at several plans online, where people showed their step by step pictures. You may not choose to go with any of those plans, but seeing how things go together structurally will help you get a feel for what makes a small building go together and remain standing. Doghouses or sheds are good examples. I know how to use power tools and do a lot of building-type things, but I still looked at a lot of doghouses and sheds before I planned my own build. I learned things that made my build go better and fewer mistakes that I had to redesign. Note I said fewer mistakes.

If you get to a point in your build where something isn't working the way you envisioned it, STOP. Think about what else is going to rely on this part working right and what will really solve the problem. Then redesign so that things will work right. I redesigned the back doors to my duck house three times to get them right. I worked on the drawbridge-style door from the house to the run for days before figuring out how to compensate for the thickness of the insulation. (We have very cold winters.)

I've lived in SE Texas and the storms can be spectacular. You will want a build that can withstand a lot of wind. Consider putting your narrower side facing the prevailing storm winds and putting your ventilation on the sides that are less likely to have rain blown in by the wind. Put it in a well-drained spot, consider piers, and dig moats around your run to direct storm runoff away from your coop. Choose your roof design by what won't get blown off during a storm. Put gutters and downspouts on your coop eaves to take water away from your coop. You may want to use your house as a windbreak and put your coop on the side away from the coast, not necessarily against your house, but using your house to temper the winds.

I have ducks, so their needs are a little different. Here is my finished build. I forgot to take progress pictures.

 

[jthornton]

That's awesome! I figure I should at least learn how to use a drill since that would make work easier!

Actually after a saw the most used tool I have is an impact driver. I use Spax screws for most chicken construction projects. My wife says I'm a poster child for DeWalt lol so I use this impact driver. My neighbor got hers from Horrible Freight (Harbor Freight) I think it is this one.

JT

 

[pennyJo1960]

View attachment 1206808 Here are plans for a 12 foot long by 8 foot tall panel. I make my runs panelized for easy installation and also to make them easy to disassemble. Hope this helps.

the plan you laid out is much what i I showed her from a very new person just starting theirs the plan is great thank you

 

[stephanie@sunshineacrestx]

Actually after a saw the most used tool I have is an impact driver. I use Spax screws for most chicken construction projects. My wife says I'm a poster child for DeWalt lol so I use this impact driver. My neighbor got hers from Horrible Freight (Harbor Freight) I think it is this one.

JT

And it's on sale!

 

[stephanie@sunshineacrestx]

View attachment 1206808 Here are plans for a 12 foot long by 8 foot tall panel. I make my runs panelized for easy installation and also to make them easy to disassemble. Hope this helps.

Thanks for sharing your plan! Can I ask how you attach your panels together?

 

[stephanie@sunshineacrestx]

I built mine over the summer. Good tools to have are a cordless drill/screw driver and a chop/mitre saw. A simple hammer is also helpful. I also have a small, cordless circular saw, but didn't use it a lot. Home Depot will cut your sheet lumber for you.

In planning your build, you need to keep three measurements in mind:

1. The sizes lumber comes in at the store

2. The dimensions of lumber that can be safely transported by your vehicle

3. The dimensions that you need for your coop.

The first two drive the third. I have a mid-sized SUV. I can carry dimensional lumber (boards) as long as eight feet. I can also carry sheet lumber, like plywood, up to four feet wide. But I can't carry a four by eight foot sheet. I have to have that cut down to what will fit behind the front seats with the other seats down. Four by four foot sheets fit fine. So when I planned my build, I planned it based on the dimensions I could fit into my vehicle. I went to the store knowing what sizes of plywood I would need to fit my build at home and had the store do the cuts for me. That way, I needed to invest in fewer power tools. It's a duck coop, not fine furniture, so I don't need precision cutting, though my local Home Depot did a great job of getting it right.

I would recommend looking at several plans online, where people showed their step by step pictures. You may not choose to go with any of those plans, but seeing how things go together structurally will help you get a feel for what makes a small building go together and remain standing. Doghouses or sheds are good examples. I know how to use power tools and do a lot of building-type things, but I still looked at a lot of doghouses and sheds before I planned my own build. I learned things that made my build go better and fewer mistakes that I had to redesign. Note I said fewer mistakes.

If you get to a point in your build where something isn't working the way you envisioned it, STOP. Think about what else is going to rely on this part working right and what will really solve the problem. Then redesign so that things will work right. I redesigned the back doors to my duck house three times to get them right. I worked on the drawbridge-style door from the house to the run for days before figuring out how to compensate for the thickness of the insulation. (We have very cold winters.)

I've lived in SE Texas and the storms can be spectacular. You will want a build that can withstand a lot of wind. Consider putting your narrower side facing the prevailing storm winds and putting your ventilation on the sides that are less likely to have rain blown in by the wind. Put it in a well-drained spot, consider piers, and dig moats around your run to direct storm runoff away from your coop. Choose your roof design by what won't get blown off during a storm. Put gutters and downspouts on your coop eaves to take water away from your coop. You may want to use your house as a windbreak and put your coop on the side away from the coast, not necessarily against your house, but using your house to temper the winds.

I have ducks, so their needs are a little different. Here is my finished build. I forgot to take progress pictures.
View attachment 1206826
View attachment 1206831
View attachment 1206832

Wow!! Thanks for all that! You've given a LOT to consider! Can I ask a few follow up questions?
1. (Dumb question alert) In your SUV I'm assuming the boards stick out the back? Can you give tips on safe transport from store to home? I drive an Expedition so have some space especially with seats down but not enough for longer boards not to be completely in.
2. Is there a way to weight the coop or should I cement piers in to the ground in case of hurricanes/storms?

Thanks again for your response!!