Garden shed to coop: advice?

[aart]

That's a nice shed...great post with info and pics too.
I'm an old woman too, but have been building things my whole life.
If you're crafty it'll help, just need to learn to use different tools and fasteners.

Which side is the 'coop' side...the one with the roll up door ..and is there a man door on the other side?
Do those windows open from the top?
Windows on other side too, or just one window in 'coop'?
Are the soffits(under the roof overhangs) open...take pics maybe.
Pics all around building would help.
Ventilation will be your bigger challenge, make take more construction skills.

Practice driving some deck screws with your 'drill'.
Dry wall screws will work for shorter lengths too, and be fine for chicken stuff.
Both are pretty easy to drive with no pilot hole.
There are easy to hang nests, you only need one or two for 5 birds.
Same goes for a 2x4 hanger bracket.

Here some tips for how high stuff works well.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/coop-stack-up-how-high-stuff-works-well.73427/

 

[SarahLadd]

That's a nice shed...great post with info and pics too.
I'm an old lady too, but have been building things my whole life.
If you're crafty it'll help, just need to learn to use different tools and fasteners.

Which side is the 'coop' side...the one with the roll up door ..and is there a man door on the other side?
Do those windows open from the top?
Windows on other side too, or just one window in 'coop'?
Are the soffits(under the roof overhangs) open...take pics maybe.
Pics all around building would help.
Ventilation will be your bigger challenge, make take more construction skills.

Practice driving some deck screws with your 'drill'.
Dry wall screws will work for shorter lengths too, and be fine for chicken stuff.
Both are pretty easy to drive with no pilot hole.
There are easy to hang nests, you only need one or two for 5 birds.
Same goes for a 2x4 hanger bracket.

Here some tips for how high stuff works well.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/coop-stack-up-how-high-stuff-works-well.73427/

Coop side is the roll up door side. I'm not prepared to demolition the sauna on the other side. The roll door side does not have another way in. There are two windows, they are able to be opened. I will take some new photos when I get home from work, but in the interim, here's a video I took of the building when we were looking at this house after making an offer on it.

What am I looking for on the soffits?

 

[aart]

This is the soffit area, under edge of roof all the way around.
Best place to ventilate year round, especially in winter.
Are the soffit panel perforated and open to the inside of coop(should be able to see light from inside)?

The roll up door is going to be a rather really inconvenient entrance into the coop.
Do you plan on a run?
Those are a couple of major things to be modified.

You'll want to put mesh up to block birds from getting onto 'attic' over sauna,
and off roll up door. Secure lighting wires hanging loose.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Coop side is the roll up door side. I'm not prepared to demolition the sauna on the other side. The roll door side does not have another way in. There are two windows, they are able to be opened. I will take some new photos when I get home from work, but in the interim, here's a video I took of the building when we were looking at this house after making an offer on it.

What am I looking for on the soffits?

Ventilation under the eaves.

 

[SarahLadd]

Is it a bad idea to leave the roll up door and attach a door that swings inside, like a screen door?

Thanks for the clarification, I'll get a good look in there and see what's there under the roof.

 

[aart]

I suppose you could leave the roll up door in place, but rolled up,
and frame a mandoor into that opening.
You'd want a solid door for winter, but it could also have a screen door for summer ventilation tho it would have to be predator proofed with hardware cloth if you wanted it open at night.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

Why not just close in that little covered porch on the shed, where the small coop is? It looks big enough for 5 chickens.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

Why not just close in that little covered porch on the shed, where the small coop is? It looks big enough for 5 chickens.

You could even place that small coop on the outside next to the closed-in porch, provide access between the two spaces and have even more room. Might not even have to build nest boxes since the smaller coop already has that.

 

[SarahLadd]

Why not just close in that little covered porch on the shed, where the small coop is? It looks big enough for 5 chickens.

That actually is my plan. I was going to cut a door at floor level for the chickens that is an auto door that opens and shuts on its own, and make the run on the slab, but they still need a spot to sleep which is why I'm building the coop inside the shed.

 

[SarahLadd]

Here are some additional images. The windows slide up from the bottom to be opened, and it appears there are perforations in soffits. What is the implication of this?