Today started with some tweaks to the pop door opening, then my son and I built the 'Carolina coop' wall (aka the French windoors and drop down cleanout door) and the rear wall, framed for a window and a second drop down cleanout door.
We found out just how twisted one of the 4x4 posts that my...
Despite 90° temps, 85% humidity and constant rumbles of thunder, my 15 year old and I were able to get the joists painted, the decking installed ( doubled-up 3/8” plywood — long story), and the interior wall framed, with the pop door opening (with a PVC threshold plate).
Of course it’s going to...
The monsoons abated long enough for me to lay down a sill plate of pressure treated 2x4s, lap joints at the corners and tapcon anchored into the concrete cap blocks at various points.
On top of that, today, I used Simpson post bases (shockingly expensive for a bent piece of metal) to mount...
Mini update today (more rain)
Cap blocks are in place. Right now, the blocks and caps are dry stacked. I’m debating whether to use mortar to set the caps, use construction adhesive, or just leave them as is.
I will be attaching a pressure treated sill plate using tapcon screws.
The dilemma...
It took a few days for the impromptu swimming pool to turn back into a trench and for me to move, tamp and level 1.5 tons of gravel, but the blocks are in place, level and square.
Just in time for another inch of rain to fall last night.
The girls have been watching my progress from a mini-run.
Progress has been slow thanks to a week of heavy storms, but I have the footers dug out now.
The grade falls 12 inches from the high corner to the lowest.
Tomorrow, gravel will be delivered. Soooo sore
Trenching out, the foundation is going slowly, due to more pressing needs at home, some warm weather, and other excavators on site.
Most of the materials for the coop arrived yesterday. I had been hoping to use some reclaimed or repurposed lumber, but at least in my area it seems...
Thanks for the feedback!
The nesting box door is a vertical drop front (I just didn't model the non-opening roof of the box).
The cleanout and access doors are a Carolina Coop style arrangement on the north side of the coop, with a drop door on the south side of the coop, to be able to...
I've revised the design to expand the coop to 8x8', raise the run door and nesting boxes to 12" off the floor in order to better suit the deep litter method, make the run into 6' modules, and revise the front door design.
I'm about to start construction on a coop and run in our suburban backyard in the Piedmont of North Carolina.
We have 13 standard-size laying birds (well, week-old chicks) that will need a home soon. I've drawn on designs like the The Palace Coop and Carolina Coops to build in dual purpose...