Cost Of Coop ($5K!?)

[silkiechicken]

Depends on what you'll be paying for. If you want to build with only#1 lumber, use real 2x4's instead of 2x3 studs, space the studs at 18 inches instead of 24, hang double pane windows, insulate, use 3/4 inch plywood (for floors/walls/roof instead of particle board), put in a nicer flooring, have it on a real foundation vs skids and pay someone for the labor. I can see a custom shed being 5K start to finish, if not more if you lived in the greater Seattle area.

But if you are doing it on your town labor, can salvage materials, don't mind making things fit here and there, you can do it for way less.

 

[fishfarmer]

He's probably joking when he gave you those estimates. Most carpenters aren't estimators and actually are pretty bad at it

, at least the one I know are (I used to be a contractor and work in construction). $5K will probably be high quality material with labor included, and considering how he doesn't need a plan, it's going to take quite a while with labor which equal increase time and money.

 

[greenpeeps]

Love family, always trying to rain on your parade. He's thinking probable all stainless material. Top of the line unnecessary materials. I know, I'm married to one of those guys. I pick up the $15 outdoor paint and he reaches for the $45 gallon of outdoor paint. Just smile and say thanks. Your on the right track

 

[Woodcutterron]

Well . . . in your BIL's defense, he had to have been talking about with labor included. Nobody gets to the level of Shipwright by mis-estimating by that much. Being a Shipwright, that sounds like it may have actually been a good deal on a masterfully built Coop, heheh. My father is an Avionics engineer, and he wired up a small utility trailer . . .to aircraft Specs, complete with redundant brake , running light and turn signal systems, with aircraft grade materials. A Bulletproof and absolutely reliable system . . .but to have it installed and paying for Labor . . .a 500 dollar trailer suddenly would become a fifteen hundred dollar trailer . . . . but one where the lights never fail, heheh.

I generally don't like using 'scrap' or inferior materials for building anything, so I'm "right there" with using stainless when possible, stuff like that. (runs in the blood, I suppose). In the end . . .I say "build what makes you happy."

We just did our first hatch with a Little Giant Incubator . . . .and in my opinion, it's cheap crap, so I'm building a nice one with a Ranco heat controller and an aircraft grade fan (Thanks Dad!). For now, I'm gonna use the plastic egg turner we got with the Giant, but I'm thinking on a better design with a real motor already. I just hate plastic and styrofoam, heheh.

 

[dappertophatter]

He HAS to be talking labor included.

My good friend had hers build out of cedar (

) built by a carpenter, and it coust her a couple grand. 2-3k, I think?

 

[Humhill]

He must've been factoring in the marble floors and central heat/air....

Ours is made from a 12x12 storage building kit we got for about $775. We got it at a building supply place that sells primarily seconds, so it was a couple hundred dollars cheaper than if we gotten it at Lowes or one of those places. It was build it yourself and came with everything; flooring, studs, hardware, shingles. We did a few things differently and ended up so far adding about $400 worth of "upgrades" to it. I found a dog lot with something like 13 panels and 3 gate panels for $250 on CL (I feel like a thief!).
Before we started, DH asked me about how much I thought it would cost. I figured about $400. That $400 went fast....

 

[merryberry]

Whitewater, have you seen this FAQ from the garden coop website?

How much do the materials cost?
Prices will differ by area, by store, and, it seems, by the time of day. What I can tell you is that if you bought everything on the plan's materials list new at 2008 Home Depot prices, you would have paid around $570. Add in your local sales tax. Here's the approximate cost breakdown by category:

•Wood, $170
•Hardware, $120
•Roofing, $135
•Hardware cloth, $95 (The Home Depot price of this has definitely gone up since '08, so you may have to budget an additional $50 or more. BUT check too with the large farm/feed stores or wire distributors in your area. They sometimes stock bigger rolls, which may be more economical.)
•Miscellaneous (caulk, wood sealer, cinder blocks, etc.), $50

I'm building an enlarged version of this coop, so my prices aren't exactly the same, but I don't think your estimate is too far off at all.

Obviously, the garden coop plan doesn't include insulation costs (but that shouldn't add much at all to the price), or electricity run out to the coop. We only used pressure treated wood on the very bottom of our coop, and chose Olympic DuraMax (I think that is the brand name) deck & fence stain to seal the rest of the wood. A $35 gallon has been enough to do two coats on all of the wood.

We also found an excellent deal on green plastic coated hardware cloth on ebay. I got 75 feet of 48" tall hardware cloth for $60 including shipping.

We found two square (200 sq ft) of board and batten vinyl siding at a building surplus store for $58 total, and so we are going to use that on the exterior of the henhouse.

Our local ReStore (Habitat for Humanity surplus store) has windows for very good prices, so I plan to spend $40 or so for a couple of real windows for the henhouse as well.

I would keep my eyes open for deals like those, since it makes a dramatic difference in the cost.

Also, DH and I have zero construction experience (aside from being able to use power tools), and we have been able to build this ourselves. The e-book really is enough instruction to handle it on your own. I wouldn't pay someone else labor costs unless you just don't have the time to do it on your own.​

 

[sparkles2307]

Mine was free... of course its a 60 year old corn crib/grain bin that DH gave to me... its nice living on an old farm with SO many outbuildings that DH can just give me a whole building for my very own

We used recycled 2x4s from MIL's porch remodeling project, so paid for one roll of hardware cloth and one roll of chicken wire and a box of screws to customize the indoor run. The 2 outdoor run's my dad built on vacation at my house 2 summers ago, and those cost us about $200 with corner posts and welded wire. I'm looking at another $100 for netting to cover the runs because my chooks are very flighted and I want the new Call Ducks I got to stay put. So we have spent roughly $300 over 2 summers on a 12x24 coop with a 12x12 inner run and 2 30x15 outdoor runs.... and I now free range... go figure.

 

[teach1rusl]

LOL...I would LOVE to have a $5000 coop!!!! I would have a chicken MANSION!!! We spent what I consider a LOT on our coop (6 x 8 walk-in, insulated, new windows, with a 4 x 6 porch and a huge covered run), and it was around $1300. There's definitely some miscommunication going on there....

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

LOL< Ok, I DO have a $5,000.00 coop.

I got it for free (well my husband did some mechanic work in trade for it), but that is really what the lady paid for it that I got it from. Yes it is solid mahogany and has a sky light lol! I just altered it a bit for the chickens and voila!

The lady was selling it new/never used for 5,000.00 and I just wrote her and said if she wasn't able to sell it for cash I would be happy to trade eggs or mechanic work for it. She called me a month later and said deal. IT NEVER HURTS TO ASK!!!