In my last coop update, I had found one door (a sentimental memory that my Dad made for our childhood coop) and resigned myself to making two more.
Making the doors turned out to be a much bigger deal in my mind than in real life. They went so smoothly. I’m still really proud of them.
I was able to use some of the leftover siding. I ripped a few pieces in half on my Dad’s table saw for the outer frame and then used my Kreg jig to drill pocket holes and screwed them together. The jig is a super easy way to do joinery, though it took me a minute to remember how to use it (it’s been awhile).
I reinforced all the corners for extra stability. Then I stapled mesh on the top section so that we can peek in at the birds.
My Mom raided my Dad’s hardware stash for hinges. She also found hooks and eyes to keep the doors closed. I found handles in my hardware stash.
The finishing touch was a fun one. Above my Dad’s door (which is a bit short), I made a sign that says “stoop your head.” This is another sentimental memory. On the last night of our Ireland trip, we went to a restaurant called Stoop Your Head. Inside the restaurant was a low doorway with a sign above. I copied the sign and hung it above my Dad’s door. Seeing the sign in our coop is a fun–and helpful–reminder.
We are so close to finishing the coop. We are so close to birds! In fact, they’re on order. ETA April 22!
To see the doors in action, check out the videos I’ve been sharing on Instagram. Follow me at juliaon129acres, and catch up on all the construction in the coop highlights (part 1 and part 2).
There has been major progress in the coop. All the walls are in place.
I actually built the two interior partition walls on the last day before Christmas holidays (when I finished the floor). Then, when I returned to construction in January, I put up the cladding and built the rest of the walls.
Of course, there’s more to the story. Let me back up a bit. As always, I have details.
Reminder, the coop is going to have three pens. Each partition sits on the new floor I built and lines up with posts I put in. (This post shows the plans for the coop.)
The interior walls between the pens were easy. Studs 16 inches on centre. Wood cladding on the bottom half (including some fancy tongue and groove salvaged from the old coop). Mesh on the top.
At one end, I decided I could use the exterior wall of the barn as the wall for the coop. At the other end, I needed to build a new wall to achieve my room-within-a-room plan. This wall gave me a bit of trouble.
Like the other walls, I built it flat on the floor and then lifted it into place. Given that this wall was going to be against part of the stone of the barn, I thought it would be helpful to put the cladding on before it was installed. I stapled my mesh, then I decided to use a piece of metal roofing from the old coop to cover the other half.
As I lifted it onto the platform, I realized I’d missed a crucial step. I forgot to square up the wall before putting on my cladding. When I tried to slide the wall into place, sure enough, it didn’t go. The wall was a parallelogram. The opening was a rectangle.
I took off all the cladding then Matt’s Dad (who came to help me out) and I lifted it out, laid it back down on the floor and tried to square it up. We couldn’t line it up, so we put it back in the opening, where it straightened itself out perfectly. Only problem, the cladding wasn’t attached, and I had very limited space up against the stone of the barn. After borrowing my Dad’s right angle drill and testing my limits in stretching and contortion, I managed to get the metal back on.
The front walls of the coop were much more straightforward. I had been holding off building these ones, as I wanted to have my doors so I knew what size openings to build. I had a plan to use old screen doors, but it turned out secondhand screen doors are very expensive. Once I accepted that I was going to be building doors, I realized I could make the openings any size I wanted.
The first wall I built was the middle one because I was able to find one door. This is a very special door because my Dad built it for my childhood coop. The coop is now a storage shed in my Mom’s backyard, and she, knowing I was looking for doors, suggested I could take the one off the old coop.
I love having a door from our family’s coop built by my Dad as part of our coop. My Dad set me on this path of birds when I was younger than Ellie. I remember him building the coop in my grandfather’s garage. Now I’m building our own coop and continuing something that he really enjoyed.
Like the partition walls, the front wall has wood cladding on the bottom and mesh on the top, then the doorway is centred.
The last two front walls, Matt’s Dad and I knocked out in one very productive day. I built these doorways a bit taller to accommodate the doors that I planned to make.
Having the walls in place is another major milestone. It actually looks like a coop!
As I mentioned in my last update, I’ve been documenting the coop construction on video and sharing on Instagram. If you want to see more about the coop, follow me at juliaon129acres, and catch up on all the videos in the coop highlights (part 1 and part 2).
A lot has happened in the coop since my last update. Key word, in the coop. Over the last two months, I’ve been working inside the barn to build the actual coop.
