If memory serves correctly, you're in St. Paul, right?
Okay, here's the deal. You're going to have to have insulation. So that adds materials cost plus includes more plywood to line the interior of your coop to keep the chooks from eating it. I recommend green treated lumber for anything that is going to be touching the ground, or exposed to the elements, so that includes most of your run and any coop framing that is going to be in contact with the earth. So your lumber costs are going to be a little higher than you have planned. Since it's cold here, you will want to determine how you're going to supply electricity --cuz you're going to have to have it -- will you use an extension cord or will you wire it up with an outlet? That will factor into your cost. What are you going to use for your roofing? Will it hold snow load? That will add/subtract from your cost. You mentioned earlier that you thought that your hardware wire would run you $200 alone, and I think that's probably pretty realistic.
Do I think you can get your coop done for $150 + $200 run. No I don't. But $5K? That's not reality either.
With a 6x6 INSULATED coop and a hardware wire run and extra framing to support snow loads, I could see your costs with retail lumber being around $500-600. If you are able to source some materials off craigslist, that number can be reduced pretty quickly.
Whitewater, don't feel bad. When I was in the design phase of my coop, I genuinely thought I could get it done for around $400. My DH just laughed at me. Now that it's all said and done, I know how disillusioned I was -- but we did it RIGHT and the coop has performed wonderfully. We live in a very cold place - a place where it's HARD to keep an outdoor pet alive. Don't skimp. Do it right and do it once.
Just my $.02.
Good Luck!
Okay, here's the deal. You're going to have to have insulation. So that adds materials cost plus includes more plywood to line the interior of your coop to keep the chooks from eating it. I recommend green treated lumber for anything that is going to be touching the ground, or exposed to the elements, so that includes most of your run and any coop framing that is going to be in contact with the earth. So your lumber costs are going to be a little higher than you have planned. Since it's cold here, you will want to determine how you're going to supply electricity --cuz you're going to have to have it -- will you use an extension cord or will you wire it up with an outlet? That will factor into your cost. What are you going to use for your roofing? Will it hold snow load? That will add/subtract from your cost. You mentioned earlier that you thought that your hardware wire would run you $200 alone, and I think that's probably pretty realistic.
Do I think you can get your coop done for $150 + $200 run. No I don't. But $5K? That's not reality either.
With a 6x6 INSULATED coop and a hardware wire run and extra framing to support snow loads, I could see your costs with retail lumber being around $500-600. If you are able to source some materials off craigslist, that number can be reduced pretty quickly.
Whitewater, don't feel bad. When I was in the design phase of my coop, I genuinely thought I could get it done for around $400. My DH just laughed at me. Now that it's all said and done, I know how disillusioned I was -- but we did it RIGHT and the coop has performed wonderfully. We live in a very cold place - a place where it's HARD to keep an outdoor pet alive. Don't skimp. Do it right and do it once.
Just my $.02.
Good Luck!
