"Log Cabin" Playhouse Coop... Lining/Insulation Possibilities

[FluffYou]

I am trying to turn a little log cabin style playhouse I picked up from Craigslist for $75 into a coop, however, having no training in power tools whatsoever, I have run into a few problems. The main one is that this little cabin (see pic below) was built board-by-board with the half-logs just nailed to the framing instead of acting as siding put on a board laid across the framing. This means that air comes through each one of those tiny cracks which, obviously, is not very conducive to a good coop environment! I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions of something I could do other than cutting pieces of plywood to nail over the framing. Would some sort of heavy duty outdoor canvas that I could staple to it work? I suppose I could even put some sort of insulation material between the wood and the canvas. I really don't know much about ANY sort of handy work and don't even know if there would be a good material for that out there, however, I am dreading enough cutting the boards to make the frame for the 3' area beneath it and the run around it since I am probably going to be using a hand saw and would be open to ideas!

Any suggestions that don't involve major sawing would be much appreciated!

 

[joan1708]

you will likely have to remove some of the boards to add proper ventilation at the top. Would installing hardware cloth on the inside and caulk on the outside solve your problem?

 

[Velma&theChix]

Last year we put our hens in a hoop house made from cattle panel and heavy plastic. The back of the coop was covered in plastic but the front was left wide open. I was surprised at how warm it stayed in there. I'm wondering if you could try buying some heavy duty plastic and staple it to the inside of the house. That would help keep the wind out and if you have nesting boxes with straw in them, that should keep your birds plenty warm.

What about your roof? Will it keep the rain out?

If you have home improvement stores near where you live, you can have them cut the wood for you. Just take the measurements to them and they will do it. That way you won't have to do any sawing. I would also suggest investing in a small drill and use screws instead of nails to attach the wood. I'm just learning how to use power tools myself, and I love it. Saws are pretty scary, but it's very satisfying to build things. I'm in the process of building a new chicken coop.

BTW, you can get heavy duty plastic from home improvement stores. Good luck to you, I think you'll do great!

Laura

 

[grullablue]

That is really cute!!

 

[The Lazy L]

Use White silicone caulking on the exterior to take care of the "cracks". I'd think it would look like "chinking" when you got done?