The plan is to make the coop a kind of room within a room. I feel like this is best way to make it secure from predators. It’s also easier to construct a standalone space, rather than trying to tie into the existing barn, which may or may not be square and level.
So this means I’ve been building a floor, walls and ceiling.
First step was setting three new posts. These support the floor, walls and ceiling. I drilled into the concrete floor, put in three saddles and then put up 4×4 posts that are screwed into the ceiling beam at the top.
Then I could move onto the floor. I wanted a subfloor elevated above the existing concrete floor because this corner of the barn is sometimes a little wet. There’s a grate in the floor that appears to be connected to some kind of drain. But I have no idea where the drain goes and I suspect that it may be plugged, as every so often the grate overflows. We also a have a problem downspout and missing eavestroughs at the coop corner.
I’m hoping that new eavestrough and our new block wall will help to keep most of the water out, but to make sure our chickens don’t get wet feet (and our ducks don’t go swimming inside), a raised floor seemed like a good idea.
My mission with the floor was to not buy new lumber. We have a large amount of wood left by previous owners, so I raided that for joists. I found a lot of very long 2x10s (I was hoping for 2x8s), so we have a very strong floor.
I put a rim joist on the new block wall, and then worked my way around to my new posts, keeping everything level. Then I installed hangers and set my joists in place. I do not enjoy nailing joist hangers, but they definitely made setting the joists much faster and easier to do on my own.
Once the joists were finished, it was simple (though heavy) to lay down some sheets of plywood and the floor was done on the last day before Christmas holidays.
I’ve done more since then, but I’ll save that for my next coop update. In the meantime, if you want to see more about the coop, I’ve been documenting the construction on video and sharing on Instagram. Follow me at juliaon129acres, and catch up on all the videos in the Coop highlight.
I am really, really excited by the projects I have planned for this year. This year will bring a lot of new and big things for us and the farm. They’re all centred around how we live, how we use the house and what we want for our lives here.
Having birds has been a goal since Matt and I were thinking of buying a farm. I made really good progress on the coop last year (updates are coming), and I’m aiming to finish it soon so we’re ready to welcome some new feathered friends this spring.
Following our big cleanout last year, Matt’s office is ready to become my office. I am excited to have my own space for working, writing, crafting, sewing, whatevering. This will be the first project of the year. (In fact, it might already be underway.)
A dedicated play, crafting, creating space for Ellie is the second step in the game of dominoes that is our whole home reorganization. After I move into my new office (and remove all of my things from Ellie’s old bedroom), setting up this room just for Ellie is next on the list.
The coop has reached another milestone. It has a door.
For a reminder, this spot in the barn foundation used to be a window. Part of the wall under the window collapsed in 2018, so anticipating the coop I had our mason reconstruct the wall into a door. He tacked some plywood over the opening, and that’s how it stayed for the past 6 years. Bananas that it’s been that long.
Now that the coop is finally on track, I needed a proper door. Especially now that new coop wall is up, I don’t have an easy way to get into this part of the barn.
I wanted to reuse the door of the old coop. The wood is amazing. This beautiful weathered grey. And huuuuuuge boards. Just two boards make the whole door. One is about 16 inches wide. The door was close to the size we needed and relatively sturdy. Plus you know I love the symbolism of using a piece of the old coop in the new one.
But after thinking it over (and lifting it in and out of the doorway multiple times), I decided it wasn’t close or sturdy enough. A lot of the nail holes have expanded over the years, so it has a wiggle that would have needed reinforcing. I also would have had to extend the height. All of that felt like it would take away from the character of the old door–which is what I loved.
The deciding factor was the hinges. From the wear patterns on the wood, the hinges have been on there for a long time. But they were crooked, and I didn’t feel like dealing with that on top of the other issues.
So I took some of the leftover siding and built a new door. (The old door will find a spot some day.)
I was a bit intimidated about framing the opening and building the door. Growing up with my Dad, a professional contractor, he had two types of projects that always required extra figuring: stairs and doors. So I had that in my mind as I was working.
I framed the opening and the door at the same time, so I made everything to the exact dimensions I wanted. It took me a couple of tries to figure out how I wanted to build the jamb, but now it is sturdy and plumb. I made the door bigger than the opening and then carefully cut it down–after measuring many more times than twice.
I installed the hinges so they’re square and when it came time to hang the door, everything went together smoothly.
