HennyJenny, it looks like you're getting plenty of good framing advice here. I just wanted to chime in to say WAY TO GO. It takes guts to jump into a project like that for the first time, but you'll be pretty powerful by the end of it (in knowledge and strength)! My wife is great with framing, but she hadn't picked up a saw before we renovated our house. Now, we knock out construction projects like a well oiled machine. All that to say, keep up the good work. You should be very proud!
Updated! Pics! Thank you! Someone that has a clue please help
- Thread starter HennyJenny
- Start date
you have good advice so far! Im not sure what your financial situation is but if you get in a jam I bet a quick posting on Craigslist will turn up some help real quick. There is alot of construction people out of work right now. Competition is Fierce and labor can be had for half of what it used to cost. All you really need is a couple of laid off framing apprentices for 15 bucks an hour and they would have all the hard stuff done in a day. Course you are also well on your way of getting it accomplished yourself and that feeling will be great. Either way you do it, good job! I applaud any of you that can build a coop with no experience. Im a plumber by trade and see alot of framing done and I still have to scratch my head once in awhile. Me and wood dont get along
Oh yeah, my one piece of sage advice or tip: for your screwing (I Know
) get a screw holder. It has a sliding tube that hold the screw in place while you operate the drill. If that sounds confusing just explain it to the hardware store guys they will set you up. Be the best 5 bucks you spend on your whole project. I surfed around looking for a link but I cant find one. Vermont american, dewalt and makita all make this thing.
Oh yeah, my one piece of sage advice or tip: for your screwing (I Know
) get a screw holder. It has a sliding tube that hold the screw in place while you operate the drill. If that sounds confusing just explain it to the hardware store guys they will set you up. Be the best 5 bucks you spend on your whole project. I surfed around looking for a link but I cant find one. Vermont american, dewalt and makita all make this thing.
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great start so far. can't believe you're tackling this by yourself having never done it before. i admire your courage.
you're right on your approach - lay out your walls on your coop floor by putting the top and bottom plates next to each other and mark the stud locations on both of them. next spread them apart enough to accommodate your stud length. line up the studs on the marks you just made, and the wall will pretty much square itself. while the wall is laying on the coop floor and square, you can nail your OSB on at this point, provided you can raise the wall with the weight of both the lumber and the OSB. that way your wall won't go out of square since the OSB automatically braces it from moving. provided your first wall is plumb, stand the next wall up to it, align it with the first wall so it's plumb, and nail away. do this procedure for the other two, and you've got 4 walls in no time.
you're gonna have a nice looking coop when it's done.
you're right on your approach - lay out your walls on your coop floor by putting the top and bottom plates next to each other and mark the stud locations on both of them. next spread them apart enough to accommodate your stud length. line up the studs on the marks you just made, and the wall will pretty much square itself. while the wall is laying on the coop floor and square, you can nail your OSB on at this point, provided you can raise the wall with the weight of both the lumber and the OSB. that way your wall won't go out of square since the OSB automatically braces it from moving. provided your first wall is plumb, stand the next wall up to it, align it with the first wall so it's plumb, and nail away. do this procedure for the other two, and you've got 4 walls in no time.
you're gonna have a nice looking coop when it's done.
Awesome! What a project to take on yourself. Trust me, if I had to do ours myself, I would not have been ordering chicks yesterday!! LOL Hubby is
stubborn, a perfectionist, and (sometimes) yells at inanimate objects (wood, nails, gravel) far too much, but he's a whiz at figuring this stuff out! (Did I mention he's a software engineer? Explains the stubborn, perfectionist, yelling at inanimate objects...) And I am pretty much afraid of power tools! But I'm learning a lot about construction now.
Guess the only things I'd give a big second (or third) vote of support for are building your walls on the already finished floor. We're doing the roof trusses there, too. And the nail gun. That thing has been a godsend. We'd still be out there pounding in nails with out it. You can rent them.
Keep us posted on your progress!! You're doing great! I still can't believe you're doing it alone. Wow!
stubborn, a perfectionist, and (sometimes) yells at inanimate objects (wood, nails, gravel) far too much, but he's a whiz at figuring this stuff out! (Did I mention he's a software engineer? Explains the stubborn, perfectionist, yelling at inanimate objects...) And I am pretty much afraid of power tools! But I'm learning a lot about construction now.
Guess the only things I'd give a big second (or third) vote of support for are building your walls on the already finished floor. We're doing the roof trusses there, too. And the nail gun. That thing has been a godsend. We'd still be out there pounding in nails with out it. You can rent them.
Keep us posted on your progress!! You're doing great! I still can't believe you're doing it alone. Wow!
- Thread starter
- #35
You are all wonderful! All of this advice and encouragement is worth more than gold!
907chicken - I have a screw holder - I just didn't think to use it on this project
- I bought it for some drywall work I did in my bathroom - I will dig it up and try it - you are right that should make things easier.
