[karlooben]

if i was to make my own hen house for 20 birds what would the recommended size be , at the mo the girls have a 7ft by 7 shed , but that is now leaking and getting damp on the inside { this shed is oldddddddd } i dont know how to damp proof it and on the outside there is about 4 coats of cuprinol { cant spell that  } but when it rains it seems to seep though  this is making me miserable now as i cant stop it .

so for the spring i would like to think about making another house ?
i have had the idea of using 8 '4 sheets of ply { or what ever would be suitable } joining them together so the house wuld be 16 foot long and 4 foot high all the way along one side of the run which would then be raised about 2 foot of the ground .

any ideas

[grumpydad]

ply is quite good, because it has less nooks and crannies for mites to hide in.
i made mine out of half inch ply, but then i clad it in shiplap to make it look like a traditional one.

i painted the outside with cuprinol ducksbill, with added wax, really makes it waterproof.

good luck looby, sure you can do it, get back if you need any more advice

[karlooben]

have never heard of the cuprinol ducksbill? sounds interesting , if i can get the sides waterproofed then i will only need to re build the roof which is planned for the spring anyway . of to look for that stuff  thanks gdad :happy:

[Foxy]

I think its called OSB -"outside stirling board" which is the right grade of ply for outside as its weatherproof. We replace the floors of our sheds with it usually once every two years.
Woodstain we use Sandolins external wood stain -in "Natural". Its expensive, but has never cracked or peeled plus gives the house a really nice natural colour

[karlooben]

i looked at that stuff foxy an yes its expensive , so i got the ducks back in green { thanks gdad  } i cant start it today as its to showery on and of so i'll do it tomorrw only thing that worries me is getting it on the shed as it does say for rough sawn wood only and of course shiplap is smooth but if i use enough coats it will go on  .

but could i use this ducksback inside the house?? if i could i am thinking it mite help prevent red mite as all the seals of the shiplap with be no more what do u guys reckon although being green it will make it look darker in there 

[noshed]

The trick is to design the roof so the walls are exposed to driving rain as little as possible - a reasonable overlap with a gutter etc.
I've learnt this from my venture into greenhouse construction but I'm sure the same principle applies.

[karlooben]

i have already thought of that noshed i am aiming at making the roof 6 inches wider so then it can have some overlap all the way round ., and i know what i will be making it from { print plates been told they make brillant roofs for sheds  } and they are free from work .it will have to be made in two halves an then slid up into place an bolted together but what i will be covering it with i am not so sure  . cant wait for tomorw am going to start re painting it 

[CWatters]

If you decide to use plywood be carefull where you buy it from. Many timber yards sell exterior plywood or WBP (Water and Boil Proof) but it varies in quality enormously. Some places sell two different grades. Their names for them may vary but around my area the builders merchants seem to refer to them as either "cheap far eastern WPB"  or "Exterior/Marine grade WPB".  You want the latter.  It varies from about £22 to £30 for an 8' x 4' sheet 12mm thick. It's also available in thinner sheets which would be cheaper.

[karlooben]

thanks for that cwatters i normally only use one place to get my wood from an the guys there are wonderfull and know just what i need . we also get most of our stuff for free as we take the planks etc that are slighty bowed and by law they are not allowed to sell them so in stead of going to the dump we take them an in re turn the guy gets fresh veg an eggs 

[SUTTY1]

WHAT A GREAT DEAL YOU HAVE WITH THE TIMBER YARD!!!!! ANOTHER GOOD PLACE TO GET EXTERIOR PLY IS FROM CONSTRUCTION SITES. THEY OFTEN USE IT FOR SECURITY FENCING AND ARE HAPPY TO GIVE IT AWAY WHEN BUILDING FINISHED.

[Yorkie]

Thanks for your helpful post Sutty1 

Could I ask you to take your caps lock off please?

It's called 'shouting' and can be considered rude by some people 

[SUTTY1]

ooooop's sorry

[karlooben]

i can second that about constructin palces but i have never been able to get to any and when i have done its been to late