luncharm
In the Brooder
- Oct 15, 2016
- 11
- 0
- 22
We are adapting one of Vanh Nguyen's design's from his website. Here's the link: http://www.homegardendesignplan.com/2013/11/m105-chicken-coop-plans-construction.html?m=1
Architect friends have told me this one is designed like an Asian temple. I don't have the master carpentry skills to do it, so with some help, we are redesigning it in a more American construction style of framing. Plus I'd rather it stand up to tornadoes rather than earthquakes, which they told me are mitigated by the design's literal flexibility.
The footprint is 10'x20' (3m x 6m roughly). There are also some design curiosities that conflict with our research on what a flock needs, and we may try to claim some of the 5'x10' coop area for storage. I've only just got the posts in concrete yesterday, and had no idea what batter boards were until a couple weeks ago.
More about our flock at my hey post https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1140250/hey-from-alabama. I'm thinking of posting specific questions on this thread as I go, or should I separate them out into individual threads?
First pics below and more to follow. Freely offer advice.
###
The batter boards. I've seen batter boards done only on the corners, but this gave me more confidence in placing strings that crossed where posts should go.
Strings and flags for posts.
Flock inspection.
My 7yo relieving me on the posthole digger. He did pretty well, actually.
Squaring up the posts. Consider making your batter boards slightly taller than your dogs so the dogs don't keep moving your strings around. Also, bracing the posts higher up is more secure. These are low because I was trying not to interfere with the strings, which I could have done by placing the braces on the non-string sides of the posts. Anyway, we are in a drought, so with no rain or even any wind to speak of, I wasn't too worried about the posts tipping. Each is resting on top of a plate of cured concrete.
All 12 braced in.
Architect friends have told me this one is designed like an Asian temple. I don't have the master carpentry skills to do it, so with some help, we are redesigning it in a more American construction style of framing. Plus I'd rather it stand up to tornadoes rather than earthquakes, which they told me are mitigated by the design's literal flexibility.
The footprint is 10'x20' (3m x 6m roughly). There are also some design curiosities that conflict with our research on what a flock needs, and we may try to claim some of the 5'x10' coop area for storage. I've only just got the posts in concrete yesterday, and had no idea what batter boards were until a couple weeks ago.
More about our flock at my hey post https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1140250/hey-from-alabama. I'm thinking of posting specific questions on this thread as I go, or should I separate them out into individual threads?
First pics below and more to follow. Freely offer advice.
###
The batter boards. I've seen batter boards done only on the corners, but this gave me more confidence in placing strings that crossed where posts should go.
Strings and flags for posts.
Flock inspection.
My 7yo relieving me on the posthole digger. He did pretty well, actually.
Squaring up the posts. Consider making your batter boards slightly taller than your dogs so the dogs don't keep moving your strings around. Also, bracing the posts higher up is more secure. These are low because I was trying not to interfere with the strings, which I could have done by placing the braces on the non-string sides of the posts. Anyway, we are in a drought, so with no rain or even any wind to speak of, I wasn't too worried about the posts tipping. Each is resting on top of a plate of cured concrete.
All 12 braced in.
