sn0wwhite's Wichita Coop for the Twin Cities

[aart]

Will the door go all the way up in the opening shown.....or will you add a header?

Wonders if it's because the verticals are tilted....or the boards are a bit warped. Have you run your lovely 4' level along the verticals to see what's what?

Looks like it would be hard to move either of the vertical members being that they are already doubled with mesh in between.

I'd just live with the half inch gap...it's no bigger than the 1/2" hardware cloth openings, so it's not a predator issue.

 

[sn0wwhite]

I'm debating having the door go all the way up or adding a header. I think the door will be very heavy and I'm only 5'7", so I am thinking about bringing it down a foot, except I may need to move that single board that's up there now. It was a problem going in, and it is not directly in line from left to right with the other headers. Blech. This is a bit of a fail area.

I also suspect that the verticals are off a bit and it is a combination of being pulled slightly out by the other headers and some minor warping in boards. I hate that things aren't perfect, but I keep reminding myself what someone said about chickens won't care, they just want treats.

And yeah, I agree, I can't move the verticals to the right at this point - I fear splitting wood.

I really appreciate the feedback and encouragement... it keeps me out of panic mode and then I feel more confident living with a few flaws and I feel like gaps of 1/8 to 1/4 inch are tolerable.

 

[aart]

A lot of 'flaws' or misalignments can be lived with....it's hard to know what can and what needs to be fixed without a lot of experience.

How tall is the existing 'header'? I'd keep your door at 6' if you can.

Go out there with your 4' level and look at how warped and/or plumb the verticals are.
Most important is that the hinge side vertical is straight and plumb.
That and a 1' or 2' square can help you see what the insisting condition is and help figure how to proceed.
Measure the door opening width at several places up and down, making sure you keep your tape fairly level.
I wouldn't try to build your door trapezoidal to match the opening as the 1/2" is top to bottom is that not bad.

I had a door gap of 1/2" and used a thin piece of plywood to cover most of it and also act as a door stop and part of a simple lock, take a look at my coop in my profile and you can see it.

 

[sn0wwhite]

Ok, so after further study and an attempt to straighten a warped board, I only corrected about 1/8 inch, but it's just on the top 6 inches, so we will push on. I'm just going to do one lower 2x4 header to frame the door. It will be about 6'2" tall by 39 1/2 wide. Pretty big. And in progress news the rafters are officially done.

 

[aart]

Ok, so after further study and an attempt to straighten a warped board, I only corrected about 1/8 inch, but it's just on the top 6 inches, so we will push on. I'm just going to do one lower 2x4 header to frame the door. It will be about 6'2" tall by 39 1/2 wide. Pretty big. And in progress news the rafters are officially done.

There ya go!

 

[pbarr86]

I am enjoying watching your progress, it's bringing me back only a couple of months when I was working on my build everyday. Good times, frustrating at times but still fun seeing it all come together.. Here is the link I posted once mine was completed..

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/815743/looking-for-comments-suggestions-questions-insults

 

[JanetS]

Looking good so far!!

 

[sn0wwhite]

Thank you pbarr86 & JanetS! I really am enjoying this... but tonight I've hit another panic block.

I'm studying pictures like crazy, but I'm really not seeing how I should do this next box. I have the two upright 2x4s up, and I know I need to put a header across that will become also the bottom of my window with another 2x4 to be the top of the window, but how do I start the bottom of this thing? I seem to have weird gaps and I'm not matching my plan or anyone else's. Is there a how to or step by step instructions somewhere? I'm off to search...

 

[pbarr86]

Thank you pbarr86 & JanetS! I really am enjoying this... but tonight I've hit another panic block.

I'm studying pictures like crazy, but I'm really not seeing how I should do this next box. I have the two upright 2x4s up, and I know I need to put a header across that will become also the bottom of my window with another 2x4 to be the top of the window, but how do I start the bottom of this thing? I seem to have weird gaps and I'm not matching my plan or anyone else's. Is there a how to or step by step instructions somewhere? I'm off to search...

Hey Snow,
I have read your post here a few times and I'm just not understanding what you are trying to do, maybe a picture of the area you are working on and another description. I'd be willing to take pictures of the same part of my coop since what we have are pretty similar...

Paul

 

[sn0wwhite]

Thanks, Paul, that's a good idea and now that it's daylight here they are. The house floor is 1" cedar and the 2x4 uprights are 30" apart inside measurement.