Old building renovations?

[ChickPeas]

Has anyone here ever renovated an old, already standing structure into a coop? I'd love to see pics of what you did to it.

We have an old (80+ years) out building that my DH's grandfather used for whatever reason and we're converting it into a coop. It's slow going, mostly bc of crappy weather, but I was wodnering what others did for their structures.

So whatcha got? Can I see it?

 

[stonehouse]

Funny you should ask. I just finished a ~200 year old barn.
Here's a link to the thread.
Good luck with yours.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=560842#p560842

 

[sovia]

We are nearly finished renovating a 60-year old shed/cabin into a chicken coop. We replaced the leaky roof, lined the interior ceiling and all edges of the coop where it meets the ceiling and floor with hardware cloth, put another layer of plywood on the floor, and took some old roofing tin and lined all the interior walls with it. The outside is old wood and has a lot of holes so we are very worried about weasels getting inside, but I think we have done a pretty good job considering we are novices. We also had to replace one of the windows and covered them with hardware cloth. My husband wasn't thrilled with the expense of all the hardware cloth (including the run), but I think it will be worth it. We used some old cabinets we found for nest boxes, etc. I will try to post some pics later this week.

Good luck!

Sovia

 

[ChickenToes]

My husband had an old chicken coop behind his parents' house. When we decided to move it to our house, we discovered over half the walls were rotten. So, we cut it apart and salvaged what we could. We rebuilt it using boards that were pried off old pallets. We used leftover shingles from our garage for the roof, and lined the outside walls with tar paper. Since the boards from the pallets are quite thin, we plan on nailing up more boards on top of the tar paper - boards that we're going to salvage from an old barn. Overall, we haven't spent a dime on the coop, and the only thing we're going to have to buy is insulation once the weather gets chilly. Frugality rocks!

 

[Beekissed]

I am remaking some existing buildings on my place, they are approx. 70 yrs. old. They all lean like drunken sailors, so trying to keep anything level is a trick. The floor of the chicken coop has 1 inch gaps between the boards and they are all hooved every which way. I plan to recover the floor with plywood, eventually. Actually, the old man who built this did a great job and the wood is pure oak, huge and tough to nail anything to. He had put two large windows (floor to ceiling) covered with good wire on one whole side of the building, facing east. He made frames to fit them that can be removed and he had screens on these frames. I put plastic on them in winter and remove in the spring. I plan to put another window on the opposite wall for even more light and airflow. The walls also have 1 inch gaps between the boards, so I am lining the walls with heavy cardboard I have scrounged here and there for insulation. There is a building next door that I have changed drastically and will be using as a biddy brooder. I plan to connect them with a hen-sized walk-way and give me some extra space for the 25 chicks I am ordering. I'm sorry I can't send pics of the renovations, as I have dial-up, but I can tell you that it has been fun! I love taking something that you can't hardly use and making it into something useful again! My hens love, love, love their house with its big windows and fresh air. You can't smell anything in that house except hay, the droppings are dry and as fine as powder. I just scoop it up and put it directly in the garden! Good luck! Send pics when you do it....before and after!