Help with roofing

[jzervas92]

Hi everyone, we're adding an 8 foot extension to our coop and we're not sure what type of roofing material to use. The coop we have now has regular roofing shingles, but for the extension we're thinking about using clear plastic corrugated roofing material. We thought it would be a good idea so it would let natural light in, but we're worried about it not providing enough insulation. We live in New York and it gets very cold. Should we use something else, or is there a way to use the plastic and provide proper insulation.

 

[jetdog]

I used the clear corrugated on my run there is no insulation value at all but it does keep it cooler during the summer I also like the idea of the sunlight coming through.

 

[jzervas92]

I figured it wasn't going to be good material. It's to bad because it would of giving a lot of natural sunlight.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

No roofing material provides useful insulation
Only REAL insulating materials do that, and in most coops it really doesn't make a lot of difference anyway

 

[jzervas92]

I was concerned that it was going to let more cold air in, and not keep the cold out.

 

[LTygress]

If you ever want to do something like that, there is one option, but you'll have to do some heavy rigging...

Think about windows to a house. How are they able to help insulation?

Answer: Double-pane. The air trapped between them acts as an insulator.

So I would maybe find some of that hard thick polyethylene foam they use when packaging electronics like this:





Cut that on both sides to match the grooves on the corrugated plastic. Then put it with the two pieces of corrugated plastic to make a sort of long, flat "box". The corrugated plastic would make the top and bottom, and the foam would make the sides. (An easy way to properly cut the foam, would be to butt an edge of the plastic up to it, and trace the wavy line you'd be cutting.)

Then put THAT up as the roof. The only thing you would need to cover and insulate after that, are the gaps between the plastic "boxes" at the crest of the roof, and along where the roof meets the walls. And since those two areas wouldn't really need to worry about sunlight, you could use plain old fiberglass if you wanted.

 

[MyPetNugget]

You could extend the roof and before you put down the shingles you can cut a hole and put in a sheet of plexiglass. judt make sure that it is surrounded by shingles.. Plexiglass is stronger than glass and you can cut it to your specific size.

 

[4 the Birds]

Clear plastic roofing would be fine for a run but it would direct too much light/heat into the coop during the warm seasons. A dark plastic would be better. The best roofing materials are the corrugated metal sheets or a shingled roof like your existing coop. I use exterior bead boards because they are economical and easy to cut to size. The main things that you want from a roof are shade and to keep out rain/snow. Insulating the roof and or walls can have some advantages but it can also be pretty costly. Sandwiched rigid insulation provides nice insulation. My coop is not insulated but I do insulated the exterior nest boxes. Hope this helps!

 

[jzervas92]

Thank you everyone for all the responses! I love all the pictures too! I like the bead boards, and I might try that. The extension is still in the process of being built, so I have plenty of time to think about my options! Again thank you all for your help!

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

I was concerned that it was going to let more cold air in, and not keep the cold out.

It will stop "air"
What it won't stop is "heat transfer"

You can't "keep cold out" because heat is a form of energy that always moves from hot towards cold.
It requires a "dead" air space between the two to stop that movement