Is traditional framing necessary?

[chfriedmam]

@U_Stormcrow @saysfaa I stand corrected.

I am in the middle of a 12" dump of snow, we typically get ice rain through the winters adding many pounds of weight to the snow load. It influences my opinion

 

[chfriedmam]

@U_Stormcrow @saysfaa I stand corrected.

I am in the middle of a 12" dump of snow, we typically get ice rain through the winters adding many pounds of weight to the snow load. It influences my opinions.

Hey, OP here. I have truly appreciated everyone's comments.

I didn't mean to start such a firestorm, and honestly I didn't think I would get reamed this way on a BYC forum, but who cares... I've learned a few things. I've done a bit of reading on Modern/Advanced framing techniques at this point, I've spoken to my dad who is an engineer (talking to him on these topics still gives me the shakes and I'm in my 50s, which I think many children of engineers will understand), and I now know that I naively touched on a kinda controversial subject .

For now I'll just say that studs are gonna be no closer than 24"oc apart and who woulda thought-we are building on a beautiful concrete slab. There will be exterior rated plywood, but I will also incorporate some (gasp) exterior-rated OSB with all cut edges promptly sealed and everything well painted. I live somewhere with only 16 inches of rain a year, where you wake up the whole family if there is frost on the grass in the morning, and where it never snows. The structure will be 10'x8' and 8.5' high at its apex. We will all be fine.

 

[aart]

I've spoken to my dad who is an engineer (talking to him on these topics still gives me the shakes and I'm in my 50s, which I think many children of engineers will understand)

Ha! yes, kinda.... tho I went into the engineering field too.

For now I'll just say that studs are gonna be no closer than 24"oc apart

How will studs be orientated?

and who woulda thought-we are building on a beautiful concrete slab.

Make sure it sloped away from coop walls all around.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Hey, OP here. I have truly appreciated everyone's comments.

I didn't mean to start such a firestorm,

Wait till you see the feed forums!

Honestly, we're strongly opinionated, its why we are here, and most of us have the training, the experience, or both to back our opinions. We are also (what passes on the internet, at least) "friends" or at least friendly adversaries whose differences are familiar and largely "bemusing" rather than anger-inducing.

Putting things in text removes a lot of social context. Sorry for any misunderstandings.

As i get more than 1" of rainfall a week on average (58"+ per year, 1 3/4" this week), OSB is, for me, "right out" - painted edges or no. Likewise with Exterior Exposure grade 2 plywoods. They just aren't suited to the environment. I can't imagine living in a place that averages little more than an inch a month.

Good luck in your build!

 

[chfriedmam]

Ha! yes, kinda.... tho I went into the engineering field too.


How will studs be orientated?


Make sure it sloped away from coop walls all around.

Studs will be perpendicular to bottom plate, slab is exact size of coop and roof will overhang,

 

[3KillerBs]

I live somewhere with only 16 inches of rain a year, where you wake up the whole family if there is frost on the grass in the morning, and where it never snows.

This is why we always ask people to put their general location into their profile.

Climate matters in chicken keeping -- especially when it comes to housing.

 

[saysfaa]

We are also (what passes on the internet, at least) "friends" or at least friendly adversaries whose differences are familiar and largely "bemusing" rather than anger-inducing.

This is how I see it also.

I apologize for anything I said that came across as reaming. It wasn't intended that way.

Context is so important, and so lacking on message boards. It is more than tone of messages and things like climate. It is also differences like an experienced builder or an engineer available to help vs someone who has never built anything and has no real life help. Some do very well anyway and some, well, not so much.

 

[Iowajones]

The key point, as noted above, is that the structure is sufficient to support the building, snow load and the occasional person on it.

This can be accomplished WITHOUT modern stud framing.

I have a 10' by 16' Woods KD constructed as it was designed in the very early 1900s - it uses rough cut 2" by 3" pine that is attached to the outer perimeters of wall panels made of rough cut 1“ by 6" pine boards, an additional 1" by 3" is used "in the middle" to prevent lateral movement of the panel and support of drop boards (see My Coop for details). The coop is built of 13 panels that are attached together using construction screws and threaded rod to tie together the two panels used on each of the sixteen foot side walls. The diagrams below show the wall panels:

View attachment 2962386

The design is less expensive AND less work that using stud walls.

I have been on the roof many times and have had 3' of ice and snow two winters running. There is no movement of the building under any of the circumstances.

It's all good until the coons and rats discover a weekness. A rat can chew through substandard walls, tunnel under and reak havoc.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

It's all good until the coons and rats discover a weekness. A rat can chew through substandard walls, tunnel under and reak havoc.

1x6 walls backed by 1x3 laterals are thicker, and slower to chew thru than 1/2" plywood. 2x4 framing does nothing for rodent resistance. That centuries old (ok, only a couple centuries, but still, centuries) method is only "substandard" because its much slower than modern construction methods and unsuited to the compressive loads of multistory buildings and significant roof loads - loads of 10s of tons, not hundreds of pounds.

Ted and I may disagree about hoop coops and snow loads in some locations, but I'm going to defend his claims here - there are buildings erected in the 1800s with method described which still stand today.

Nor will any stick framing method protect against tunneling. That's what metal skirting if for, or deep footers.

/edit just trying to protect my reputation as an honest broker. I've no feeling for Ted one way or the other - its irrelevant to the accuracy of the information he offered.

 

[Ted Brown]

It's all good until the coons and rats discover a weekness. A rat can chew through substandard walls, tunnel under and reak havoc.

While I agree with your premise regarding intrusion because of a weakness the implication that the construction approach is "substandard" is false.

The walls are board and batten with the boards a full one inch thick. At best modern 4by8 panels are half an inch. My coop is elevated 3+ feet off the ground on a 4by4 frame and separated by metal drip edge that is 6" wide to impede critters from beginning to chew. I have no wall cavities for mice/rats to take up residence. When I first built it I had a racoon hanging off the 1/2 inch hardware cloth trying to get at my flock, did not get in and have not been back. I feed/water inside the coop but have yet to see any sign of mice. I use the space under the coop as run space fully enclosed with hardware cloth complete with 16" aprons covered with rocks.

The only thing that will get through would be a bear.