My coop is going to end up in a divorce!

[sattoritx]

I love the tea house coop, were going with a texas theme I finally got the hubbie to agree to let me hang a texas star on the coop, lol

My hubbie is a contractor too so I can really relate we have had so many fights this past week, saturday (the big build day) was horrible i just wanted to leave the house and cry.

I sketched out the coop I wanted weeks ago, we then talked for over 3 hours about the design and he re-sketched it although i took drafting and design he somehow couldn't make out my blue prints even though it was totally sketched to scale.

Then he comes home from work the day before the build and says you know what I dont think we need to make it so it comes apart in sections since we'll be able to fit it in the bed of my truck when we move. At this point he's thinking the coop and run will be 4x8 not just the coop itself.
I wanted it made out of 2x4's on 4x4 legs which would have cut lumber costs since we had 4 3' long 4x4's for the legs. He wanted it "sturdy" so he wanted the 4x4 to go from the ground to the roof, so it didnt collapse when we tried to move it. I told him that it would be to heavy for me to help move. Argument ended with me caving but telling him very firmly that I will not be helping to move the coop when our lease is up or when we finally buy our house next year.

He ended up building the coop in the middle of our back yard and when it was about 90% done after a long weekend. I had to call him at work monday morning and ask him how he was planning on moving it to its designated spot in the yard. Cause i couldnt lift 1 leg of it 1/2" off the ground.
The kids and I ended up sliding it across the backyard cause he had built it on some bathroom stall panels that were originally supposed to be the walls, lol oh well.
We've sunk $200 into our coop so far, havent built the run nor bought the hardware cloth.

Its slowly come together piece by piece this week. Hopefully tomorrow I can move the girls in, they're already flying out of their 50gal rubbermaid brooder box.
Sorry guess we all need to vent sometimes. My husband loves building stuff for me, its often over thought on his part and i think it should be easier to just slap something together what with his contracting abilities but he wants something we can be proud of. So far its surpassed all my expectations on quality and I love it. he's had some really great ideas, but he did need lots of supervision. He bought Ac vents and installed them for ventilation without consulting me, not how I would have done it but it works. The nest box door is a solid wood kitchen cabinet door.

 

[willy3486]

No recycling? I wouldn't know how to act if I couldn't recycle. If the material is free of bugs,rot or lead paint you bet I will reuse it. Why do I recycle? Here's why. About 13 years ago we decieded to build a house. I didn't frame it but the fellow who did used all new wood. I did find a lot of surplus stuff for them to use. I did the interior. I found a lot of stuff being liquidated and some I refurbished. I found brass light fixtures that I rewired. I also found some doors I stripped and such. The end result was a house almost 4000 square feet for 45 k. I had the builder put on a tin roof this year and he said even with todays market it was a 250k house in a area most only go for half. Then I wanted to build a shop. This is where I went recycling crazy. I tore down 3 buildings to build my shop. I had other lumber from other buildings. Most was oak and I used only the good wood. I have a 52x30 building enclosed with water,electric,insulated and heated for only 2k. My coop is mostly oak. I did get some new 2x4s but only because I didn't have enough. I also used the leftover tin from my roofing job for the coops roof. I don't know what I have in it but I think its 100 or less. I would put my salvaged oak coop against any of the coops I could have made with new lumber. I hate to waste anything and thats what you do if you don't recycle. So for me I have no problem with recycling. Oh and our house that we paid monthly payments that were less than rent on a house half the size will be paid off in a few months. So I recomend recycling if done wisely. You know how people rant over antiques? They are nothing more than recycled furniture

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[bobbi-j]

Yeah, I wanted to buy a coop on an auction last summer. DH said, "I can build you a much nicer one, for a lot less money!" Well, it IS a much nicer one. We won't discuss the money part....

 

[snowydiamonds]

So where are all these pics?!? I recycle and do most of the work myself but have my wonderful sil help me on the parts I can't do myself I still have three to insulate this year and re-do the interior decorating. I was thinking I'd redecorate the interior of my biggest coop so it is one big area instead of two separate coop areas but it came in handy this last year to put the geese inside one half when it was too cold for too long so now I'm not sure...so far I just leave the door open between the two areas but it deffinately needs a south window for heat/sunshine! (And pretty-ing up on the outside, too!)
This is the second half of the biggest coop interior, I was going to use the smaller frame on the left (the roosts are above it) by enclosing it w/chicken wire and keeping the silkies in there but haven't done that yet, its come in handy to keep the water from freezing in the winter:

This is the interior of the coop on wheels, moved w/a vehicle and trailer hitch that I use for the ducks and the BO's- it needs insulation to use for winters, too, and a better set up inside to clean easier and keep clean.

P.S. The man just needs some encouragement so he know's he's doing the right thing, praise goes a long way and when your birds are happy in their new home, both your hearts will sing

 

[Mak]

Ok, so mine is not a contractor, he's a software engineer. Almost as bad! Over-engineered the whole thing. Says he wants it to withstand a Cat 5 hurricane- like we get a lot of those in NH!

And a perfectionist on top of all! So every angle that is slightly off, or every wall that is a smidge off level, and he's tearing down and redoing! The thing has taken over a month now, and we are just getting to putting up the rafters this weekend!

But- he did listen to me, and look at pictures and plans and stuff online and in books about the design, so I had that on my side from the start. It's going to be nice. He has it designed to fit into the yard very attractively and it will be a nice coop/garden shed combo. I just hope it's finished when the chicks get here at the end of this month!!!

:

 

[Baylen]

Wow, you guys really are great! Thanks for sharing. He's a little happier today, except that he had to go back to the depot for more pvc connectors for the run. It occurred to me that at least part of the reason it must be so meticulous is that when his contractor friends see it, it must pass their inspection. Never mind they all think I'm nuts for wanting chickens in the first place.

Don't get me wrong, I insist on recycling everything possible around here. I pick bottles & cans out of the trash (usually from guests who don't know any better) and I have a compost pile. He is usually pretty good about reusing things too, however, this one was an all out won't look stupid, no grief from friends, kind of issue. The base of the coop is reused actually. It is a pallet/cart thing on wheels (my dad used to use it to move his snowplow around). He's made progress since these pics, I'll take more today.

(the guitar was my son's contribution!)

 

[sgtmom52]

Quote:
Are we married to the same man?

 

[GermanChick]

Quote:
Are we married to the same man?

x2

 

[featherbaby]

I think you ladies are blessed beyond measure for having a husband that is willing and able to build you a coop and accepts chickens as a way of life. As aggravating and irritating as the process of building can be.....look at the big picture. He loves you enough to do the project, pay for it, wants to be proud of it, wants you to be proud of him, and obviously loves chickens. That's pretty darn good in my book. I'm divorced, live alone, have to do everything myself or pay to have it done, or do without it. If not for a wonderful friend and his family I would not have this great coop and my delightful brood of Silkies. So, give thanks for your husbands, imperfect though they may be, because not having one is so much worse. No self pity here, just the facts.

 

[GreenAcresFarm]

I can relate, I am a recycler, the cheaper the better! My husband is a builder and wants to use all new things, it is VERY frustrating. Good Luck.