Foundation important?

[Whiskeymike]

For a 8x14 coop, open floor, is a foundation helpful or needed? Since it’s not going to be off the ground it seems kind of pointless.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I put an 8x10 wooden coop on the ground here in SE MO when I was new to the area. I did not understand soil conditioms or the weather. The ground gets saturated from the rain and my little building is no longer level. It racks. The door does not want to hang square or close tight. I should have put it on a solid concrete foundation. It would last much longer if I had. It's already going to rack and ruin. One end corner is significantly lower than its opposite. Build smart, build well.

Edit: spelling, typos

 

[CindyinSD]

I like a pole foundation. Especially for a building with a dirt floor, it’s good to add some stability with a foundation. If you want just a very temporary shelter you might get away with no foundation as long as you don’t encounter much for wind. Really though, it’s not that hard to sink a few green 4x4s a couple feet into the ground. Just make sure they’re vertical and square to one another. To me that’s the tricky part. The posts are easy; putting them in the exact right spots is harder (and yes, absolutely vital as you will know if you blow it off.)

 

[EggWalrus]

Even if it's only a pole barn wrapped in chicken wire, the foundation is the most important part of ANY structure. But that doesn't mean you have to bring in dirt or have a cement floor poured.

You can CHOOSE a build site that already has a good foundation. Always build your coop on a high and dry spot. Never put a coop in a low spot that water puddles or where rain run off will cause a stream under the coop.

Since you are building a small coop or run you should be able to just pick a high spot in the yard, but if you're only putting a small coop in now, choose a spot that will let you have a high and dry run should you decide to expand later.

Ideally, the spot should have a "crown" or be "crowned", like the top of a loaf of bread. If water should get anywhere on the build site, it should run off away from the site. It should never hold water.

If you only have a low spot in which to put your coop, buy a new property or you will have moisture problems for the rest of the time you try to keep chickens. The only other solution to this is to install an expensive French Drain System.

The foundation will always be the most important part of any kind of structure. Even a tent. If you put a tent in a low spot or where water travels, when it rains, you will be sleeping in water.

 

[gtaus]

For a 8x14 coop, open floor, is a foundation helpful or needed? Since it’s not going to be off the ground it seems kind of pointless.

A good foundation is always helpful, but it may not be needed. As others have stated, if your site is high ground and dry, you probably don't have to worry much about the dirt floor. If your site is low land and has water pooling, or worse, running through it, then I would not consider a dirt floor. There are many posts on BYC asking how to correct their wet, muddy, chicken runs, etc... The obvious answer is to build on a better site to start.

Before I built my mobile chicken coop on an old boat trailer..... I had asked a number of people about building a barn type coop with a dirt floor. I was warned, for where I live in northern Minnesota, that the ground would be cold and wet well into the spring of the year and all that moisture would be a problem. Also, just about any critter can dig into the dirt and get into coop unless you lay down some anti-predator wire.

But every barn I have ever been in around where I live is built on high ground, with dirt floors, and it all seems to work well for our local farmers.

 

[Fluffyflufffluff]

For a 8x14 coop, open floor, is a foundation helpful or needed? Since it’s not going to be off the ground it seems kind of pointless.

for me. its needed... first of all its a good idea to have one insulation and for the manure to be easier to clean.

 

[aart]

For a 8x14 coop, open floor, is a foundation helpful or needed? Since it’s not going to be off the ground it seems kind of pointless.

That's a decent sized building.
When you say it's going to be 'off the ground', what do you mean?
Will there be posts buried to support it?
Really need more info to answer your question.....
....and.....
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!

 

[ColoradoPip]

You could dig 4 holes (one for each corner), pour concrete caissons with bolts sticking up, then attach the corner posts. Now you have a dirt floor, no real concrete pouring or work, and solid four corners to begin building.

The person who owned my property before me used this method to attach all kinds of buildings, portable/temp garages, sheds, etc. I ended up removing them all.

Google concrete caisson for more information (ignore the giant ones!).

 

[Ridgerunner]

A foundation has different purposes. To me the first two are most critical. The others are things to think about.

1. Keep the building level so doors and windows don't bind and settlement doesn't rip it apart.

2. A foundation holds the building in place in a heavy wind.

3. Any wood that touches the soil will rot unless it is treated wood. Concrete, cinder blocks, or treated wood are examples of things that will not rot, at least for a while.

4. A foundation may help keep predators or other critters out. Depends some on what your building looks like and if you provide other dig protection.

5. Depending on drainage patterns and foundation type, a foundation may keep rainwater runoff out of your coop.

I don't know what your building looks like or where you will put it. If you build a pole barn type structure you may not need anything for sills under your coop walls. At least not to support the coop weight. You might need something to keep predators out. Depending on what you use for siding you might want to protect it from rot. That rot protection may be needed on the inside if your bedding is damp or you use the Deep Litter Method. If outside, maybe it is rainwater splashing up on it. Depending on your siding, you might need something down there to attach your siding to.

 

[Whiskeymike]

Thanks for all of your input.

First things first, I’m in Central Texas near Austin. Added it to my profile, thought I had done that when I signed in.

Also, still learning how to talk about things, so when I said coop, I meant coop and run. Everything included. Planning for 8 chickens with some room.

Attached is a picture roughly the style I’m planning on.

I would rather not make it permanently located as we are redesigning the landscaping and this may not be the final location.

My intent was to build a sled out of 2x8 pressure treated (non-arsenic), then build 2x4 PT wall frames on top of it. I considered 4x4PT as a sled instead.

I think I’ve got a pretty good area, good drainage. We are pretty dry here with occasional deluge of rain.