Building a safe, but not overkill, roof for my coop/run

[chaschkn]

I am designing a coop and run for my backyard to hold up to about 5 chickens. I live in coastal South Carolina, where we can get some pretty intense weather.

One design has a roof with plywood over rafters then shingles (with a metal roof option), framed with 1x4s. In contrast, another design mounts metal or plastic sheeting directly on the rafters (or purlins?). I am hoping to put a metal roof on mine (corrugated) for shade and aesthetics.

My question is, in a location that won't have snow build up, which design choice is preferred? The coop will be within 6 feet of the house and a 6' fence, so it is somewhat sheltered from the elements, and I don't expect large limbs to be falling on it. There will still be wind at times (and even hurricanes). And I figure with only a 8' x 12' roof, the shingles won't buckle, and maybe the lack of materials will let them stay dryer and last longer.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be very helpful.


(followup question is about people's best recommendations for foundation..cinderblocks?)

edited by staff

 

[Judy]

You really only need the rafters and cross boards going across the rafters for a metal roof where there is no snow load, IMO. Where I live, peole build this way all the time, when it's for a shed, garage, etc. Personally, I would never install a shingled roof. Granted, the screws that hold the metal stick down into the shed. We just deal with that by building them tall enough that no one is going to get their head scraped by a screw. It's a rough building style, granted, but money saving and quick. You can have a pretty decent overhang for windows and vents with metal roofing, even without a plywood base.