Enough ventilation

[father0fnine]

No pictures. I'm not home right now. Roof is vinyl tarps mostly and loose plywood. Until I noticed coyote interest, the only purpose was shade, protection of food from the wild doves, and protection from the common predators in our area -- hawks. I think, when I was pricing it out a few months back, the plywood, per sq foot, was about 10 cents cheaper than metal roofing panels. I'll have to price everything again. That might be the route I have to take.

 

[Sally PB]

Not to mention having to build it big enough to walk into, lol!

If you can afford to make it tall enough for you to stand up in, I highly recommend that you do so. Your back with thank you.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

No pictures. I'm not home right now. Roof is vinyl tarps mostly and loose plywood. Until I noticed coyote interest, the only purpose was shade, protection of food from the wild doves, and protection from the common predators in our area -- hawks. I think, when I was pricing it out a few months back, the plywood, per sq foot, was about 10 cents cheaper than metal roofing panels. I'll have to price everything again. That might be the route I have to take.

per sq ft, the prices (at least in my area) are in lockstep. The difference comes in when you factor what it takes (materials and time) to waterproof the plywood. Shingles, paper, flashing all add up quickly, are more labor - and frankly, there are more homeowner errors shingling than can be quickly counted.

1/2" 4x8 sheathing is running just about $55, or almost $2/sq ft.
The 2x8 5v Metal roofing is about the same for 2 panels.

Shingles add between $35 and $50 per bundle, one per 4x8 plywood, and they don't work w/o a decent slope - at least 3/12. Another $25 for felt paper - one roll will do everything you need. $0.70 per linear foot for flashing. Nails are cheap, but you will need a lot more of them than if you screw down metal roofing.

At least, that's how the math worked for me.

 

[3KillerBs]

If you can afford to make it tall enough for you to stand up in, I highly recommend that you do so. Your back with thank you.

Height is also good in a hot climate, because it allows the heat to rise and flow out the upper ventilation.

 

[aart]

I live in Phoenix, Arizona

Good to know.
Here's how to add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[Chullicken]

Along with ventilation, coop placement is something to also consider. You can have all the ventilation you want in a confined space but without some kind of air flow circulation will be minimal if not less. Some awesome open 'air' coop designs on the net and a few on here I've seen with great predator proofing as well.

 

[Chuckie chicken]

No pictures. I'm not home right now. Roof is vinyl tarps mostly and loose plywood. Until I noticed coyote interest, the only purpose was shade, protection of food from the wild doves, and protection from the common predators in our area -- hawks. I think, when I was pricing it out a few months back, the plywood, per sq foot, was about 10 cents cheaper than metal roofing panels. I'll have to price everything again. That might be the route I have to take.

A fairly economical roofing material is corrugated polycarbonate. It's easy to work with, weatherproof, lightweight and strong when strapped well. Also less expensive than some of the alternatives

https://www.homedepot.com/b/Buildin...&NCNI-5&visNavSearch=polycarbonate roof panel

 

[father0fnine]

per sq ft, the prices (at least in my area) are in lockstep. The difference comes in when you factor what it takes (materials and time) to waterproof the plywood. Shingles, paper, flashing all add up quickly, are more labor - and frankly, there are more homeowner errors shingling than can be quickly counted.

1/2" 4x8 sheathing is running just about $55, or almost $2/sq ft.
The 2x8 5v Metal roofing is about the same for 2 panels.

I had not thought about the waterproofing. If you can't tell, I've built all of none roofs in my past. In fact, I started life as a computer programmer. Now I work in a hospital. All this handyman-ery comes down to a lot of trial-and-error after many hours of Youtube. How did my parents get things done without the Internet, I tell you!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

A fairly economical roofing material is corrugated polycarbonate. It's easy to work with, weatherproof, lightweight and strong when strapped well. Also less expensive than some of the alternatives

https://www.homedepot.com/b/Building-Materials-Roofing-Supplies-Roofing-Roof-Panels/N-5yc1vZaq4r/Ntk-EnrichedProductInfo/Ntt-polycarbonate+roof+panel?Ntx=mode+matchpartialmax&NCNI-5&visNavSearch=polycarbonate roof panel

OP was concerned about its ability to be walked upon by the local predators, however. Additionally, OP's climate is such that they want to avoid passive heat gain from solar penetration thru the roofing material. Finally, the anticipated lifespan for polycarbonate is about 1/2 that of other materials - and the more clear it is, the faster it breaks down under UV.

Thus my choice NOT to recommend it, in spite of its price advantages (I've considered it, repeatedly, for my own builds).

 

[father0fnine]

A fairly economical roofing material is corrugated polycarbonate. It's easy to work with, weatherproof, lightweight and strong when strapped well. Also less expensive than some of the alternatives

https://www.homedepot.com/b/Building-Materials-Roofing-Supplies-Roofing-Roof-Panels/N-5yc1vZaq4r/Ntk-EnrichedProductInfo/Ntt-polycarbonate+roof+panel?Ntx=mode+matchpartialmax&NCNI-5&visNavSearch=polycarbonate roof panel

Interesting. I'll have to check it out in store because the website doesn't always show what's available at price. But from the prices I did see... it looks like plywood would still be cheaper in my area. I can get a 4x8 for around $53 while the polycarbonate is $24 for a 26"x6' piece... I think.