I've come to the conclusion, reading here a while now, that the best beginner coop for most people is a walkin 8' X 8' with the roof slanted to one side with an overhang. You make your main vent at the highest part of the coop and it has a built in weather barrier; easy enough to add a shutter if needed. Nests inside to save money and work, and because you need to check on them and find the eggs that missed the nest box anyway. Usually room to store feed and such. Also, room to stay in on bad weather days for a moderate number of birds. Excellent economical use of materials; anything smaller and you won't spend much less anyway. Indoor nests can be cardboard boxes or anything else lying around. Make the pop door downwind so you can give them the choice of going out, which they will in all but heavy storms, esp. if you shovel the snow out of their way. Holds 16 large birds safely, is a wonderful place for them if you have fewer, and can be added onto fairly easily if you want more. Uses standard material sizes well. You can increase floor space easily with a walkin by simply raising the nests high enough that they can walk under them, and there is still room to put the roost higher than the nests. Makes cleaning and working with them a lot easier, esp. if it is windy or raining or whatever. Small short coops are almost impossible to vent well without creating a draft on the birds, and are simply smaller than chickens like; I would not have one except as something like a sick room, broody coop, breeder, etc.
Unlike many on here, I don't keep adding bird after bird without some culling going on at the same time. My coop is about 11x17, big enough in this climate for a lot more than 14 birds (and 7 eggs under a broody.) There are SO many reasons I'm glad it's not smaller.
