I Don't Understand Coop Pricing, I Really Don't

[calista]

I like to peruse my local coop offerings on CL, which we've all seen run from the sublime to the ridiculous in design, but also in PRICE.

A friend of mine in Portland who's anxious to get into backyard chicken-raising sent me these two links from her area. Both coops are approximately the same size: 4x6.

This one is $577: http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/grd/1817254767.html

This one is -- take a deep breath -- $2495: http://www.amhconstruction.com/hampton-coop.html

Am I missing something?

Oh, by the way, if you'd like to add a 12x20x6 run to that second one ("Includes - fully enclosed chicken run with pressure treated wood, 12 gauge 2X3 welded wire buried 6 inches in the ground, one man gate."), that'll be another $2400. For a total of $4895, plus tax.

Guess my friend will be asking a neighbor of hers with a home wood shop for price quotes. She just about fainted when she saw what coops are going for in her area.

I fixed the second picture for you.

~Lisa~​

 

[HelenB]

As my DH and I have been purchasing and scrounging materials to build an 8X10 coop and fence a large run area I have been astonished and amazed at how much money and time it takes. For someone to build something like the pink one for less than $600 is beyond reasonable in my opinion. Once you start looking at materials, unless you can get it ALL for nearly nothing (say under $100) and start considering the time, tools, and know how that goes into building something you become more aware of the actual cost in person hours involved. If you don't want an ugly coop, as demonstrated in a wonderful thread a while back, and don't have the skills to build something nice, I say support the local craftsman who has gotten it figured out and builds great cute coops!

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

I was a cabinet maker for 20 years, & most people bawked at the prices. It's not cheap.

 

[woodguy]

Quote:
+1 !!
I'm still a cabinetmaker for the last 20 years and the price of lumber is still going up and labor isn't cheap either.
Granted there are some people out there that want to steal you blind but you get what you pay for...usually

 

[MissJenny]

We're building a coop now and I could cry at the cost of materials. The first coop listed here is an absolute steal -- if he has figured out how to make a profit doing this more power to him. One thing I do not see in either of these coops, or most of the others advertised here, there and everywhere, is insulation. Throughout most of the US it gets seriously cold from January through March -- a big topic here during those months is how to keep the birds from suffering frostbite. In both the winter and summer months, without proper insulation and ventilation, most of these coops aren't worth beans. No insulation or ventilation from May through September and we're forcing our hens to sleep in a hot house. You don't always get what you pay for -- but we have an obligation to at least not buy a pig in a poke.

Jenny

 

[joletabey]

I am building a 4 x 8 right now, and have to do it in pieces because I can't pay for the materials all up front. I had a few things around here I could use, but it's still going to cost close to 500.00 before I am done. Craigslist, etc. has not been too helpful. Materials are pricey, and labor DESERVES to be well paid. A carpenter or construction worker with experience should be paid as well as other professionals, in my opinion.

 

[kichohana]

I estimate my coop and run cost around $500 and we built it ourselves. It took a lot of time and was completed over the course of a few months. Our coop and run total size is about 6x10 ft. Of course the shingle roofing cost a bit more, but the vinyl siding over osb was cheaper than T-111 siding painted. And there are extras like the rain gutter...

 

[elmo]

I've never seen a prebuilt coop that has nearly enough ventilation, either. If you're paying $2500 for a coop, you ought not to have to start cutting holes in it on the day you buy it.

 

[newchicksnducks]

The main difference between these two coops (besides the obvious price!) is that the first, and lower priced model, is made of recycled, reclaimed items...that is suuuch a savings booster. As he claims, no two coops will be exactly alike, because his material will necessarily vary according to what he has access to. Basically, he'll be charging for his time and effort - still a bargain, but at least the cost difference is easier to understand.

 

[calista]

Yes, I am chastened and humble after doing some research on how much building materials and labor are going for, even in this economy. And I certainly accept that good craftsmanship doesn't come cheap.

However, this is a CHICKEN COOP, not a house. For the $2400 coop, price per square foot works out to around a hundred bucks! (And, like Elmo said, that's BEFORE you have to cut holes in it so the poor birds can BREATHE.)

Oh, wait, I guess that IS a bargain, according to the real estate site Trulia:

"The average listing price for Portland homes for sale on Trulia was $399,602 for the week ending Jun 30, which represents an increase of 0.9%, or $3,758, compared to the prior week and an increase of 1.6%, or $6,295, compared to the week ending Jun 09. Average price per square foot for Portland OR was $191, a decrease of 1% compared to the same period last year."

My friend worked out a barter deal with her neighbor, home-baked pies for a year for labor on the coop, and she'll supply materials as she finds them on CL and Freecycle.