Converting dog run & shed

[Osburnsa]

I am trying to convert my existing dog house & run into a coop. The dog house itself is more of a shed with no door. It's 8x8 with a vaulted ceiling & lighting both inside & out & a cement floor.The attached chain link run is 10x13 with a dirt floor. I plan on putting hardware cloth around the bottom with an apron, & over the run as well. Does that sound secure enough? My main question is with the door.I'm not a very handy kind of girl, so I need something simple. I live in west Texas high desert, so it doesn't get that cold in winters, but summers are tough. I asked some local chicken keepers & they all said just to put a screen door on it with hardware cloth. Would that be sufficient? I'm open to all ideas here, just keep in mind my lack of crafting ability.

Stephanie

 

[Mims]

I don't have advice, I'm not even started yet, but where in West Texas are you? I'm near Lamesa, but work in Midland.

 

[Cheep N Peep]

I live in Colorado, (hot, dry summers, cold, snowy winters), but I did see a thread where you might finds some helpful ideas: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/163417/please-show-me-your-hot-weather-coops

Any way, to me, it looks like everyone building these sorts of coops are trying to get as much airflow as possible into their coop, with a large roof overhang for shade/rain cover, and storm windows (plexiglass, wood shutters, etc.) for winter.
If you don't have any windows, you could cut one out in the side of the shed, cover it in 1/4 inch hardware cloth on the inside, and use the cut out as a wooden storm window, holding it on with latches or hinges. Then you could measure the doorway, build a wooden frame to fit, then cover it in hardware cloth and use a sheet of plexi glass for a storm window. The door would be pretty easy to make, just screw some two by twos together into a 'door' shape, put on the cloth, ad some one by twos on top of the two by twos to make a hardware cloth sandwich, and you have a door.

 

[Osburnsa]

Mims, I'm on 62/180 between El Paso & Dell City.

Thanks, for the suggestions, Cheep n Peep. That sounds doable.

 

[Mims]

Dell City is beautiful. My brother goes up there to take photos.

 

[Osburnsa]

Unfortunately, I'm closer to El Paso, but it's nice up here. I'm at the top of the mountain, so it's about 10 degrees cooler than El Paso, & much prettier!