The $500 barn

[Eric Exley]

Hi this project that you have done has suprised me That is a very resourceful way to build a chicken coop.
My dad has built a chicken coop for me 9 years ago on a $20 Budget it was recycled from pieces of an old patio deck with a tin roof and it is still holding up today with 4 turkeys 30 - 40 chickens 5 ducks 1 goose 1 peahen living in this coop, it has had its nestboxes taken out of the side because of a racoon tearing into the nestbox and ending up in a fight with my most ferocious hen bowser she was in the nest because she was brooding on a clutch of 15 eggs the eggs did survive the ordeal though.
my chicken coop is 11'x 15' divided into 3 cages and yes i let my flock out to free range during the day.

 

[paintedChix]

& at some point, "back there", u said Superman u weren't. I beg to differ as this is totally "supermanning" it to me!! What did your fam think of it when they arrived back at home?

Wow, u've gotten a lot done in a short time, sore, tired and what not. How do you think this build is going to hold up to this new weather beast? Sturdy enuff & ready? I'll pray it does everything it needs to & more. What a fantastic build!

I'd give my eyeteeth to have a "baby cat" hanging out at our place! So many projects, none getting done and we are just getting older (actually my other 1/2 - the male side) has taken to hanging out in the house. Well.... he does work nights and he's providing 99.9% of the $$ for our "country lifestyle" - so no complaints most times. But working on stuff on the ground - hmmm. I know why we've got more hooped buildings coming our way - 'cuz I can do those myself, LOL. U have answered my own personal ?s tho re: using the trees from our property. Did you treat the posts you sunk into the ground? Will you be treating/painting the rest of the building? IF so, what with?

R u dumping the black tank in your own compost? Or do you haul it somewhere to dump? AHHH - the "sweet reminiscence" (read redolence) of the "honey wagons" on our early morning wind sprints in TDC, Uijeongbu & Seoul in the mid-80's... Screech to a halt - yukky, ukky memory, LOL. I'm sure others have some of the same memories in other areas... And this morning, when I stepped out of our house - hmm, the one farm down the road has hog lagoons & someone somewhere else must have recently spread chicken litter on their fields. The pony pasture, w/ 30 head of Shetlands, mucking it up, could not be scented!!

 

[paintedChix]

and at some point, I'd love to see some pics of the house your family is building. Or u r building...

 

[yogifink]

& at some point, "back there", u said Superman u weren't. I beg to differ as this is totally "supermanning" it to me!! What did your fam think of it when they arrived back at home?

I was sending them pictures as the week progressed, so I don't think there was much of a surprise factor on their return.

Wow, u've gotten a lot done in a short time, sore, tired and what not. How do you think this build is going to hold up to this new weather beast? Sturdy enuff & ready? I'll pray it does everything it needs to & more. What a fantastic build!

We got hit pretty hard last night: quarter inch hail and 50 mph winds. Everything fared well and no leaks in the roof. Some of the tar paper folded back, but that's expected. I think I could park my truck on top of it honestly!

So many projects, none getting done and we are just getting older (actually my other 1/2 - the male side) has taken to hanging out in the house. Well.... he does work nights and he's providing 99.9% of the $$ for our "country lifestyle" - so no complaints most times.

We're in the same situation, the days aren't getting any longer for sure! I have a pretty demanding schedule and only get about 2 hours awake time a day at the house during the week. Wake up, prepare and have breakfast as a family a few chores and I'm out the door and not home until after 11 most nights.

Did you treat the posts you sunk into the ground? Will you be treating/painting the rest of the building? IF so, what with?

I did not treat the posts. We used cedar which is rot and insect resistant. I have my concerns with the termites in our area, so I will keep a close eye on them. I plan to put up some termite sensors and treat as needed.

The plan is to use pallet slats cut into shakes for most of the siding. Once I get it hung, we will decide if we want to keep it raw and rustic, treat with linseed or paint. On the walls not covered in siding, I want to try and build a living wall like this: http://thefeltedfox.blogspot.com/2013/04/living-wall-diy.html

R u dumping the black tank in your own compost? Or do you haul it somewhere to dump?

I dug out a big hole on our property to dump in. I'll fill it when when we move into the house.

 

[yogifink]

and at some point, I'd love to see some pics of the house your family is building. Or u r building...

I'd love to share, I could write a blog in and of itself on the house and thought about doing so. I would love to blog, but between work, family and farm there is not much time left in the day. I'm at work now and can get away with a few minutes here and there, but I don't think I could devote the time needed to write.

We went round and round on how and what to build. We considered everything from adobe construction to yurts. We really wanted an earthy feeling house built from natural material. However, building code is a SOB. And when your dealing with banks and insurance companies the limitations become even greater. At one point, we were looking for property in Tennessee where there are counties that have still not implemented building code, so that we could circumvent the system and build how we wanted.

We went back and forth on building a 'tiny home', and after living in a camper for 6 months, extremely happy we did not go that route. A yurt was also on our list, and still something I am in favor of, however my partner is very concerned about mold in our humid environment, so we nixed that idea as well.

Ultimately we decided to go with a timber frame hybrid of our own design. I happened across this website: http://www.countryplans.com/ which caters toward owner builders. We are using their 20x30 plan as a base and have added a few feet here and there, a basement and a loft.

Its a small house, 806sqft with a double loft and walkout basement.

We talked to a few different contractors and all of the will tell you the same thing, "you dont own your house, the insurance companies do," and its the truth. Most of them told us we couldn't do any of the work because they could be found at fault for any issues. But I was able to find a contractor who is generously donating his time and allowing us to do a lot of the work ourselves while telling the bank something else.

His crew took over after we cleared the property and put in the driveways and will bring me to dry-in. I will take over and do all the finish work from flooring, trim, cabinetry, etc.

I will post some pictures of the house, but dont have any current ones on my phone right now. But, I'll show you where we started. These are shots of the property at day 1 and after I had the garden area opened up.

 

[yogifink]

a few of the house

 

[yogifink]

aart, have a question for you. Id like to add a little bit of extra framing to help prevent future racking and so that the stability of the structure is not totally dependant on the plywood. here's what I'm thinking:

use 2x4's and put a ply gusset where the joint is?

and then, how could I secure to posts so that nails wouldn't pull out if a shift where to occure? could I just tack into purlins and posts, or should I come up with some kind of nailer?

 

[aart]

I would put the blue 2x4's (or 2x6's...or better yet, another 'log') between the posts and 'toenail' them to posts. Rough illustration below.

You could also put them across the horizontal 2x4's on plywood....weak point would be attachment of plywood to posts, hope you're using hefty lag bolts.

 

[yogifink]

at the top? how would that hold it from racking front to back?

 

[yogifink]

basically, what your saying is to add a 2x6 sil, right?

I could tenion them, and then add diagonal brace?