As I've mentioned
before our winter was really hard on things.
Not the least of which was our chicken coop. In five years it has stood strong, no matter
the weather, and even with almost three feet of snow piled on it at one time it
held fast. Normally we don't get much
snow and even when we do it rarely sticks around for very long. That was not the case this year.
Demo girl! |
Once the snow melted
off and it finally stopped raining I was able to get outside and check around
for damage. The roof to the coop had
sagged in the middle and while it posed no immediate threat I definitely wanted
to get it taken care of before another winter.
Pulling apart the old gate frame |
We went from lots of
rain and cold damp weather to a blast furnace of summer heat. I can work in the heat better than I tolerate
the rain so over the period of two weekends we used the cooler morning to our
advantage and got busy. First thing was
to remove the old roof. My oldest
volunteered to hop up there and do the demolition.
Edith always has to inspect our work And she's checking out the new roost |
She also volunteered
to climb inside to help me jack up the roof so we could place a reinforcement
beam across it. We used the frame from
our old gate, pulled it apart and removed the nails for this part of the
project. Once we had our measurements
and the angles figured we cut the wood and then screwed the pieces into place
with screws I had leftover from when we built the fence.
No more sag in the roof |
We also put in a new
roost for the hens using a hickory closet rod I picked up at the FREE WOOD bin
near my work. Once cut to length we
installed it and finished up inside with a quick cleaning and some fresh
bedding in the nests. The girls then
laid us four eggs that day!
The next day we went
to Home Depot to pick up a piece of PVC corrugated roofing. I had checked this out beforehand and new
this would be a perfect solution for how to roof the coop. It was also long enough that when I cut it in
half it would cover the roof perfectly.
I also figured out that to buy the rubber washers for the screws I
planned to use would cost a small fortune.
Four washers for 89¢ would add up really fast. So I bought a box of 100 roofing nails with
the washers already on them for $4.
The following
weekend we were up bright and early to put the roof on. I tried cutting the roofing material with a
jigsaw but quickly realized that wouldn't work well. I thought a circular saw might be overkill so
I ended up using my handsaw and cut it the old fashioned way using my muscles. It worked like a charm.
Next the youngest
volunteered to hop up on top and screw it into place. The oldest took the washers off the nails and
put them on the deck screws I wanted to use.
We get enough wind that I didn't want the nails to come loose and lift
the roof. Screws would hold it down much
better. We put the naked nails in my can
of roofing nails to use later and the rest of the box will be saved for a
future project.
The next day I went
back to Home Depot to pick up a piece of flashing to finish the roof and
further help keep water out when it rains.
To save buying a pair of tin snips I had one of the employees cut the
flashing to the length I needed and was on my way. I used the nails with the washers to install
the flashing and then declared this project completed!
It feels really good
to know my ladies will have a solid roof over their heads this winter and the
coop will remain safe and secure for them.
Plus it was a project we all worked on together as a family. My daughters learned a lot and my youngest
learned how to use a power drill. I love
teaching them how to do things like this.
You girls are amazing! The coop looks incredibly sturdy and I love the stars on the side!
ReplyDeleteThank you. The stars have been fun and we are hoping to make a few more to decorate with here pretty soon.
DeleteGood job, it looks great! I actually like it with the new wavy roof! It's nice that your girls like to help you too! In the process they are learning valuable life skills.
ReplyDeleteTania
Thank you Tanya. I really enjoy their company as well as the oppotunity to share these skills with them.
DeleteGreat for the chickens and the daughters. Skills are wonderful and something they can carry with them into adulthood.
ReplyDeleteSo true. I have little doubt my daughters will be very capable when they leave the nest. :)
Delete