Who else has built the Minimal Coop?

[wishingbee]

We started building a Minimal coop from the Building Chicken Coops for Dummies book, and I have to say that I'm pretty impressed with how straight forward it is so far. Who else has built from the Minimal plans? I would love to see photos of your finished coop, and to take a peek at some of your modifications.

 

[slurrywidow]

I have. I just finished building it about a week ago. My broody needed a separate place to go so I decided why not build that for her. Didn't cost me much at all as I already had a bunch of the lumber, roofing and screws here at the house. The blocks that I put it on were the most expensive, almost $5 apiece! I don't have a photo of it right now or I'd share. As for modifications, I didn't do much different except to make the roof larger. We have lots of rain here and I wanted more overhang for better protection. Also I used plywood, tar paper and rolled shingles instead of the coragated they called for. I added a pop door on the tall side and that's the side I'll add my mini run to. Broody seems happy, we've had rain and it's passed the leak test, and I'm pleased with the size of the side door for access.
Good luck with yours, it was a really easy build. I think it took me about 6 hours total to cut and assemble it. A couple more for paint inside and out.

 

[WriterChick]

I've built one too - it is pretty straight forward, so I felt confident enough to modify it a bit (put in a chicken door and made double doors on the side, plus I'm putting on a shingled roof). I have pictures on my blog, but still have to add the ones showing it finished. Hopefully will get to that sometime this week. It's the first anything I've ever built. Someday when I move to a bigger place, I want to build the big walk-in coop they have in the book.

http://cricklewoodfarm.com/blog/?p=608 (this is just one of many posts)

 

[wishingbee]

I'm glad to hear that you both have successfully built this coop! I, too, am drawn to it for its simplicity, as it does look like it lends itself well to modification.

I plan to have a small door in the front, an external egg box on the left side, a pop door on the right, and a full swing out door in the back. And I plan to insulate, since my hopeful chicks (counting eggs before they hatch..) will be out in the cold sometime in December.

I'm excited to see your photos, WriterChick! I've been stalking your build since you posted it on here.

Congrats on finishing your coop before the fall weather, slurrywidow! I bet your broody loves it, sounds perfect for her. I'm jealous you had most of your materials on hand. The person who lived here before us had a bunch of cinder blocks in the bushes... those are the only things I haven't had to buy so far! ... Well, to be fair, there is a package of shingles in the shed, along with some OSB siding stuck in the rafters that I'm afraid to move since there are some wickedly huge spiders lurking and I'm afraid the building is going to crash if we attempt to move it... I think I'll just spend the $40 instead of risking life and limb.. lol

 

[Cherstin]

Subscribed! I'm looking for neat coop ideas, and this seems like an interesting thread. Thank you all for sharing your experiences! Would you recommend picking up the book? I feel like there is so much that can be found online, but I like this style of coop.

 

[wishingbee]

Quote:
Absolutely, Cherstin! I have spent WAY too many hours looking at plans online and drooling all of the gorgeous coops that are here. I don't consider a single second time wasted, but I feel like the book is a great, physical, tangible means to an end.

I'm sure the authors would be sad to hear this, but I've spent a lot of time sketching in the book. I've drawn (in pencil) in where I want to frame out my other doors and windows, and where I'd want to build my egg boxes on the build schematics they provide. It makes it very easy to figure out what dimensions are needed to cut the additional pieces that way. My spacial reasoning is VERY poor, so it says a lot that I feel confident in this build.

 

[Cherstin]

^^ Thank you a million times over! I will be ordering the book via Amazon right now. I, too, need something tangible. Although I've seen some great ideas on here, I'm much more of a "follow the directions"-type. I can look at pictures all day, but I'd have no idea where to begin. It can be quite overwhelming!

I have three eggs in the incubator right now, so I'll be ordering today and following this thread! Thanks for the pictures on the blog, I can't wait to see everyone's updates!

 

[Nako]

Just remember when you are making your coop to get as square of an angle as you can. Other than that have fun with it! It's just wood, screws, and screen mesh. If you mess up a little it's ok. My mother and I made a simple coop from my own design a few years ago and after a few replanning stops, it came out fine! Good Luck!!

 

[wishingbee]

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I think you'll especially like the book then. It lays out the plans step by step.

I, too, have eggs incubating. We're in the same boat, it sounds like! It's amazing what having eggs incubating will do for your motivation. For me, having a distinct timeline has been very good, as I've been hesitant to settle on just one design (there are so many pretty coops out there- it's so hard to pick just one! lol)! Hope your hatch goes well!

 

[wishingbee]

Quote:
Great advice, I'll keep it in mind!

I keep telling myself "the chickens won't care..."