Plywood alternatives

This one was pretty easy. Birds did fine in the negative temps and snow we got this spring in Texas and do fine in the heat.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-ramblings-on-things-that-need-input.1293953/

And here was the build thread.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/nearly-done.1292803/#post-21005750

I was pleasantly surprised at how easy metal siding is to work with -- given self-tapping screws and DH's battery-powered impact driver (DeWalt 20V -- highly recommend this tool series).

I also love my electric metal shears: https://www.harborfreight.com/18-ga...-61737.html?_br_psugg_q=electric+metal+shears
 
I was pleasantly surprised at how easy metal siding is to work with -- given self-tapping screws and DH's battery-powered impact driver (DeWalt 20V -- highly recommend this tool series).

I also love my electric metal shears: https://www.harborfreight.com/18-ga...-61737.html?_br_psugg_q=electric+metal+shears
Cutting it was the worst with hand-held manual shears. But the pens look so nice and I don't have to worry about something chewing through the wood or it rotting.

My stepdad has a bunch of tools and he got so annoyed he busted out some saw and started using that. lol
 
Cutting it was the worst with hand-held manual shears. But the pens look so nice and I don't have to worry about something chewing through the wood or it rotting.

My stepdad has a bunch of tools and he got so annoyed he busted out some saw and started using that. lol

The hand-held shears were so intimidating that we decided on the elecctric shears.

The company that makes the roofing we bought for Neuchickenstein said that using an angle grinder would generate heat and void the 40-year warranty on the coating. (Not an issue on plain, cheap metal).
 
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Keep in mind T1-11 is a convenience product. It can function as sheathing and siding. Ordinarily structures are sheathed with OSB or sheathing plywood and then covered with siding. Materials and labour can add up to more than the cost of using T1-11 to function as both sheathing and siding. I don’t know what a good price for it is. Where I live it’s rare because it’s expensive. Most people use sheathing plywood or OSB and sometimes paint it like it’s siding. It works. Rough cut lumber can be used but it’s not exactly a plywood alternative. It has cracks between the boards that have to be covered with tar paper or building wrap. It does not brace a structure diagonally, so diagonal braces must be added to a structure adding to labour and material costs. Nevertheless I do use rough cut wood for building you just need to be aware that it’s not all gravy.
 
Keep in mind T1-11 is a convenience product. It can function as sheathing and siding. Ordinarily structures are sheathed with OSB or sheathing plywood and then covered with siding. Materials and labour can add up to more than the cost of using T1-11 to function as both sheathing and siding. I don’t know what a good price for it is. Where I live it’s rare because it’s expensive. Most people use sheathing plywood or OSB and sometimes paint it like it’s siding. It works. Rough cut lumber can be used but it’s not exactly a plywood alternative. It has cracks between the boards that have to be covered with tar paper or building wrap. It does not brace a structure diagonally, so diagonal braces must be added to a structure adding to labour and material costs. Nevertheless I do use rough cut wood for building you just need to be aware that it’s not all gravy.
If the shed/coop is framed out in typical fashion, no other bracing is needed for ruff cut siding. As far as gaps, board and batten is a widely used method to cover the gaps, and it looks good to. Still alot cheaper than plywood, but agree there is a little extra labor as it obviously doesn't cover as quickly.
 

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