Wood alternatives

docdubz

Songster
5 Years
Nov 24, 2016
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Central Texas
Now that lumber prices have gotten outright ridiculous... What non-wood materials has everyone used to build a coop? I was thinking of designing my next coop out of pvc, with 7 foot t-posts for stability, for the framing and hdpe sheets for the sides/roofing. That would probably be less than ideal but I just priced out how much it would be to build a 4x8 coop and wanted to throw up before I even got to adding in the roof.
 
@U_Stormcrow has been recommending Hardiboard -- which is not necessarily any less expensive and which is harder to work with, but is nearly-indestructible so it will last longer.

In Texas you can certainly use the Open Air concept, building mainly with posts and wire so that you'll need very little in the way of sheet goods. This Texas coop is the primary inspiration for my own new Open Air coop build.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/texas-coop-build-pic-heavy.1371038/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/large-open-air-coop-in-central-nc.1443812/

And, of course, there are hoop coops. :)
 
Well, I had to go out and pick up some lumber for a goat shelter. Couldnt believe my ears when I asked how much studs were. Last week they were $6.79. Today they were $7.99. A simple, small 3 sided shack just cost me $500. Definitely going to need to go with a hoop house design
 
May I ask why?

There are pros and cons to both ground-level and elevated coops. :)

It may just be semantics...our coop is built on deck blocks. It's "off the ground" but I wouldn't call it "elevated" either. It's a normal 8x10 walking building that happens to sit about 9 inches off the ground. It's build that way because of our yearly snow totals and the freeze line is so deep.

So, @Jeanw may be meaning that they would not set/build a coop directly "on the ground", but they could also be meaning an elevated coop (built on stilts and typically not a walk-in)
 

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