What would you spend on a chicken coup?

[Kathryn4629]

Ok so here is the deal, I have had a few people ask about building them a coup. So I am thinking about building a few coups to sell. My question is how much would you spend if you were going to buy one. I am thinking about making them in a couple of different sizes, and or made to the customers needs (how many chickens) and either a tractor or stationary. I am just in the "planning stage" so any ideas and input would be welcome.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Here's the one I just had made for me by my husband's friend. The top part is 4x4, the run on the bottom is 4x8. What you can't see is the ventilation window on the back (about 6" tall, and runs the whole back side right below the roof, which hangs over so rain can't get in) and the 2 roosting bars that are inside. There is also a huge door on top of the run so I can get into the bottom of it if I have to. Full height is about 6 feet tall, with a slant to the roof for rain runoff.

I paid about $75 for lumber (the guy who made it lives next to a small lumber yard, and knows the owner).
$100 for 1/2"x1" welded wire (went with the welded wire, because we have some super determined hawks, and I lost 3 silkies to getting pecked through 1" chicken wire last summer).
$17 for the shingles
$26 for the redwood stain
And I paid him $175 to build it for me (he's my hubby's bestest friend, and has been unemployed for 3 months and has a family)

All done it cost me almost $400. TOTALLY worth it! Around here, the ones on CL that are most comperable, but MUCH smaller are going for around $575.

 

[Kathryn4629]

great info!!! Thanks so much, that is about the size that I was thinking. I was thinking about 300-500$ depending on size and extras.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Yep, sounds good! Price it competitively and people will buy yours, but don't cheat yourself either!!

 

[AnastasiaY]

What I would do is tally up the cost of materials and then charge an appropriate amount for labor, maybe around 150?

 

[Kathryn4629]

Quote:
Yeah I have been debating rather just figuring out a flat fee to add to the cost of materials, or trying to keep track of hours spent, and figure out what I am worth per hour

(a reasonable $ amount) and add that to cost.

what do people charge usually per hour of labor, on projects like this?

I would like to make a couple of bucks, but also be competitively priced.

 

[AtholCoop]

Ha, we're dang near neighbors.

I've got a pretty good system for coops and can crank one out start to finish in a couple three days including trim. Typically I charge 32.00 a square foot or there about. 4x4 coop delivered to somewhere between my house and work I charge 500.00.

I've sold 2 already this year and have all the materials for another sitting in my shop, just need to clear off a couple honey do's and then I'll crank that one out.

 

[Dixiedoodle]

Will you be building something like Cloverleaf Farm posted, with the fenced area or just the coop? I would pay 400-500$, one with the fenced area.. Might need to add a little more because I would want hardware cloth/ not chicken wire (can't tell what she has!)...
Why not make one, keep up with all materials and your hours to see if it would be worth your time...

 

[schmism]

Ive considered this also. problem is at a $500 price point thats well within the range of the stock mini-barn sheds sold at box stores or the places that specialize in them.

Might be easyer to try and work a deal on a small prebuilt minibarn and then provide "setup" services... basicly doing all the mods you would need to convert it into a useable coupe for just a couple hundred $

 

[Kathryn4629]

Quote:
Yeah that is really close to what I want to build, just add an external nest box, and a more "cottage style" trim and door type. With the hardware cloth/chicken wire , I would want to let to buyer choose so that they can kind of dictate what they want to spend.