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- #11
So very glad you asked this question. Broadly? Yes, as a carpentry novice, I found this book helpful. It really delves into construction basics, and helped me get a good sense of why I was going to be doing certain things during the construction process. My critique really has to do with the plans themselves. My father is a mechanical engineer and lifetime woodworker who has built an entire house with only the help of one other person. He reviewed the "All-in-One" plan with me and has been the "master" to my "apprentice" on this project. He discovered that there are several incorrect measurements in this plan, and he said to himself several times "Why would they do it that way?". And not to fault the authors - they are simple mistakes - but it was clear that they didn't have someone test out the plans before publication.
The "All-in-One" is really not for construction beginners. There is quite a bit of framing involved. For anyone who wants to try this one - overall a GREAT design - I would make sure that you have someone who is intimately familiar with construction review it with you and help you along.
Also, if you are considering the "All in One" plan, there is another BYC member who gives a full run-down of her experience with it here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/tambo26s-chicken-coop
Based on her suggestions, I raised the shelter by 4 inches. On my own, I decided to extend the run by two feet since i won't be letting my chickens roam, and I also changed the roof design from the traditional roof in the plan to a more modern shed roof with corrugated metal.
The good things about this book:
- great construction advice
- plans provide measurements and materials requirements and step-by-step diagrams
- a great reference
Cons:
- a few bad measurements - not a problem for anyone with some construction experience who can figure it out on their own
OH! Another thing that I found wrong with the plan: The actual space for the nesting box is two inches less than what they say in the book. Which means that three boxes would be less than 10 inches wide. That's too small! I started constructing the boxes yesterday and luckily I can get away with making it only two boxes since i only have 4 chickens.
