Back Yard Shed

[george graves]

Yea - I'm aware of the water issue - and was worried about it too. But the stuff I got is what is used on roofing in new construction. It's behaves exactly like plywood I'm told. I've already thought of that.

[MasukBMW]

George-
Whats the OSB(oriented strand board) for? It is indeed good stuff and cheaper, but..

I dont like using it for subflooring (or any flooring), especially in an area that is really going to be wet. The edges of the boards are going to absorb moisture much more than regular ply, and, you know the rest. However, Ive never tried a sealant like you mentioned, might do the trick.

You already bought it, and considering the application of it, the type of ply doesnt really matter, its going to rot out quickly.

So, forget I mentioned lol and build away.

[george graves]

The floor is going to sit on cinder blocks. 6 or 9 of them. The flooring will be 2x4's 16" apart. I did a bunch of research, and as it turn out, chickens don't weigh much.

With 3 4x4 underneath the 2x4's - I think it should be good. A little spongy maybe. But good. It's a chicken coop - corners will be cut in some areas and attention put into others.

Triangles? What you talking about Willis? Structures like this don't need bracing. They get their strength from the covering. Engineering Statics 101.

[Kershaw]

its too bad i missed this thread / joined later, etc. my mom is an architect and is quite shed obsessed because she never throws anything out. we have 3 sheds. yes.. 3. one is a large one, 16x12. for personal stuff, bikes, old toys, etc. rafters for more storage. the other 2 are smaller. one for gardening and one for car parts. and then the treehouse i built in my teens is more car storage. haha. (we have a large backyard for the city. a bit less than an acre.)

for every single one we dug footings and used the cylindrical molds showed in vlads post to pour concrete into. you put a strip of metal down into them and then nail the strip to the flooring. this is a very effective method for giving it something solid to sit on, and it will be above ground level. although you can vary by how much by cutting the cardboard cylinders. a few inches is more than enough. it will also give you (6 for your size) individual points which you can level to make a flat surface. since the ground is never level. -i dont know if there are any in the middle. if you are interested in this, send me a pm and i'll ask my mom.-

i would make the foundation out of something pretty strong. probably a 2x6, set up in a vertical orientation. 2x8s are overkill for your size, thats what we used for the 16x12 shed. just like making a roll cage try to get a few good triangles in there. at least one at each corner. or, you could just run all the floor beams at 45 degrees to the outside beams.

if you any specific questions, feel free to pm me and i'll ask my mom and you'll get a professional response. :)

[Trucidatio]

Today I learned that I can't say the word "lumber" with out saying "Well hell, Lumbergh fucked her." in my head.

HAHAH, damnit I will enver be able to forget this. I work In an office, and I think about office space all day long.

[george graves]

Lumber arrived today...


Those little chicks should have a decent view right next to the garden:


Today I learned that I can't say the word "lumber" with out saying "Well hell, Lumbergh fucked her." in my head.

It's was threading to rain, so the sheeting got covered. We got OSB rather than ply. Guess it will need sealing with paint(?) - other than that, it's engineered stuff or what ever it's called. I'm told the OSB is good stuff. I have no clue what I'm doing - so this should be fun. Weather should turn nice on Wednesday next week. I'll do the base and see how my muscles are holding out then.

[e34john]

The shop vac idea is good I used to clean out my aviaries with one, it just sucks to clean out the filter.

Have you guys thought of painting the floors and maybe the lower half of the coop with something like Herculiner? I painted the inside of an aquarium stand with that stuff once and it held up to the moisture really well. I bet it will make hosing off the floor of the coop pretty easy.

[Red88]

vlad what is that huge round thing in the backdrop?

I was about to raise the BS flag because I thought he was going to say it was his $350 shed.

[Farbin Kaiber]

What's 12/12?

Thanks for the windows tip. I think I'll do a small one in front - and I'll do hinged panels on the side that can be lifted and propped open for ventilation in the summer/cleaning.

My only concern with the size is warmth in the winter - Plenty of below freezing nights. So I think I might go with a 8'x8' base, and make the actual coop 8'x6' - so that there is a front porch, kind of thing.

12/12 is 12hr daylight, 12 hr dark. Also, a small room heater and the chickens own heat is more than enough. The will stay plenty warm. Also, floor cleanup is messy, I have a shop vac I bought for just this purpose, and it's chock full of chicken shit. It has not been above 30 here for three months, until just this week, and I've had no problems. Make sure to get some varied chickens, and you'll want a rooster if you don't want to keep such a close eye on the birds in regards to predators.

