[updated] APPROXIMATE Cost of building an 8x12 shed or buying one

[Momagain1]

dont forget; we have saved HUNDREDS upon HUNDREDS by buying wood from the home depots cull pile...(Irregular cuts or ones that have a slight bend to them..) STILL WORK PERFECTLY..

we paid $6 for 20 boards last night..and they cut them down for us...

the avg cost of each treated board we got was $5.xx and we got it for like 85%+ off..

 

[AlaskGirl]

8x10 new insulated coop with laminate flooring was $1000 for us, not including the electrified fence added later.

 

[AlienChick]

Thank you all, again, for your input and for the awesome photos of your shed coops.

It seems the sweet spot on cost is around $1000 (give or take a couple hundred).

I can buy a brand new 8x12 for about $1300, so there's not a HUGE difference in cost. I am also still contemplating doing what greyhorsewoman did with buying a pre-fab shed.

I did search CraigsList, and there is no one in our "immediate" area selling sheds (today). But I'll keep checking since I really like that idea of buying a used shed. The going rate in my area for "shed moving" is $200 - $400.

I do have access to pallets and thought about building a pallet coop, but I've since changed my mind. Although, I still may build some very small pallet coops for separating hens or roosters in the future.

Anyway, my chicks are only two weeks old, so I'm gonna keep checking CraigsList for now. If I don't find anything, I might just buy one new. I am not a carpenter and do not own any serious tools or saws, but I would enjoy slightly modifying the shed to suit my needs. (I like how you made your windows on your shed, Newbie in Screamer Al.) I have a bunch of concrete blocks to make a foundation and I know how to use a level. I also have a bunch of large cat litter containers that I'm saving for nestboxes. And thank you, MomAgain, for the tip about the scrap bin; I plan on checking that out. The gift card idea that RiddleMe posted sounds like a winner, too. I still also have a Lowes 10% off coupon.

mjweav, I am only using the shed for a chicken coop. If you want to have a multi-use purpose, I would separate the section since the chickens will make a mess of any space they live in.


I'm really looking forward to all of this!

 

[blueseal]

oh just a reminder . ice shacks work good for coops too. i bought a 6x8 from craigslist 3 weeks ago for $150. its my grower coop right now for my 10 rhode island reds that are 17 weeks old. after they start laying i will move them to the big coop and put my new chicks i got today in the ice shack coop. hey it works. lol.

 

[gottadance]

Might I also suggest bartering on craigslist? I bartered to have my house/garage painted in exchange for a car I was having trouble selling - it was in great cond but economy was bad. A painter needed a car and so he did the barter. Last year I'd asked if anyone wanted to build my chicken coop in exchange for a 1/3 c diamond ring I had - worth $500, had no attachment to it. Found a guy willing to do it, but I got too busy with other projects and couldn't get to it.

I'm thinking I'm going to try again to barter to get it built. I've been freecycling and getting free stuff off of craigslist for the last year. Have a bunch of lumber and shingles. Tons of nails, etc. I'm thinking I may end up buying some reclaimed barn wood to build it - that old wood is incredible. We also have a restore by us, so I may check that out.

In a way, it would be nice to find a used shed, but then having to haul it. What do you need to haul a coop - say 10 x 10? Could you pull that with an SUV and a trailer? My bf has an SUV.

 

[Bubbles_erin]

I have to second OPs response. Look around for free/cheap materials on places like craigslist. We are currently looking to move to a house that in exchange for a few free months and cheap rent, we have to do all the work/maintenance. It is an old house, about 100 years old. But with the help of craigslist, we have been able to buy alot of materials for a lot cheaper or use free wood that we had already had laying around. Example, my brother in law estimated our roofing costs would be around $1200 for the entire house, we spent roughly $400 thanks to craigslist. Anything we buy at lowes, we use a 10% off coupon (you can buy them on ebay or just get a change of address packet from the post office and they have a coupon in them) and you can also buy gift cards for lowes, we look at spending about 70-80% of the face value, meaning we get "free" money to spend at lowes too! These have been our tricks to keep our budget in check when getting the house materials. Fortunetly for my hubby, his next big project once we do move is to get working on my chicken coop. I found a plan I like here from BYC that I can/will easily modify to my desires. This is the one I am looking at https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=59655-barnstylecoop because it has storage and is well planned out. I am going to add another seperate section for turkeys/goats/meat chickens and maybe add (or can use a animal cage) as a grow out pen (ie ready to be mixed with the new birds but not yet fully mixed in, set cage in with all the others and that way they slowly get used to each other). I will not have a run on mine, as I let the birds out to free range, but when we move to the country, they will be in tractors (thanks to my fear of coyotes), so they will go straigt from the pop door into their tractor.

 

[Arielle]

2x
2x

WE are building a 12 x 12. The pt framing for the floor ran about $150. THat's the expensive wood. I'm estimating that we can build this for less than $750. ANd the buildings I see at the HD are not well built. Low grade material, etc. Maybe your store has better quality sheds. My DH builds to code and beyond (!) and our out buildings held up while barns and houses were collapsing this winter in Massachusetts. Look on CL and check the trash on trash day. WE picked up wooden doors and windows that way. Large items often go curbside days before trash day.

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

Quote:
Our first coop was built from scraps! I thought that was the karma of coop building, that it was 'sposed to be that way. So we did. Something funky and quirky inherent in keeping chickens

, its OKAY to let your creative muse build a coop!

** WARNING ** to Bubbles-erin: Coyotes are very, very common in most cities! Beware the predators whether you're in the country or not!

 

[Chicklette 1]

Another good source that I used, are the companies that rent different size sheds. . When they get them back from rental, they sell them discounted depending on their age and condition. I got a lofted barn 8X12 that just needs a little outfitting inside and I've got a nice big coop. Mine is a Dura Built and I am thrilled with it. They are not cheap........just cheaper than new.

 

[chloebetsychicks]

We bought a used shed off craigslist. It's about 8x10. We paid $100 for it and were lucky enough to have someone haul it on a flatbed for $100. We painted it inside and out and built a divider so we could store things in the front. We built a pen off to one side with mostly salvaged wood and will build a second pen for our new chickens to expand the space. I think it's crazy to spend a lot on a coop, especially since you aren't going to "make" money on chickens really. I think the easiest thing to do is to repurpose a playhouse or shed or large kennel or somesuch. Craigslist is great for this sort of thing. You have to trawl it regularly, though. freecycle can be great for materials as well. We have very little free time and are spread pretty thin financially so we are always looking for a deal, I think even if I was rich-i'd still be bargain hunting though