Most economical coup design

[LocoPollo]

I want to build a 10x12 coup and am trying to get up the nerve, but I am afraid it is gonna cost a lot. I am just wondering what would be the cheapest way to go. Is using posts cheaper that conventional building?

 

[derby]

Can you get any free building materials off Craigs List or Freecycle? A lot of people design around what they can get for free.

Derby

 

[Hobbley_Farm]

we bought an 8 X 8 kit and had a lot of the wood already. The kits cost us 37 $ and so far we have 20$ in wood. We were to used a bunch of wood we have been saving. We also scout out homes that are being built and ask the builder if we can have the "scraps" which is normally not a problem. I don't know if there is a kit with the dimensions you want, but I know Northern Tool Supply has an 8 X 7 kit in which you can buy two and build them together. I think their kits abour about 45$. For us who aren't actually carpenters...the kits are really good for us. Hope this helps

 

[chandasue]

Don't buy a shed kit... We just finished our 10x8 coop. We thought we'd save time by getting a kit and modifying it to be a coop. It still took us 3 weekends. By the time it was all said and done we could have just as well built it from scratch. Ended up costing over $800! Granted we got a little crazy and aside from my poor paint job (I'll have to touch up the trim next spring) it's being referred to as an "HGTV coop" by all the employees at the hardware store and the neighbors. I'll post pics soon.

Good luck.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
It just depends what you can scrounge most readily (with an eye to acceptible minimum quality -- like, there is a limit to how curved or twisted your floor joists or wall studs or posts or other long members can be).

I'd suggest doing the major scrounging first, see whatcha got, then make your plans

Good luck,

Pat

 

[rooster-red]

Quote:
I have 3 coops I built this way, only cost to me was for the hardware I used to put them together.

 

[vfem]

Quote:
We collected up freebies off of craigslist. In fact, a guy wrote me 2 days ago he was tearing down a house on his property and I could have all the left over wood, windows or doors I wanted if I traded him a couple chickens. I didn't need the wood any longer though... so I didn't have to part with my chickens

My husband is building a custom coop for someone that is 4'x4'x 8' tall with attached 8'x4'x8'tall roofed run. He's charging $1500 supplies included to get a cost idea for ya!

 

[Catfishingpokey]

I just finished a 10 x 12 coop and i built it using 3 30 ft. joints of 2.25 inch oil field tubing as posts.I used salvaged metal studs to frame the structure and then i sheathed it with salvaged barn tin from a barn of my brothers that had burned down.all i have had to buy has been screws , hinges, door latches and 7 1x4 s. and a little chicken wire.the whole thing has cost less than 200.00.i will paint the outside soon that will cost around 40.00.

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

I was just talking to my father-in-law about this! In my opinion, cheapest isn't going to be deciding what you want then building it, but finding what you can get for cheap / free and making that work into something that will fit your needs. That's what to do if you want REALLY cheap.

 

[LocoPollo]

Ok, a friend of mine just told me that he has some property that has an old run down barn on it, and that I could have all the wood from it that I wanted. I could tear it down, take whatever I want! woohoo! Ok now I will have to get creative as to how to use the old wood, but this could be fun!!! I guess the main thing is to get some posts to start with!