SLOPES

[mpoland33]

Hey everyone,
We are having about a week of warmer weather here in MD and I'm getting the itch to start some construction.

My plan is to build a raised coop with a slanted roof going towards the back. This is probably what I'll build first as it is on flat land. The run is going to be an additional 12' long. I have some roofing to cover some of the run. Here is my problem.

The roof is planned on going front (tall side) to back (shorter). However, after the coop being on flat, the run will be on a slope.....in the 12' it probably goes down 10-12"...so it's not terrible but it's enough that grading the land isn't something we are interesting in doing.

Any opinions? Does anyone have picture on their own coops in these same situations?

 

[Smuvers Farm]

I know @rjohns39 has hills.... and you can always come and practice build about 5 coops for me on my homestead!

 

[aart]

the run will be on a slope.....in the 12' it probably goes down 10-12"...so it's not terrible but it's enough that grading the land isn't something we are interesting in doing.

Any opinions? Does anyone have picture on their own coops in these same situations?

Probably depends on how you plan to build the run, especially if you plan to roof it.
What do you have in mind?

You could keep roof level and use taller posts downhill,
this is basically what I did but slope was much less(~10" over 30'),
or you could terrace run framing in sections.
How long will run be...just the 12'...or more, now or later?

I have seen some pics of sloping and terraced runs here...
....darned if I'd be able to find them now.
Lots of searching and scrolling threads.

ETA...you might want to change your thread title to 'Sloped Runs' to garner more attention.

 

[mpoland33]

Thanks. The run would be between 12 and 16'. I was going to do 16 total but with me sectioning it off to the coop-4' and the run...thinking 2- 8'ers might be easier/less hassle.

PART of the run would be roofed....I bought plastic corrugated roofing but only have enough for probably 8' of it.

Might be a good idea to make longer posts to keep it more even..would just used more cloth/wire.

 

[aart]

You'll have to do some experimenting with your materials.
A water level (10'-30' long clear plastic 1/2" tubing filled with dyed water and rubber corks for both ends) would be a good tool to have for this project.

 

[jthornton]

You'll have to do some experimenting with your materials.
A water level (10'-30' long clear plastic 1/2" tubing filled with dyed water and rubber corks for both ends) would be a good tool to have for this project.

We used a water level way back when I was overhauling nuke subs... I've not thought about that in a long time.

JT

 

[TwoCrows]

We built our entire coop and run on a slope, a cold winter in February of 2013. We used a tractor with a bucket to roughly dig out the hillside. When the walls of the coop and run were finally added we used a rototiller to loosen up the dirt and level it in the coop and run. It wasn't perfectly level however, the litter on the floor of the coop and run (wood chips/mulch) make up for the unlevel ground. It's actually easier to build level than on a slant. The cinder blocks do a wonderful job at holding back the dirt. We filled each of the cinder blocks with dirt and packed it in to keep them stable. It also keeps water from working it's way in and eroding the soil behind the coop.

 

[aart]

We used a water level way back when I was overhauling nuke subs... I've not thought about that in a long time.

JT

Made it first with a reservoir to level ornamental pond filters,
then it sat in the shed for nearly a decade,
then used just the hose, and some clamps, to set my run posts.