New Coop Begins This Weekend!

[snyder80]

Well, the time has arrived and my wife and I are starting to build our coop and run this weekend. We are building an 8X8 coop, based off of the Clutch Hutch, which was built by Speckled Hen. It will house 8 hens and 1 rooster upon its completion. We will also be adding a large run that will encircle the coop.

I have never constructed anything before so, to say the least, I have some concerns. I've got a few lessons from co-workers who do home improvement and construction on the side in the summer on framing and such but I'm still very fuzzy on making sure I have a square foundation. For the foundation we will burying 12' pressure treated 4X4's and concreted them into the ground and the base of the floor will be started by lag bolting a pressure treated 2X6 on to each side. This seems like overkill but a good friend of mine who was a home builder for twenty years tells me this will ensure that the coop is sturdy against all elements, including the frequent high winds we experience where we live.

Wish us luck and if anyone has any good advice on how to ensure my 4X4's end up plumb, level and square, I'm all ears. It takes a lot to put me at ease with this kind of thing but that's only because I want to make sure it is done correctly and turns out looking good.

Thanks!

 

[lightchick]

Good luck!!

 

[Julia62]

I don't have building advice, but enjoy the process! My husband and I built ours over a full weekend and a few hours each night after work for a week. It took longer than we thought because we switched plans here and there! But, we are happy with it and our 4 chickens! Ours is only a 4 x 4 with a 10 x 10 dog kennel as the run with extra wire around the bottom half and a shade cloth covering the top.