Ellie selected the best spot for the handle and latch and she screwed them into place. Then she modeled the new door in action for photos. I’m glad I’ve been able to include her in so many parts of this project.
I also did a little more clean up around the outside. I had one spot covered with a tarp for most of the summer. This is my preferred method to kill the weeds and grass so that I can then see what’s lying on the ground.
As you can see below, the tarp revealed mostly rocks and sticks. But there were also 5 1/2 fence posts (one wrapped in wire), a hunk of metal and a length of wire fence. None of this I want to mow, so in a mystery area, clearing the weeds, picking up the mess and leveling the ground is my preferred technique.
I have now slid the tarp over to cover a new spot.
While I had my rake, shovel and tractor, I laid some patio slabs in front of the door to make a little landing area. I spread some dirt around the stones to hold them in place and even sprinkled some grass seed. I might be a little late on the seed, but I’m hoping to keep this spot from getting too muddy as I continue to work on the coop.
Every step on this project feels like another milestone and gives me more motivation to keep building. I’m very proud of the door. Proud of the coop. Proud of myself.
Have you every hung a door? How about building a door? Are there any DIY projects that intimidate you? Anyone else doing clean up around your property?
I am back with another coop update. This is becoming a monthly thing. It feels so good to be making progress.
The progress this time has been happening outside the barn.
We have runs! I hired out the fencing, and I’m very glad I did. Our ground is quite stony and making sure all the posts were secure was not something I wanted to tackle myself. Plus pulling the actual fence taut did not feel like a one-woman job.
The contractor I hired was exactly the right man for the job. I had picked up some used fencing from my Mom’s neighbour, so I needed someone who was willing to deal with that. He was not only willing. He went through his own yard to see what other leftover materials he had, so he could make things as affordable as possible for us. He found most of the gates, top rails and a few other pieces, which was a huge help.
We have three runs, which will correspond with three pens inside the barn. Each run has a gate to the outside. There are also gates between each section, so I have the option of giving one group of birds double the outdoor space if the neighbouring area is vacant.
I plan to add mesh over the top and around the bottom edge, so the runs are as secure as possible.
I popped the plywood off the doorway, started to frame in the opening (it’s taken a couple of tries, and I’m not quite happy with it yet) and am working on building the door. These handprints are on the doorsill. Anyone remember when we made these? (The 2018 might give it away. I’ve obviously been planning this coop for a long time.) I love that Matt is part of it.
My cousin helped me move the leftover siding into the barn, and I added battens to the wood siding. This covers the gaps and eliminates the drafts.
The final progress is courtesy of Matt’s Dad who came out last week and trimmed a few trees for us. There were two small dead trees between the coop and the row of pines. Getting rid of them is another step on my quest to tidy the ground around the coop and mow through here.
I will be shifting the blue tarp over and picking up the rocks and rubble that are underneath it.
Progress is happening faster now, but this coop is a journey not just of this year, but of most of my life.
I look back to 2018 when Matt’s Dad cleared the brush from this side of the barn, and I’m so grateful that he’s still hauling his chainsaws around and helping us. I think about building that doorway, mashing our hands in cement, and how Matt, Ellie and I are together still.
I go back to (I think) 1988 when I went on my first real job with my Dad. We installed a chainlink fence just like this one. Working with my Dad gave me the knowledge, skills and confidence to do things like build a coop (even if I didn’t feel like doing the fencing this time). Or I think of 1985 when my Dad got our first flock of chickens and gave me such memorable experiences that I now want to share with Ellie.
I love looking for the meaning within moments. This project, this place, the people. They come together in such a special way.
At the beginning of September my Mom asked me what the highlight of my summer has been. I picked three: our cottage vacation, Ellie learning to ride her bike and the coop.
Yes, the coop. Progress has been made.
Here’s where we are at. For the first time in a year and a half we have a wall! For the first time in 13 years we can mow here!
The wall is the most noticeable change, but it’s only one.
Another big task I tackled was grading the area around the coop. Behind the barn was a lumpy, bumpy mess of weeds on top of I-didn’t-know-what. I had covered it all with a tarp last fall, weighing down the tarp with a random assortment of lumber I’d saved when we demolished the old coop.
First step in cleaning up the mess was pulling all of the nails, staples, screws, mesh and chicken wire off the boards. That took a day and a bit. Once I moved all of the cleaned lumber into the barn, I could finally lift the tarp.
