Geodome run

[perkolator]

Sure it could be done on straight walls, but OP didn't want straight walls, they wanted a geodesic dome

I fail to see where this "extra material" is being wasted, unless the dimensions were just big enough to make OP buy extra materials and have lots of leftover - such as another roll of hardware cloth, only to use a fraction of it to finish up. Triangles on the dome look approximately 20sq ft each in terms of surface area - that's very comparable to an 8'x8'x8' square structure (300 vs 320 sq ft)

 

[The Tiny Homestead]

It's not so much for practical purposes. I could just build an enclosed box, but being a semi artistic, creative, maker kind of person, I wanted something I would get joy out of. Kind of thinking what it might be used for long term. The sides will be covered. The top will be predator protected, but not necessarily have a total solid roof. There are mixed garden/chicken possibilities. Just standing inside gives the feeling of being in a great expanse.

 

[The Tiny Homestead]

It's not so much for practical purposes. I could just build an enclosed box, but being a semi artistic, creative, maker kind of person, I wanted something I would get joy out of. Kind of thinking what it might be used for long term. The sides will be covered. The top will be predator protected, but not necessarily have a total solid roof. There are mixed garden/chicken possibilities. Just standing inside gives the feeling of being in a great expanse.

Sometimes things aren't necessary, but we do them anyway. We play a game called mastermind, where someone creates a 4 color code, and the other person tries to guess it. They change their guesses based on feedback of whether they have any correct colors, and whether any are in the correct order. We played with a paper and pencil, writing guesses and getting feedback. I decided to make a board game, even though you could buy them pretty cheaply. These are some of the few hundred game pcs cut from maple, painted, and given two coats of varnish. Then there's the game board itself and finger joint boxes to hold the pcs. All for the joy of creating it.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Let us know how the frame works out. I had been eying one similar in a catalogue

 

[The Tiny Homestead]

Let us know how the frame works out. I had been eying one similar in a catalogue

Making the frame and that assembly was easy. Cut to length on radial arm saw, rip struts on table saw and drill one hole in each end. I chose to round off all the edges with a router. I assembled the frame alone in a couple of hours

 

[The Tiny Homestead]

Sure it could be done on straight walls, but OP didn't want straight walls, they wanted a geodesic dome

I fail to see where this "extra material" is being wasted, unless the dimensions were just big enough to make OP buy extra materials and have lots of leftover - such as another roll of hardware cloth, only to use a fraction of it to finish up. Triangles on the dome look approximately 20sq ft each in terms of surface area - that's very comparable to an 8'x8'x8' square structure (300 vs 320 sq ft)

Correct. Triangles are about 21 sq ft. The roof is 106 sq ft walls 212 sq ft, floor is 84 sq ft

 

[linguini]

Sometimes things aren't necessary, but we do them anyway. We play a game called mastermind, where someone creates a 4 color code, and the other person tries to guess it. They change their guesses based on feedback of whether they have any correct colors, and whether any are in the correct order. We played with a paper and pencil, writing guesses and getting feedback. I decided to make a board game, even though you could buy them pretty cheaply. These are some of the few hundred game pcs cut from maple, painted, and given two coats of varnish. Then there's the game board itself and finger joint boxes to hold the pcs. All for the joy of creating it.

It will be so cool! A big part of the fun is in creating solutions to the challenges! My entire chicken coop - run - yard endeavor this last year has been a big arts and craft project for me. With no carpenter skills, no knowledge in construction, and no strong muscles, I had to resort to lots of "hack" (quoting my husband). But as long as things work, and my chickens are happy, I am happy. And if the solution is unconventional, I'd be extra happy.

Keep us posted on how you deal with ventilation, roosting bars, etc! It'll be so fun to watch.

p.s. One of my favorite game growing up was playing something similar to master mind by pencil and paper, guessing 4 random digits provided by the challenger. (numbers can be repeated) Your game pcs look beautiful. I am sure you have extra joy playing the game you made yourself.

 

[21hens-incharge]

This is what we plan on using for the run. If I knew in the fall that we'd be getting chickens in the spring, things would be a little different. Right now the plan is add a pop door on the side of the coop connecting to the geodome. I have hardware cloth to cover sides and will either run on the floor then cover, dig down, or skirt. The birds have the run of the yard when I am home, and I'm hoping to adjust the garden access after the growing season, to align with that side of the geodome.
There will be plenty of room for a sheltered, shaded area, roosts and various things of interest, and I can plant some stuff for them to enjoy too.

That will be a very Interesting and unique run!

My vote on the wire for floor or skirt is to skirt it. It will be much easier to replace when it needs it and no odd bits left in the run they may be poked by or dig into.

I look forward to seeing how it turns out.