[fannman]

the 3/8's plywood will work with the strips down the joints and then use a exterior water resistant paint, and caulk the joints along the strips and other joints. 2x4 pressure treated floor is all you need, i was saying if you wanted you could go with 5/8s plywood instead of 3/4 on the floor but in the long run advantech 3/4 or other 3/4 tongue and groove plywood is your best bet. with the roof, if you get any snow or ice, i would go with 2x6's no matter what to hold the weight. 2x4's would work on really small shed roofs like 4' or so, if i were you i would spend the extra .50 cents or less on 2x6's instead of having to worry about it sagging over time. i was just reading over your plans and for the top plate where the roof joists will sit, dont cut the top plate, you will wanna cut what the call a birdsmouth in the roof joist and it will cause it to sit flush with the top plate, what are your plans for the soffit? you can use just 1x6's for the side and bottom to save money instead of doing vented vinyl. you could also use the 3/8's plywood for the bottom side of the soffit if you have pieces left over from the exterior walls. pm me if you have any questions or if i might have confused you.

[Matt-B]

george,
a thing or 2 about chicken houses. they get filled with shit an start smelling...mites parasites etc can develope if not cleaned about 1-2 times a month.


I recomend something similar to what we did. we built a house of average size. but the floor is a pallet. or kinda like it. the floor boards individually come out and you can scrap off in garden or hose off. but plywood is resistent to bowing and boards coming up cause there wet. Use cedar shavings instead of straw for bedding as it dries faster.

enjoy 9-12 eggs a day like us :D

[george graves]

George, from my experience, it's a bit bigger than you really need.

I've been instructed to do 8'x8'. I guess I could do 8'x6' - but I don't think the cost savings would be worth it. I think mom want like 6 to start with - and later on a dozen of these little fuckers - I don't know.

You need to keep them around 12/12.

What's 12/12?

Thanks for the windows tip. I think I'll do a small one in front - and I'll do hinged panels on the side that can be lifted and propped open for ventilation in the summer/cleaning.

My only concern with the size is warmth in the winter - Plenty of below freezing nights. So I think I might go with a 8'x8' base, and make the actual coop 8'x6' - so that there is a front porch, kind of thing.

spacing the 2x4's 24" apart is fine

Great - then the walls are done. Thank you!

3/8" thick plytanium siding plywood that comes in 4'x8' sheets and you hang it verticly

Yea, I have to get the lumber locally. How about plain, generic 3/8" ply for the sides? I'll add some wood strips painted in trim color to give it the look I want. Would that work?

if you want to save some money you can go with 5/8s on the floor

How about 2x4's for the floor joists at 16" on center and then cover with 3/4" ply? Would that be ok? Or would 1/2" ply and 2x6 for the floor be better?

i would use 2x6's instead of 2x4s to hold the weight load if it snows and the roof wont bow over time.

I think you're saying that with an 8ft span, 2x4 **WILL** sag over time? Hmmm. I bet it would be a lot less with a 6' span.

I've started pricing lumber. Looks to be about $400 for the basics. I'm sure it'll hit $500 all said and done.

[fannman]

spacing the 2x4's 24" apart is fine, thats normally what we do when we build ours unless you plan on doing drywall or plywood on the inside, then I would go back to 16". lowes sells 3/8" thick plytanium siding plywood that comes in 4'x8' sheets and you hang it verticly, all you have to do is paint it, it is really durable and also cheaper than vinyl siding. and if you want to save some money you can go with 5/8s on the floor but that is smallest i would go because over time 1/2" will start to bow. also if you go with the slanted roof design instead of using trusses, if the roof is going to be 8' wide or more, i would use 2x6's instead of 2x4s to hold the weight load if it snows and the roof wont bow over time.

[Farbin Kaiber]

George, from my experience, it's a bit bigger than you really need. I have a converted tough shed that I'm using, but there is a second one on my property that is about the right size. Quite a bit smaller. Also, the window count, you may want to drop that, too much light in the summer, or too little in the winter and they won't lay. You need to keep them around 12/12. You can leave it bare plywood on the floors, just sweep it out regularly.

How many are you planning on having?



I'll be adding an enclosed chicken run in the next few weeks.

[george graves]

^thanks. I've never built anything like this before - so it's all new to me. 3/8" might be too thin! Kinda have to see feel the wood to get a better idea.

I'm also spacing the studs 24" apart - Think that will be ok?
Can I get away with 1/2 ply for the flooring?