The tarp had killed the weeds so I could see what I was dealing with. The lumps and bumps turned out to be a pile of concrete rubble that someone had dumped behind the barn. They only missed the rock pile by about 10 metres. So Wiley the tractor and I got busy and picked up the rubble. Then I raked the ground to level it and seeded it.
This allowed me to work my way around the side of the barn to the gaping hole where the coop was going to be. First step over here was to tar the new foundation wall we’d had built in the spring. Then I laid weeping tile along the wall and backfilled. Thanks to the barn’s newly level backyard, I could drive the tractor to the dirt pile and back without looping around the whole barn.
Finally I could focus on building the wall. The wall took a bit of figuring. It was a big opening and I was building it on my own. After I managed to get the top plate in place, it was smooth sailing from there. Studs went up, then backing for the siding, then house wrap, and then the siding itself.
Fortunately, past owners left us a huge stack of barn board siding, so I was able to use that. In fact, we still have a very large quantity left. I also took the opportunity to move the siding from its original storage spot on the upper level of the barn. I am trying to store all lumber in the basement of the barn, so Wiley and I went to work again and hauled all the siding around to the side of the barn, where it will be easy to carry into the basement.
With the wall (mostly) complete the barn is finally protected from the weather. I am also protected, as pretty much the rest of the coop will be inside work.
Inside work will be starting soon. First, I want to add battens to cover the gaps in the siding. Then I need a door and then I can finally start to build some pens that might someday hold some actual birds.
I also have some professional help coming to tackle some other coop/barn related projects. So more updates to come.
But today, join me in celebrating the coop, won’t you? I am super proud because not only are we making progress, but so far I’ve done it all on my own. (Although you can see Ellie’s been involved as well.) It makes me feel capable and strong to know I can do this and see this long-held dream starting to come together.
What’s been the highlight of your summer? Anyone else working on a multi-step or large project? Do you take the opportunity to tackle other jobs (like moving siding, cleaning up rubble) while you’re working on a related project?
Today marks two years since we adopted Cigo. As I did last year, I’m writing him a letter, inspired by Tracey at love lives on.
Dear Cigo,
Thank you for another great year (porcupine notwithstanding). You bring so much to our family. Energy, silliness, fun, patience, gentleness, enthusiasm, love.
When we’re out, people often ask what kind of dog you are. I usually reply that you are a “who-knows.” As they’re nodding solemnly because yes, of course they’ve heard of that breed, I usually follow up with you’re a “good-dog.” Because that’s the best descriptor of you (although Grandma calls you an exceptional dog).
I watch Ellie trying to teach you to “twirl,” a treat clutched in her little hand. But her arm is too short and you are too big. You give her your best sit and then windmill your head around as she whirls her arm around you. You try to figure out what she wants you to do, and when she finally gives up and tosses the treat across the room, you dash after it and then come back to try again.
I am so grateful for your patience and calm. And I laugh as I watch the two of you together.
I enjoy that I am your person. Your enthusiasm when I come home from work or your glances over your shoulder as we’re hiking or how you lay beside me as I work show me your love. I’m also grateful that moving your bed into my room has stopped the early morning crying outside my door.
Sometimes I feel like I’m not giving you enough or I don’t love you enough. In this season of my life, the minutes feel particular full, so I don’t sit and pet you very much. There are days when a walk down the driveway is all we do. As I spread my attention around to all the people and things that need it, you get what is left over, which sometimes doesn’t feel like very much. But while the minutes are full and my attention is small, the place you hold in my life is large.
Thank you for bringing so much to our lives. It’s hard to believe it’s been only two years. You are such an important part of our family, it seems like you’ve always been here.
Love, Julia
I used to write for ThatMutt.com. Its former owner wrote a thoughtful essay on The ‘Other’ Dogs. This quote fit in with some of what I was thinking about as I wrote this letter to Cigo.
“Dogs do not ask us to be the best version of ourselves. They just love us for being ourselves.”
The part we all wait for in DIY is “look at the beautiful room/garden/furniture/shelfie/whatever I made!” The middle while you’re waiting is less beautiful, less photogenic, less interesting.
I’m in the middle.
I feel like I have little to report. But I like the regularity of writing a blog post for every Monday, so here I am. Schedules and deadlines–even when self-imposed–work well for me. In both blogs and renovations.
Ellie’s room makeover is on track. We’ve had paint week. Last week was window week (curtains are tedious, so I’m not giving you a whole blog post about the HALF A DAY I spent ironing or the wait at Ikea to return a too short curtain rod).