Dude - I am going to add putting the plywood on the frame while I've got it on the floor - that will make that wall that is right up next to the kids play area and the other wall up against the old run soooo much easier!
Wildorchid - I do have some obnoxious teenaged boys that run ATVs through my field - perhaps they will do for setting the wall up - they will think I'm going to yell at them but I'll just make them work for 5 minutes instead! They won't make my husband jealous - but they will entertain my teenage daughter (who by the way is pretty helpful when she's around - she's the one that taught me how to use the t-square last week!) - it was a new experience learning from my kid - once I got over the shock of it - it was kind of cool. Her grandfather on the "other side" is a mason - I think she must've learned something from him
This is nice to have people to give advice whose primary message isn't "have you lost your mind?!!" Thank you all!
You will all die laughing to know that I am a corporate accountant by trade and this is what I do to relax.....
907chicken - I have a screw holder - I just didn't think to use it on this project
Dude - I am going to add putting the plywood on the frame while I've got it on the floor - that will make that wall that is right up next to the kids play area and the other wall up against the old run soooo much easier!
Wildorchid - I do have some obnoxious teenaged boys that run ATVs through my field - perhaps they will do for setting the wall up - they will think I'm going to yell at them but I'll just make them work for 5 minutes instead! They won't make my husband jealous - but they will entertain my teenage daughter (who by the way is pretty helpful when she's around - she's the one that taught me how to use the t-square last week!) - it was a new experience learning from my kid - once I got over the shock of it - it was kind of cool. Her grandfather on the "other side" is a mason - I think she must've learned something from him
This is nice to have people to give advice whose primary message isn't "have you lost your mind?!!" Thank you all!
You will all die laughing to know that I am a corporate accountant by trade and this is what I do to relax.....
- May 21, 2008
- 1,177
- 9
- 244
YOU CAN DO THIS! I am 5'2 and built small barn, and many outbuildings by myself. My husband absolutely hates "projects" and I hate not having proper shelters so I do it myself. The boys at HD don't even look at me weird anymore. TOOLS are the biggest key to doing it yourself and doing it right, I could not live without my framing nail gun and cordless drill, and saws. If I need it I buy it, especially since it makes all the difference in the end result and saves my back! YOU GO GIRL and make sure you post your finished pictures.
Quote:
Build the walls on your floor, not the ground. The floor should be flat and help keep everything in place. Lay everything out. Studs, top plate and sole plate. use your foot to hold the stud still while you drive screw or nail through the bottom or top plate into the studs. That extra hand you feel like you need is your foot. If you have fairly small walls you can lift them into place by yourself but don't try it if there is any wind. I can lift and nail into place a 20 foot section of wall but really don't like to have to. anything longer and you need help. a 10 foot section and other people are just in my way. Other than that remember. it is just one screw at a time so just stay focused on getting that one done well. the next one will present it's own list of problems. Building is more about overcoming and thinking through what is not working than it is knowing how to do it in the first place. As for how long it takes. it takes as long as it takes to get to that last nail. When you find it ask it where it was and why it didn't show up closer to the beginning of the job.
Build the walls on your floor, not the ground. The floor should be flat and help keep everything in place. Lay everything out. Studs, top plate and sole plate. use your foot to hold the stud still while you drive screw or nail through the bottom or top plate into the studs. That extra hand you feel like you need is your foot. If you have fairly small walls you can lift them into place by yourself but don't try it if there is any wind. I can lift and nail into place a 20 foot section of wall but really don't like to have to. anything longer and you need help. a 10 foot section and other people are just in my way. Other than that remember. it is just one screw at a time so just stay focused on getting that one done well. the next one will present it's own list of problems. Building is more about overcoming and thinking through what is not working than it is knowing how to do it in the first place. As for how long it takes. it takes as long as it takes to get to that last nail. When you find it ask it where it was and why it didn't show up closer to the beginning of the job.
Check this thread out hun. All Lady builders!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=153737
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=153737
- Aug 8, 2009
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There are several things I use when building alone or when we need some extra hands. Wood clamps are a must especially corner clamps as they keep the wood from moving on you when you are in rough spot. I also use ratchet straps in place of web clamps since they are the same thing. One thing I can't say enough for someone just starting out and thinking of buying a cordless "screw driver" if you are going to be using it primarily for that, and not drilling skip it or get a combo pack with a cordless impact driver. If you know someone that has a impact driver borrow it and you will never think about using a cordless "drill/screwdriver" for screws ever again.
Edit: I forgot to add that with the web clamps (rachet straps) you can use a spacer board to allow you sandwich your wood so it doesn't move (hopefully that makes since if not i can clarify)
Edit: I forgot to add that with the web clamps (rachet straps) you can use a spacer board to allow you sandwich your wood so it doesn't move (hopefully that makes since if not i can clarify)
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- #40
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