Coop help

[Sylverfly]

Has anyone ever hired a handy man to build coops for them. The last time I tried to build anything I ended up sawing a two inch gash in my hand (with a hand saw mind you, how embarrassing) so I’m not much of a builder. So I was thinking of hiring a handyman to help( pretty much do everything). If I supplied the materials and tools how much do you think would be a fair price to pay, total or per hour. I don’t want to insult the guy with a low price but I also don’t want to be taken to the cleaners.

 

[joebryant]

If it were I, I'd try to find a ready-made shed on sale because it's been discontinued by Home Depot, Lowes, or Menards. Then I'd change it to have what I wanted in a chicken coop.

 

[oldchickenlady]

I hired a guy that my son told me about. He was the father of one of my son's friends. The guy works for himself and he came and did the framing, the walls, the roof, cut the hole and made the door, and installed 2 windows. He had help from me, my son, and his son. He charged me $150.00 plus an extra $50.00 for the roofing tin and some 2x4's that he said he had. He did a good job and saved me weeks of work! Ask around and see if you can find someone with carpentry skills that are out of work, or retired, etc. Tell them what you want and get an estimate.

 

[cfdf]

Quote:
I bought a shed at Lowes. It's working great for me.

 

[oldchickenlady]

I forgot to say, I did all the painting, putting wire over the eaves of the roof, built the roost and poop board, put down the linoleum on the floor, made the pop door, put on the trim, and attached the run. Here are some pics.

It made all the difference in the world for him to do the basic construction. It saved me sooooo much time and energy (it was built in July in the 98 degree heat!).

 

[Sylverfly]

Maybe I’ll post an ad on Craigslist or put an ad in the paper. The shed idea would work great if I just needed one coop but I’m looking to build a row of separate wire framed coops inside a barn for breeding pens. I could probably staple and cut the wire but I need someone with some level of skill to cut the lumber and do the framing.

Great coop by the way oldchickenlady it looks like a Peaceful chicken retreat.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote:
+1
I have a lot of coops. My all-time favorite is my metal shed, that wasn't even designed to be a coop. It holds a lot of pine shavings. FYI- I have a plastic shed too that I use for firewood. It REALLY stinks in there. Outgassing city!!! I wouldn't want chickens to have to breathe the fumes.

My mom just had Lowe's install her wooden shed for her (for storage) and her neighbor's kid is going to paint it.

Just get yourself a pair of muck boots and hose them off every time.

 

[joebryant]

Quote:
Right, using Craigslist as a source of FREE sheds/garages/coops is really a money saver. You can call the companies with trailers that move them for Lowes, Home Depot, etc. to move it for you.

 

[elmo]

I just hired someone to build me the "coop of my dreams." It's shed size, which was bigger than I felt comfortable tackling on my own...with no power tools. I'm thrilled with the way it turned out:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=32217-the-just-right-coop

What I did is ask around on our local poultry forum for recommendations, then I asked several builders for bids. I ended up getting a custom coop exactly the way I wanted, with the quality materials I specified, for about the same price as one of those (crappy) Tuff Sheds with similar options (windows, vents, etc.). I really lucked out with the builder because he turned out to be someone who cares about quality craftsmanship...and it really shows in his work.

 

[animalover]

After searching for months for a coop, shed or playhouse on Craigslist, I decided to build my own. I spent days on here learning all that I could, and drew up plans for the coop I wanted. I then posted an ad on CL for someone with tools to build it. I got a bunch of responses, but really liked the guy who was an unemployed framer who said the job would be a blessing. He looked at my plans, went to Lowe's with me, and brought the wood to my house in his truck. I paid him $15 an hour (cash), and $150 later (that was my labor budget) I had the coop I wanted. Of course, I did the painting, hardware, hardware cloth, etc. after he left. I am extremely pleased, and indebted to Keith.