This week is bed week. I’ve washed the dusty bedframe, added beadboard to the headboard, bought a new can of primer and am ready to begin painting the headboard. The mattress is being delivered on Thursday.
We’re on track. In fact, we’re on track for lots of projects. As with Ellie’s room, there’s not much to share yet, but I’m going to mention them anyway.
Coop
I’m halfway through clearing the manure off the old coop foundation. Getting to this point involved detaching the the snowblower from the tractor and recharging the tractor battery, so there was progress on several fronts.
Patio
We had some lovely weather last week, so Ellie and I enjoyed breakfast and lunch on our currently-imaginary-but-hopefully-soon-to-be patio and confirmed that, yes, we would like a proper place to eat and sit. Cigo sprawled in the sun. We set up a small table and chairs and confirmed that they should fit on the new patio. Construction should start sometime in May (fingers crossed).
Gardens
Garlic is up in the vegetable garden. Transplants to the new turnaround garden seem to have survived. I have bales of cardboard and piles of mulch (and a brand new pile of very old manure) ready to be spread around. May may be garden month.
We keep moving ahead. Progress may not always be as quick as I want (I still can’t believe it took me a whole morning to iron curtains), but I know I’m getting closer to that beautiful, photogenic, interesting moment.
What projects are you in the middle of? How do you schedule projects? What tips do you have for persevering through the middle?
Last week I shared how we demolished our old coop. This week I’m sharing the plans for our new coop.
I’ve had 11 years to think about this project. We could have had birds long before now. But I’ve waited because I want to have a safe, permanent home for them. (And I avoid going to the feed mill in the spring when birds are in-stock.) I really want to do this coop right. So I’ve thought (and thought) about what the birds will need and also what we need.
First step is to move the coop into the barn. We have this huge beautiful barn that’s not being used. So I am going to devote part of it to birds.
The part that I’m going to use is what I call the lean-to, where the old coop joined the barn. (The part covered in paper house wrap below.)
The lean-to is a more recent addition to the barn. It has 5 horse stalls, our tractor garage and large open area at one end. It extends about 18 feet off the back and runs the whole length of the barn and then continues out behind the silo.
I am planning to use the large open area at the west end and divide it into three stalls or pens. I’m thinking the stalls will likely end up around 50 square feet. This would give us plenty of space for as many birds as we can handle right now. (Chickens each need about 4 square feet of coop space.)
Where the old coop was will become attached, covered runs.
The plywood patched and overhung area to the left of the paper-covered hole (seen in the top photo) will be a new door. A window used to be behind the plywood, but the foundation under the window collapsed years ago. We had our mason change it into a doorway, anticipating that I’d want easy access to birds from this side of the barn. (I’ve been planning this for a long time.)
My plan is for the stalls to be fully enclosed–walls and ceiling. Animals can get into the barn. I want to do everything I can to protect our birds. The bottom half of the walls will be wood (I have some handy tongue and groove boards I saved from the old coop). Solid wood means the birds in adjacent pens can’t peck at each other through a fence, and it also gives me a spot to mount nesting boxes, roosts, feeders or water buckets.
The upper half of the walls and the ceilings will be mesh. I want the pens to be high enough that I can walk in without stooping.
I’m considering making part of the lower walls between each pen a gate, so that I can expand the pens if I want to. For example in the winter, when chickens are in the freezer, and ducks could use more space.
The three pens give us space for laying hens, ducks and geese, and meat chickens. Or perhaps a few turkeys. We likely will not start with all of these at once, but it gives us the option to expand (or shrink) if we want.
For the runs, there will be three separate outdoor areas side by side. These will have mesh roofs and buried mesh around the perimeter to try to ensure that, again, the birds are as protected as possible.
The first step is to clear the layers of manure off the old coop foundation. Matt’s Dad rightly pointed out that it shouldn’t go to waste. So I will be working on that as soon as things thaw.
Then, we will be able to get rid of the old foundation and regrade this side of the barn. The ground is higher than we need it to be.
After that, we’ll be rebuilding: the wall, the door, the stalls, the runs. Electrical, plumbing, fencing.
This is a big project for us, and I’ll likely be working on it for the whole year. My goal is to be ready for birds in spring 2024.
What would be your coop must-have? Any feedback on my plans? Any questions? (It’s really hard to explain what’s in my brain clearly in a blog post.) Do you have a project that you’ve delayed because you want to do it right?
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