Coop Foundation Question

[equusbeth]

I'm in the process of laying out plans for my coop/run and I ran into a question. I'm basing it off the Wichita Cabin Coop (https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=66725-wichita-cabin-coop) and was going to use the same idea they did for the foundation (cement pavers buried to prevent digging predators with a wood frame on top).

My question is, how do I attach the wood frame of the coop to the foundation, aka the cement pavers? Is the weight of the coop going to be enough to hold it steady on the foundation on a windy day or do I need something to attach the coop to the cement pavers?

I'm new and not a carpenter or expert builder (obviously) so any thoughts or advice are greatly appreciated!! Thank you!!

Bethany

 

[Toothless Willie]

Very cute coop, but from what I can tell it is in no fashion pinned or attached to it's foundation, and it should be anywhere you might have significant wind activity, which these days I would hazard to say is pretty much everywhere.

Normally a wooden structure is connected to it's foundation using bolts, rebar, or other fastener created for that purpose. Normally concrete blocks are laid and the "cells filled with concrete, and a threaded rod imbedded into the wet concrete. The bottom plate is drilled and washers and nuts torqued down on the rods or bolts once the concrete has set.

For solid precast concrete the most normal method is the use of a RamSet. A pneumatic or explosive gun which shoots an anchor through the bottom plate and into the face of the paver. Barring this there are a variety of connectors which are made to be driven into the ground alongside of the wall and then fastened to the studs. Most of your big box stores, (Lowes/Home Depot, etc) carry such fasteners for a variety of applications.

I would not depend on the weight of the coop alone unless it is in a very protected location.

 

[moetrout]

It should be fine unattached to the paver foundation. I have a 6'x8' coup on 4x4's that set on 4 inch thick blocks. The wood foundation is not attached to the blocks.

 

[SC-ChickMom]

If you worry about it not being attached to the pavers, buy adhesive for concrete and glue the wood to the pavers. Cheap and easy.

 

[Five Dog Farm]

I wouldn't worry about attaching it to the pavers. The pavers aren't going to hold anything down. They're not a true footing or foundation anyways. Most sheds aren't attached to a foundation or footing and you don't them blowing down the street very often. The easiest and cheapest was to hold it down would be to use some ground ties. You can get them at home improvement stores. screw them into the ground and secure them to the structure with strapping.

 

[NovaAman]

He doesn't have it in a wide open space either, so, if you are going to put it infront of a wind break, I think you should be ok. I with I had seen this before I built my coop 2 wks ago... I would have done it on a larger scale though... 18 birds...

 

[wava1vaughn]

Hi from Ga. I'm building a 5'x8' Banty coop, for the foundation I'm burying PT 4x4 then screwing the frame to the foundation. Its a lot less money that way.

 

[baldessariclan]

Hi,

We didn't anchor our coop to the ground -- it just sits on top of the pavers and it's own weight holds it down. I didn't want to tie it down just in case I needed to move it (if neighbors need to fix fence, or we expand our garage someday, etc.).

As some people have noted above, our coop is situated in a fairly sheltered area, so winds haven't been an issue (yet...). It's actually pretty heavy, and has not shown any signs of shifting even after wind storms. However, this is Kansas, and suspect there's a good chance that it may eventually tip over someday, but that could be another 10 - 20 years down the road, so still plenty of time to procrastinate...

If you are putting your coop into an open area, you'll probably want to consider sinking the corner posts into concrete, or using cable tie-downs, screw anchors, or similar. However, if you're building next to a larger building and/or have larger fences/trees nearby, you may be ok with it just sitting freely on a flat base of pavers or similar.

 

[colebarnhart]

Not sure how windy it gets where you're at, but here in Tulsa, OK the wind is insane and much worse on just regular days than the many hurricanes & tropical storms I went through living in FL. So I would attach it, but once again that's just me and I've had too many things go flying through the air. It's actually pretty easy and I'm sure you could research it online or buy a $10 orange basic home depot how to book, but when you're pouring your concrete you can put some bolts into the floor around the perimeter before it dries. Then drill holes into your 2x4's that you put on the bottom of your wall frames, then put up your 2x4 walls, put on a washer and screw on the nut to the bolt and thats it, you're attached.

 

[equusbeth]

Thanks everyone! This is super helpful! It's going to be in a fairly open area that can get pretty windy on rare occasions, so I think I'm going to fasten it down somehow, just for peace of mind. I'm looking into all of your suggestions, thanks so much!!

Bethany