How to Prevent Leaking in Coop?

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Yeah, that is a kind of funky shingling job but I figured if your roof were the source of the leak you'd have mentioned it. If you want to try to just 'live with it' (on the theory that it is just a chicken coop) I would suggest putting on a proper ridge cap of sideways shingles [look up directions, do not make it up as you go along] and goober a bunch of that black roofing cement over the exposed nailheads and hope for the best. It will eventually leak, but maybe not too badly, or if it does then you can always do a total tear-off and reshingling *then*

For instructions, go to the library, get a do-it-yourself home repair book, they always have a well illustrated section on how to shingle a roof. You have to follow the directions exactly.

For the "installing roofing panels on the run" the first ESSENTIAL step is to get the manufacturer's pamphlet on how to install them (especially if these are plastic rather than metal panels; if they're metal, any generic instructions on installation will more or less do, you can try googling). This will tell you how to structure your wooden supports for them, the necessity of using wavy filler strips if they are plastic corrugated panels, exact specs for how much unsupported edge overhang you can have, what exact kind of screws/nails to use, and how exactly to install those screws/nails. You cannot freelance on this and expect the roofing panels to work. By work, I mainly mean 'stay there during high winds'.

Get directions, follow directions exactly, have effective result. Make it up as you go along, have things not work

 

[spotstealer]

Its hard to tell, but I would guess there is no felt paper under the shingles, no rig cap, and support under the shingles look weak or nearly non existant. My best suggestion is to go to the DIY.com website. From there you can search for what you want such as shingle roof installation, or door threshold installation. This could all be accomplished with basic tools (unless you need sheathing on the roof to support your shingles. The coop itself appears to be sturdy and well built, so fixing the roof and door will help the coop last for years and be comfy for your birds.

 

[Anianna]

If the rain is just blowing in through the doors, why not just turn the coop to face away from the rain? The rain hits the west and north sides of the house, so I would face the coop doors south or east.

 

[spotstealer]

Good point Anianna, that would be a great temp/immediate fix if the door itself is the culprit. I would still suggest to redo the roof and threshhold.

 

[hokankai]

I have NO way of rotating the coop around, and that sounds like a major pain. Plus that would require rotating the entire run since the pop door is in the rear, and the run is fixed in the ground. The rain has only been a problem since we've been having torrential rain constantly. Before it was dry, but with the changing seasons we see we need to make some adjustments (we're still in our first year of chicken keeping).

Thanks again for the help! I have no idea how he installed the roof since I was busy working on the run while he did it, but I'll ask him and see about making adjustments. He said there is a ridge at the peak but that he didn't work too hard on it because it's "just a coop".

Just one more question, how do you guys prevent water from getting in through the cracks in your egg door? Ours isn't leaking, but I'd like to add trim but my father says we can't because it won't work with the hinges. How do you guys make your egg doors? Is it flush with the wall, or does it overlap? Ours is flush with the wall, just the cut out from making the hole with some trimming up to make it fit.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
If you mean an external access hatch to internal boxes (is that what that cut-out rectangle is? it *does* have a good raccoon-proof latch, yes?) the simplest thing is probably to have it be a sideways-sliding door and put a drip edge sticking out over it.

If yours hinges outwards (?) and you don't want to change it to a slider, then you would have to put the drip cap far enough above the hinge that you can still open the hatch far enough to reasonably-comfortably access the boxes... even as much as 6" above the hinge line would still markedly reduce the amount of water getting in. Ideally the upper part of the flashing of the drip cap would be inserted BEHIND your siding, but if you do not want to go to the trouble of making extra cuts to arrange it that way, you can get reasonable results with some good exterior caulking put into the joint where the drip cap is attached to the wall and then spread in a nice bead on the visible part of the crack.

If you feel that leaking is not and will not be a problem, you can certainly put trim around the lower 3 sides. It is true that having the same rectangular-profile trim would interfere with the hinge along that side, but there are ways of doing it that would still allow you "reasonable" freedom of motion of the hinge, although not flipping it entirely flat back on the wall as perhaps it can now. Easier, however, might be to simply PAINT trim on it...

Pat

 

[hokankai]

Yes it has TWO raccoon proof locks! Haha, a hasp/caribener and a barrel lock. The egg access door now hinges on the bottom (he changed it) and has ropes attached so it opens flat like a table or something. I'll have to go wader through Home Depot and do some shopping. I love Home Depot...but I always get turned around. Thank goodness they have maps!

 

[BigZ]

On the roof you can by what is called "rapid ridge". It is a prefabricated ridge system that should have instructions on the packaging. I would bet Home Depot or Lowe's would have some.

 

[georgiagail]

Ask dad about "ridge caps"; available at Home Depot (and Lowes, etc.).




Gail

 

[aceintoledo]

After seeing your picture and 17 years of doing roofing for a living I would have to say it's the roof. Water can come in in one spot and show itself in a totaly different area.