Coop du Jour: another Playhouse Coop (pics)

Today was a picture perfect New England spring day, and DH spent most of it working on our Playhouse Coop. It went together pretty well, I'd say that one or two people with advanced intermediate wood working skills will have no problem.



We were able find to all of the materials at Lowes, and the only real change we made was to use Tuftex vinyl panels for the roof instead of standing metal seam, which I could not find anywhere in such a small quantity and still be cost-effective. The Tuftex panels also came from Lwoes.



I started painting it today, and will finish it up tomorrow, which is supposed to be a nice day as well. Then it needs just the roof, exterior trim and the interior stuff.



Sorry about the weeds! This part of our yard has been sadly neglected while we work on other renovations, but now that the coop is here I need to get this area back in shape!

~Phyllis

 

Quote:Hi Carla,

Oh sure I can give you some more info on the roofing;

The Tuftex panels we found at Lowes are 12 feet long x 26 inches wide, and two panels will be enough for the coop. The other material you need are what Tuftex calls "wave closure strips", basically either foam or wooden strips that mirror the corrugation pattern on one side and are flat on the other. You will need these to set the roof panels onto the coop. The last special item are neoprene coated screws that Tuftex also makes and sells with the panels.

The Tuftex website had a good installation guide with an excellent schematic drawing that shows how to install the panels in several different spplications (pitiched roof, single slope roof, side panel or fence, etc.)

You won't have a lot of color choice; the opaque panels come in only two colors; dark green and beige but this product is not expensive, compared to standing seam metla roof anyway, I think one panel is maybe $12? So I was more than happy to live with the limited color choice at that price! I could not find standing seam metal roofing for less than $150.

The panels are in the roofing section at Lowes, but you may need to ask for them because in our store they were located way in the back, and we almost didn't see them.

These panels are not heavy - a teenager could pick one up - and they are relatively rigid, being stiff in the direction of the corrugation and they flex on the short side. I don't see this as a problem because the roof is so small. The vinyl is rated to withstand temps from -40 to 150 degrees F and the color will not fade. You can also cut it with a circular saw.

Tuftex also makes a stiff polycarbonate corrgated panel; Lowes did not have that so you'd need to contact Tuftex for details on that.

The roof is going on today hopefully!

~Phyllis

 

Quote:I really went went back and forth in my mind on inuslation, and decided to not to use it in the end. The Playhouse Coop is meant only for 2-3 birds, and we picked cold hardy breeds anyway, so I thnk their collective body heat will keep them warm. I suppose I could add insulation into the "attic" section if I really need to. I also think insulation will work against me during a hot summer, and I'm more concerned about overheated birds than cold ones because we'll have heavy feathered breeds.

Dennis (the man who sells the Playhouse Coop plans) lives in Wisconsin and his prototype is not insulated either. He does cover the hardware cloth sides with heayv plastic in the winter to keep the snow and wind off the birds, so I'm sure we'll do the same.

I'm going to hang the feed and water cans under the houuse, and the water can will probably be glavanized steel so that in cold weather I can set it on one of those heated metal plates that McMuarray sells through their catalog.

~Phyllis