I learned a lot from the first one, first, waterproof, I made my floor much stronger and used heavy vinyl composite tile for the new one, (check at a restore or other used or extra building supply shop or builders excess sale, these usually sell for about $1.60 or more but I got mine for 35 cents a sq foot ) I also raised the coop - although mine is a bit bigger - 8x40 feet - THE SINGLE BEST THING that I did in the new coop - I made my roosts hinged, at the wall and the leg,so they can be folded up against the wall (I use a bungee hooked into my 1" hardware cloth to hold them up while I clean) what this means is no legs in the way when I clean the floor, this probably is not that necessary in a tiny coop, but for any larger one, not having to get the shovel around the legs and not having to stoop to get the floor under the roosts = AWESOME.
What I learned since building the second one it is that if you have enough room, section off a smaller area for young birds, then just leave to connecting door open once you integrate them into the flock, or just use the smaller area for supplies and tools. lots of ventilation - I put 1 inch hardware cloth on the top 2 feet on both the long sides of the coop, I like the 1" better than the 1/2 because it doesn't get clogged with the "cobwebs" like the little stuff, although I do live in an area that has slightly warmer winters so that much ventilation might not work in all areas, if it does get cold, I just staple plastic over it (and in the smaller area if I have chicks in cool weather). Guess that is all my "wisdom" for the moment, have fun. PS you can usually find miss mixed paint for a fraction of the regular cost at many hardware stores, unless you have a specific color in mind.
