how hard is it to build a 8x8 coop

[12henfun]

help! i have no carpentry skills! anyone have a step by step guide?

 

[father-clucker]

In general, you can probably use shed plans as a starting point and add new windows/doors as needed for the chickens,etc.. IMHO!!

 

[zephyr66]

i have minimal carpentry skills and am currently building a 6 x 10 slant roof coop from scratch with no plans. do you have facebook? if so, i can give you my page and i have been posting pictures from the very beginning. i think you would understand pretty quickly and you could ask questions if you had any. let me know if you want the page name. you can definitely do it and it's really rewarding.

sylvia

 

[Ridgerunner]

I sympathize with you. If you know what you are doing, it is pretty easy. If you don't, it is pretty intimidating. Hopefully someone will come on with the step by step plans and instructions, but just in case they don't, consider going by Lowe's or Home Depot and look in their book section for a book on how to build a shed. Or maybe go to your public library and ask the librarian for a book on how to build what you want. A good librarian will find exactly what you need for this.

Can you build it without having a lot of carpentry skills? Absolutely yes. You will learn the skills you need as you build it. Will you get frustrated as you build it? Yes. About half way through a portion you will see how you could have done it so much easier. Your biggest problem will probably be having the tools you need. The right tool makes all the difference.

Good luck on your project. And if you run into a specific problem, don't hesitate to post it on this forum. It is possible the right people will not see it, but if they do there are some very good carpenters on this forum that will be very glad to help you.

 

[gryeyes]

Probably less than twice as hard as it was for me to build my 4 x 8 coop by myself. (I'm 56 years old, not slim nor athletic, and have never built anything but a wonky dog house out of scrap wood about 30 years ago.)

Hint: Get someone to help you hold up walls while you secure them, and to help you put on the roof.

I built mine in several weekends, after having built an A-frame coop last year. What I did wrong with that first coop, I learned NOT to do with the traditional, rectangular building.

Remember, it's Measure Twice, cut ONCE, not the other way 'round.

..a little bit more seriously, there are a whole lot of great ideas in the Coops section here on BYC. Head over that way and look through 'em to see what you could manage.

 

[Mahonri]

Two years ago I found 'free' plans for an 8X10 coop on the Internet. I love my coop, but it would be better for cooler climes.

 

[patandchickens]

Get a book (from library or bookstore) on how to build a shed. There are many such books with extremely good step-by-step detailed explain-every-little-thing directions and lots of photos.

Add extra ventilation and a roost and popdoor, and voila, it's a coop

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[kickinchicken]

I need to build my new coop exactly where my current coop is. I am building each wall frame separately and will apply the t1-11 siding after the 4 wall frames are done. This way it will be like a kit. The day I have all 4 walls and floor pre-made, I will pull out the old coop, set the floor base (just those 8x16 cinder blocks) and call over my brother in law and my niece's boyfriend to help put it all together. This process will make it less stressful for me and less overwhelming. My coop will be 8x8 to start and I will add a storage/broody room (8x4) once the new coop is up and secure. So far, I have one wall frame done and have the wood to do wall #2. I hope to have it all done by June 30th so that I am not laboring in the July sun!

What I did was to look at the designs that I like (slanted roof) on the COOP page. I carefully looked at the "in process" building parts to see EXACTLY how the guys framed up the walls and how the 2x4s were put together. I had some grafting paper at home and I just kept drawing out plans until they made sense. I made sure that I understood how the windows were supported or at least where to put them and how the door frames were made. It doesn't have to be rocket science. I see some SUPER complicated and very nice coops made by guys that CLEARLY work in construction or carpentry. Sometimes I look at their work and think...WHAT????

I think I should have married a carpenter. One guy has the most detailed coop ever! It even has insulation on the nesting boxes! Its so pretty too!
Like another poster said, if you have questions, post them! The people on this site are PHENOMENAL with advice and support.

Just remember to POST A PICTURE! We just love pictures on this site! Its like crack.

We love the before, during and after pics!

Good Luck!

 

[bigoakhunter]

Quote:
If you can't do the library book thing, then since you are on-line, google shed building ( info, pictures ,etc.) I found step by step pictures. Also dig inot the BYC coop page, click on as many as you can , some also have good step by step pictures of building their coops.

I have built 3 coops now and keep learning as I go. It is fun and rewarding!