Closing up Rafters??????????

[tenderkat]

Help!!

I have absolutely frazzled my brain after building my coop!! I have a few loose ends to tie up before I can start my run. I have these rafters that are open all the way into the coop, both on the front and the back wall. I am planning on utilizing these areas for my ventilation. I thought I could figure it out, but I'm racking and not coming up with any solutions. My DH seems to think we can just leave them open for now, or haphazardly plywood them in. Obviously, both of his ideas leave huge gaps, perfect for predators, which I can't seem to get through to him about.

Can anyone help a girl out? I purchased 1/2 inch hardware cloth today (thnk God my DH didn't ask me yet how much THAT cost!), so I'm hoping to find a way to attach the cloth securely in a way that will allow me to batten up the area come wintertime, but still provide adequate ventilation. Anyone have any experience with this?

Please!!!! My girls want so desperately to get out of their temporary coop!!

Thanks so much.........Katherine


Outside rafter openings:

Coop:

Inside rafters:

 

[GardeNerd]

Here was a thread addressing the same issue. Is there anything there that can help?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=189676

 

[sojeo]

I think what I would do is cut a long rectangular piece of hardware cloth to fit the opening and staple it on. Then you could make a frame to go over top of the hardware cloth, to sandwich it in with screws. I'd reinforce it along the rafters as well, so it would be ladder-like. You could then cut a piece of the sheeting to fit overtop of it, frame it all around and then attach it with hinges and put a lock at each end.

So first thing I would do is screw a board the full length of the coop along the top of the wall, narrow side up, to close it in somewhat, especially over the door, then measure the opening that is left. Cut the sheeting to fit, then the hardware cloth the same size as the sheeting. To save time you can cut the pieces for the two frames at once and then put it all together.

Just my 2 cents!

 

[will hunt for food]

When closing the space between rafters, the procedure is to use "blocking". Blocking is simply wood (usually the next dimension up from the dimension of the rafters) ripped at an angle and nailed between the rafters. Of course this is done before the walls/siding are put up.

Since you want to keep that space open for ventilation, you do need to close it off with hardware cloth to keep birds etc. from going into the coop. Attach the hardware cloth like it is a soffit board. Attach it to the underside of the rafters. You do not have to do the entire soffit area with the hardware cloth. You can close off part of it with with 1 by, and hardware cloth the rest.

In other words, come in from the facia board that you already have up, with say a 1x4 or 1x6, and hardware cloth to the wall. finish with a trim board (1x4) against the wall/rafter interface.

Use 3/16 fender washers and 1 1/4' exterior deck screws to attach the hardware cloth to the underside of the rafters.

If you want to leave the entire underside open, disregard the soffit board, and just use hardware cloth from the facia board to the wall with trim board.

Here is what I mean about "blocking". The rafters are 2x6 and the blocks are angled ripped 2x8's. You need the larger lumber because you are dealing with an angle, like a hypotenuse.

Facia Board:

 

[LynneP]

I agree, they must be sealed. It's always the last details that take the time but you will be so much happier without weasels and other predators getting your birds. Lots of ways to do it, including using hardware cloth at the seams and then covering it up...with wood.

Some help with the hardware cloth, pics, etc-

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=7693-LynnePs_Run

 

[tenderkat]

GardeNerd...........You linked me to the exact post I was searching for. I knew I had read a post awhile back regarding the same issue. I thought I had saved it, but couldn't find it. Thanks so much!!

will hunt for food...........Holy Crap? You wouldn't happen to be a carpenter, would you?

I think I can use the blocking technique on a few of the openings on the inside, then run the hardware cloth along the exterior, with some trim. Thanks for all the details!

sojeo..........I think your're 2 cents will be very helpful to allow me to soffet and batten up the vents when weather requires. Thanks!

LynneP...................What you accomplished up there in frozenland is pretty amazing!! You have responded to a couple of my questions, and your page has been very helpful. I definitely plan on using some of your framing techniques when building my run!

 

[mener6896]

I used aluminum window screen. I ran it the length and folded it around the soffitt and stapled it there before adding the blocking board.

here's a link to my page
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=28884-the-campbell-coop

 

[will hunt for food]

Nope, not a carpenter. Not even close to one. I am an environmental biologist. I like to read reference books because it pisses me off when I do not know how to do stuff. Stuff that I think are basic life skills (like cooking, building a fire, hunting, fishing, building a shed.......).

Almost finished the run:

 

[cmjust0]

Blocking is the way to go here, but it doesn't have to be quite as intricate as was previously mentioned.. You can get this done with no rip cuts, no complicated angles, and using the same dimension lumber as the rafters themselves.. It's pretty easy, really.

Your rafters appear to be 2x4's, right? So just chop lengths of 2x4's to fit between them and nail them up. I nailed mine 23" inside the coop and covered it with a roll of 24" hardware cloth. I bent the last 1" of cloth down the inside wall.

Once the cloth was up, I nailed a board up over the blocking and another up along the inside wall over that last 1" of hardware cloth and, voila.....rafter voids become predator proof vents.

Mine were actually 2x8" rafters, since my coop's built into a barn and the roof is actually a hayloft.. They're set 16" on center, so I basically have 16x8x24 "boxes" where the rafters go out... A coon could easily get in there and stare down at the chickens, but unless it

's on them until they drown....oh well.

 

[DarkWolf]

Here's what I did... Easy as pie.

In order to be able to staple the top, the screen needs to lean outward. It'd be just as easy, if not easier to install from the inside though since you'd have better access.

Could also use roofing nails along the top of the screen, but only the shortest ones which would not penetrate the roof deck, as that would damage the shingles.

Short screws and washers are yet another option for the top against the roof deck.

The rest I just used roofing nails.