Ideas on connecting coop to run? Follow up to first post!

[chickenslug]

Hi everyone! I've been hard at work building my covered chicken run and am clear on the next steps to finish the framing and apply the hardware cloth. I'm a bit stumped on how to cleanly and safely join the run to the coop. My best idea right now is to put a cross beam where it would touch the coop roof and and put hardware cloth above that and do the same with the sides. Does anyone have a similar set up with roofs running different directions?

Another option would be moving the coop a little farther away so the bottom is not part of the run, and then having a little protected tunnel over the eventual ramp with a square frame opening to the run.

Appreciate any suggestions! Thanks!

 

[perkolator]

Make a simple "door frame" so you can have an open section in the middle of the screened wall. Add crossbars horizontally on the run structure at roofline height you want, then add two vertical bars below inline with the width of the coop; fence everything that will be enclosed. If there's a gap between the two because of the roofline overhang, build out the frame with more lumber.

To attach, you can just screw through the coop plywood wall into the run's frame, or use external brackets. Could even make it an easily removable attachment method - such as using hasps and carabiners, eye bolts and carabiners, etc. if you need to disassemble for some reason.

I can't zoom in on your pic, but it looks like your wall top plate is horizontal orientation - you may have sagging issues along its length with how many roof rafters you have sitting on top vs wide 4x4 column spacing. Personally I'd turn them upright and add a 2nd 2x4 there to create a more load-bearing beam, before installing any hardware cloth. Also looks like not much pitch on the roof - you'll want at least 1ft height difference on the walls to create some pitch for drainage and for less volume of leaves accumulated from neighbor's trees