Half completed coop - finish or start over?

[patandchickens]

I almost wonder whether it WAS finished, and used too, and they just took the roofing panels with them when they moved

You can price out what it'll take to refurbish it (basically, new siding, a roof, probably a floor, and some new wire) and compare to the cost of building new... I think you'll find that refurbishment comes out slightly cheaper and MUCH easier. So as long as the basic structure is sound (check to make sure things are not softening and rotting, or poorly built), then I'd say go for it.

My biggest concern would be that it appears to be built to have a raised wooden floor, but is sitting pretty much ON the ground, which creates problems with rot and rodents. Is it really sitting ON the ground, or on foundation blocks, or what? Could it be jacked up onto cinderblocks, and a plywood floor installed?

You would probably want to cut one or more windows, but you could consider leaving the upper parts (that are currently just framing and empty air) as wire-mesh ventilation areas, as long as the trees will provide sufficient protection against rain coming in. You will probably have to kind of play that by ear.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[nancy1zak]

Use the one that is there. Put new wire on the run. I think once you see how much they poop you will be glad that you re-worked what was there to fit your needs.

 

[Dogfish]

Get a garden sprayer, add 2 cups of bleach to a gallon of water, spray the plywood to kill the mold, and finish that coop. Trim those trees back as well, as it will extend the life of your shed.

 

[vfem]

A good cleaning, adding a floor, roof, and maybe turning 2 of the opening above the door into windows, and one into a vent area. Replace the nesting boxes and maybe reinforce the door. Looks like 1 weekend and 2 people could know that out! Slap up some some paint and PERFECT!

 

[CrazyFowlFreak]

Looks good, I would take off the walls that have mold and replace those.

 

[underground chickenman]

I would try to use the framing, but trash what appears to be indoor paneling for walls. I would also see how it is anchored on the ground. It either needs to be bolted to concrete footers or deeply set treated 4x4 posts. If it is just sitting on the ground, it could end up in Oz if you get a good wind.

UGCM

 

[Kansaseq]

I'd get rid of the mold and any rotting boards, and finish that sucker. You've got a lot of valuable framing there, that would be expensive to replace. Really great, almost finished coop you have there.

 

[markbirds]

I would keep it and just fix any of the rotted wood.

 

[WilczenskiFarm]

Ditto to everyone... keep it.

We made an old wooden child playhouse that was on the property we bought a year and a half ago into our first chicken coop. It's not perfect, nor our best work, but it will due until we decide to get more chickens and expand. Looking back, it was the best route to take... we learned what we liked and disliked about it and made all of our mistakes with this one You can check it out on my BYC page.
We can't wait to try building our own someday!