The Coop that may never be...

[FalcoOat]

Coop Update... well we gave in and did the siding, and actually i hate to admit it, but it isn't as bad as i thought it would be, in fact i kind of like it. (especially since i could still have some fun inside! ) now we just need to finish the run and our chicks will be just about ready to move in... just in time for a ND winter!

Oh, and this is Peep, our bantam buff silkie, we love her!

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Just wanted to share the photo before we have to change our coop. After spending a month so far building( and fully insulating) our coop (based on the AWESOME Wichita Cabin Design!) we received a visit from the developer in our neighborhood saying he had received complaints b/c apparently we have a covenant that states outbuildings must match the house. Believe me i am SO tempted to repaint our house instead of the coop, if only we had the $$$. So after tonight our coop will be beige.

But I can live with that part, the next kicker is that we have to fight to have chickens at all. Our covenant states that only customary household pets (including birds) are allowed, and the develpoer said that does not include chickens. but i think we are going to go ahead and fight that part and get the chickens and cross our fingers (while making sure we have someone who can take them if things go wrong.) After it is painted we are going to finish with the trim work and hardware cloth, and then install a 3 foot high 500sq ft white picket fence around the entire coop so we can have a large vegetable garden, and hopefully 'conceal' the chickens a bit.

Wish us luck, and thank you for all the great info and inspiration on this site!! it is my most frequently visited web destination these days!

 

[chicktwins]

I love the colors!!!

I hope you get everything worked out so you may have them. It would really stink if you spent all that time and money on the coop, etc for nothing. So glad we live in the country with land and not in a neighborhood setting. Sometimes I think I would like to live in a neighborhood but then I read things like this or hear from my friends that they cannot even have a yard sale in their driveway but instead have to participate in the "neighborhood yard sale" where they must trek all of their belongings down the road to the tennis courts and playground common area. RIDICULOUS!!!! Sometimes I wonder what types of people make up such rules.

Good luck!!

 

[FalcoOat]

Quote:
Thanks... i wonder the same thing! i suppose i am quite naive, it didn't occur to me that this would be a problem. We don't even live in a place with very strict covenants... i think i would pull my hair out if we did!!

 

[ThinkingChickens]

Eek, with open yards like that it seems like it's going to be hard to hide what you have. All it takes is one neighbor to be a constant pain in the rear. Can you build a fence? Are neighborhood dogs going to be a problem? It's funny because I guess it's where I grew up (California) but I like my big ole privacy fence. LOL

 

[aubreynoramarie]

AHH, YOU SHOULD TOTALLY PAINT YOUR HOUSE!

shoot, that playset slide isnt the same color as the house it belongs too

sorry you have to deal with that

 

[FalcoOat]

Quote:
Yes, it is definitely VERY OPEN, which i think is a problem. we actually prefer it that way, but again, naive me, i think it would be better if we put up a big fence (grumble grumble)

 

[sunshinedaisy]

yeeeahhhhh i would of found a way to paint the house just to make the point.. love the colors .... after looking at your pic i was wondering can you have a privacy fenace around ur yar if so maybe that ould be cheap like a 8 ft tall one... darn i hate those nosey neighbors...

 

[txliss]

First, I must say that I very much like your coop! Very pretty!

Idea #1: Picket fence around garden, then lower the coop down to ground level like a tractor. Ideally, it would be shorter than the fence. Paint it to blend in.

#2: Train roses/grape vines, etc up the wire part and make it part of the garden wall. Then place or build a smallish shed next to it to keep the feed/rakes/hoes, etc. Make it look like the coop is part of the garden shed...

#3: I'm not sure where you are, but in the south, you could plant crepe myrtles and/or red tip photinias about 3 feet apart around the perimeter of your yard or garden. Let 'em grow a year or 2, and you'll have a nice 6 foot wall of foliage. Red tips will stay thick year round. I'm sure there are similar options in the north as well. You get the privacy function of a fence, but not the "technical" fence they could ding you on in your HOA rules... That won't help you immediately, but is a long term strategy that I will be employing soon.

My current neighbors don't give a rat's tushie about my laying hens, as long as we don't get roosters. However, since deed restrictions prohibit all poultry, I'm going to have berries growing up the outer wire of the run for camoflage, and will have photinias and crepe myrtles along the chain link for privacy. That way, they'll be out of sight if/when my good neighbors ever move.

Nosy people drive me NUTS!

 

[kcfuerst]

Wouldn't take much to just paint the trim on your house to match the coop. Very cute. I'm with everyone else who thinks you need a fence around your property.

Hey! What's up with that play yard equipment across the way that doesn't match the houses down there???

 

[MetalSmitten]

i saw someone on here once who got silkies and called them "african ground parrots" to get around the rules... people didn't realize they were chickens

also - jeez - god forbid your neighborhood have ANY color in it!