Whew, my dad came to visit this weekend and I worked him half to death.
Saturday morning, fortified with coffee and donuts, we went to Lowe's where I dropped about $320 (after 10% off coupon) on OSB, T-111 siding, lots of 2x4's, 1/8" hardiboard, roofing, and lots of nails, screws, hinges, concrete and some concrete blocks. At home I had a casement window I purchased off of Craigslist for $25, three used treated 4x4's, and some vinyl remnant flooring.
We dug shallow holes to seat the 4 concrete blocks, which had holes sized a bit larger than the 4x4's. We cut the 4x4's longer than needed, set them in the holes, marked where they were level, then cut them to the correct sizes, and connected them with treated 2x4. A sheet of OSB was put on top for the flooring, with the vinyl over that, then a perimeter of 2x4 studs, which also hold down the vinyl. When we got done working, we headed back to Lowe's and picked up paint, some hardware cloth, stick-down vinyl tiles to fill in where the remnant sheet vinyl came up short, and a couple other things I can't remember, but it totaled about $62 after a $10 off coupon.
The second day, we built and painted the walls on the ground, then had a "barn raising" and filled all of the walls with 1" rigid foam insulation. There is a lot of dead space in the walls due to the 2x4 studs, but the insulation fits tightly and should keep out drafts. I cut a roost to sit on the mid-roof supports, and we then used the hardiboard as the interior siding for the walls and ceiling. Next, we nailed on the roofing, and called it a night.
The next morning, I was at Lowe's yet again, purchasing wood trim and caulking for about $45 in damages. I filled the holes in the concrete blocks with QuickSet cement, and they added the extra cement to the dirt holes. We put up the vent covers, painted and installed the window, and put up the corner trim, which also has little braces attached to hold up the corners of the roofing. OK, we were a little lazy that day and decided to quit instead of going back to the store for the lumber to finish.
Total damage to my checking account so far: About $452. I expect it will be around $150 more by the time I have the run up, maybe $250 with waterers, upgraded vents, insulation in the floors and so on, so the $700 I've seen quoted around here seems almost inescapable.
This weekend I plan to build and hang the man doors, egg door and pop door. I may also build my PVC feeder and nipple waterer if I get ambitious. After that, it needs the actual run, interior paint, and a nest box. The run will extend 8' out from the front of the coop, for a total run size of 8x12'. I will post an update when it's all finished, of course.
So, without further ado, here are some pics. I positioned the coop so that I'd have a good view from the kitchen window, and was surprised to find out how well I can see even underneath the entire coop.
Front:
Back:
Egg-door side:
Interior:
Saturday morning, fortified with coffee and donuts, we went to Lowe's where I dropped about $320 (after 10% off coupon) on OSB, T-111 siding, lots of 2x4's, 1/8" hardiboard, roofing, and lots of nails, screws, hinges, concrete and some concrete blocks. At home I had a casement window I purchased off of Craigslist for $25, three used treated 4x4's, and some vinyl remnant flooring.
We dug shallow holes to seat the 4 concrete blocks, which had holes sized a bit larger than the 4x4's. We cut the 4x4's longer than needed, set them in the holes, marked where they were level, then cut them to the correct sizes, and connected them with treated 2x4. A sheet of OSB was put on top for the flooring, with the vinyl over that, then a perimeter of 2x4 studs, which also hold down the vinyl. When we got done working, we headed back to Lowe's and picked up paint, some hardware cloth, stick-down vinyl tiles to fill in where the remnant sheet vinyl came up short, and a couple other things I can't remember, but it totaled about $62 after a $10 off coupon.
The second day, we built and painted the walls on the ground, then had a "barn raising" and filled all of the walls with 1" rigid foam insulation. There is a lot of dead space in the walls due to the 2x4 studs, but the insulation fits tightly and should keep out drafts. I cut a roost to sit on the mid-roof supports, and we then used the hardiboard as the interior siding for the walls and ceiling. Next, we nailed on the roofing, and called it a night.
The next morning, I was at Lowe's yet again, purchasing wood trim and caulking for about $45 in damages. I filled the holes in the concrete blocks with QuickSet cement, and they added the extra cement to the dirt holes. We put up the vent covers, painted and installed the window, and put up the corner trim, which also has little braces attached to hold up the corners of the roofing. OK, we were a little lazy that day and decided to quit instead of going back to the store for the lumber to finish.
Total damage to my checking account so far: About $452. I expect it will be around $150 more by the time I have the run up, maybe $250 with waterers, upgraded vents, insulation in the floors and so on, so the $700 I've seen quoted around here seems almost inescapable.
This weekend I plan to build and hang the man doors, egg door and pop door. I may also build my PVC feeder and nipple waterer if I get ambitious. After that, it needs the actual run, interior paint, and a nest box. The run will extend 8' out from the front of the coop, for a total run size of 8x12'. I will post an update when it's all finished, of course.
So, without further ado, here are some pics. I positioned the coop so that I'd have a good view from the kitchen window, and was surprised to find out how well I can see even underneath the entire coop.
Front:
Back:
Egg-door side:
Interior:
