installing a plexiglass window

[manderzpants]

so i have another construction n00b question pretty please. i want to make that coop door with a plexiglass window. so how do i do that? do i cut grooves in the middle of all the wood frame around it and "sandwich" it in there between the cross of wood on the front and possibly the back of it? or do i just put it behind the wood cross? can i naill or screw in plexiglass? will it break, crack or be damaged? if i can't, then how would i put it in? also, do i need to put hardware cloth behind it to secure the coop from predators or is it predator proof? and also, what thickness should i get it in? thank you so much!

 

[father-clucker]

I'd be tempted to just use a single piece and put it on the inside of the door and possibly use those little hooks that are used to hold mirrors in your bathroom and look kinda like an 'L' and screw in.. You might want to file the edges to remove any sharp corners.. That's probably about as easy as it gets. You could use some sealant as well to water proof it I think as well..

 

[teach1rusl]

I'd just put it on over or under the crosses, whichever side it seems to sit fairly flush on. I'd drill screw holes so as not to crack anything, and then screw it on. That makes it easy to take off for summer time (if you so desire)...

 

[dieselgrl48]

We haven't tried the plexiglass yet.I Have OLD 6 pane double window's in our big 3 room coop.The neighbor's ponie's had gotten in there last year and totaly broke a bottom one so even the pane's not replaceable.We plan on getting a solid piece for that one and drill hole's and then screw it in and put metal screen on the outside.Since the bottom window's do raise and then will allow air in .There are some other one's broken but put cardboard on them for fix until compare price of real VS Plexi on those.That particular pen is shut off until we can fix it.

 

[NurseDr]

We put a plexiglass window in a door at our cabin with caulk. Worked like a charm.

But, unable to open for ventilation. In my tractor, I have put hardware cloth then used magnetic tape to hold plexiglass over the opening in cold weather. The magnetic tape is sticky on one side, but needs additional fixation. So I stapled strips to the outside of the coop and super glued the tape around the edge of the glass. Works great!

 

[cherylcohen]

Most important working with plexi is to drill a hole where you want to screw first, otherwise your screw will crack the plexi

 

[JMPE]

We have done all sorts of crazy things with Plexiglas around here. We have a Plexiglas window in the front of our coop, two removable windows on the sides (hardwire & screen in the summer and then we clip in the Plexi when it get cold), and a

rabbit hutch door made entirely of Plexiglas.

If you own a router and are comfortable with it, cutting the groves is certainly an option. Plexi is pretty easy to drill holes into (use good bits, start small and work your way up to the right size and be sure you are drilling through into a board or other semi-hard surface) and mount with screws. The door in my rabbit hutch is about 5mm thick. I drilled holes and mounted the hardware directly to the Plexiglas. It worked beautifully. 5mm is extremely strong.

For simplicity's sake, I'd probably just get a piece a couple inches bigger than your opening, drill holes in the corners and in the middle of each side (be sure the holes are big enough that the threads of the screws don't actually pull through and crack the Plexi they should just slid in and then screw into the wood), and then mount it to the wood on the inside (don't over tighten). If you want the option, you could mount hardwire first and then use clips to mount the window. During hot summer months, the window can then be open. Another thing you will have to think about is rain. Mounting the glass on the inside will allow some rain water to run down the glass and into the coop. My side windows are fairly well protected and I have not had any trouble with this. My larger front window has weather stripping and caulk to keep the water out.

Hope that helps. Good luck!

 

[tylermckee]

I just did the same as JMPE said, made it 2 inches larger than the opening, predrilled and countersunk screw holes, and i ran a bead of caulk around the perimiter and screwed it in, carefully. for the "muntins" i just built the cross with a half lap joint in the middle and put some caulk on the back and pressed it into place on the window.

On two smaller windows of my doors i made a couple of tracks for the plexi to slide in so i can remove them if its really hot.

 

[ChixPix]

keep in mind that plexi will scratch easily and yellows and weakens over time.. if you care about such things.

<----- used to sell glass for a living.

 

[manderzpants]

omg thanks for all of the helpful responses!

first of, i must say that "father-clucker" your name cracked me up!

yes i too was thinking of those L shaped brackets that are used to hang mirrors so that i could remove it in the summer when it is humid and hot. thanks to jpme for taking the time to respond w/ everything that you did. i think that the best thing for me then, is to nail in the hardware cloth on the back of the window and then use some L shaped brackets to hold the plexiglass on, and then edge it w/ waterproof sealant to keep the rain out. that way i think that my birds will be dry and comfortable and i can remove the plexiglass whenever i need to. oh and thanks for the 5mm size on the plexiglass!

haha chixpix

i see what you did there! i'm going to go w/ plexiglass though because i wont have to worry abt it breaking. broken glass really scares me because its so sharp and can bust into tiny pieces. i'll just have to replace the plexiglass more often then, which is fine since its not expensive.

i can see my coop coming together! which is exciting because i've never built anything in my life, but i'm confident i'll be able to do it!