Windows and Door!

Windows and the human door were on the menu Saturday. We accomplished both. The front door was hung. We had to shave about and inch off the top...probably about 3/8" too much. Oh well. A little trim in the door jamb and all will be well. The windows were a little smaller than the opening we allowed. Funny when you measure things and measure some more, then it is not always right in the end...no biggee...we just put in a small board and voila. We used left over drip edge as the window sills...so cute. I cannot find our razor blade knife to clean up the windows as I so generously painted all over the glass edges(i know you can see the screen in this window, but I took the pic later as I realized I did not take one before). We turned the dead bolt around so you can use the turny lock part(that is an industry term I am sure) from the outside..it is the lock that came on the door, so we don't have the key. If we decide later we need a dead bolt that really works with a key, we can do that then.

Front Wall is on!! Chicken ladder built!

John came home from work while I was at soccer with the kiddos, and started cutting. He finished up just about the time we pulled in the driveway. So, with a thunderstorm quickly approaching John and I got the front wall up tonight.

During the day today I caulked a few gaps, and built the chicken ladder...for safe entry and exit for the chickens, from the coop to the run. Then I painted over the dry caulk.

We are so close to the inside being done, we can hardly contain our excitement. Yes, I know...we are amused by the strangest things.

Closed the gaps!

Our issue was the gap at the top of the walls where the wall meets the roof...almost. Not a huge gap, but plenty large enough for a raccoon or an opossum to get in. We thought about wire and making it a way to vent the building. Hmmmm...remember this winter...soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cold...no thanks, wanna keep my hens warm in the winter, we will vent with a vent. Then we thought about cutting individual pieces of board to fasten into each space.....well what a pain as each space is not uniform. Eureka...utilize the left over pieces of OSB from the roof. Perfect! So today we finished priming, painting, and nailing them up...problem solved...and it gives a nice finished look to the inside. I don't know how well you can see what i am talking about in the pictures...it is all so white.

I also happened to get the second set of fascias hung, and filled all the nail holes and painted another coat of gloss paint.

John had to work late, so we did not get the front wall boards cut.

Got the windows cut out

This weekend went by crazy fast. We worked our tails off out there in the coop. I have a few pics to share, but mostly was small details. The big accomplishments were getting that 6th 4'x8' piece on the north facing wall and cutting out the spaces for the windows, painting the window opening, and figuring out the funny little window sill made of left over drip edge from the roof. Remember those great 1850's windows I found a few months back on CraigsList? They are very close to being installed.

So.........small details...let's see...

~primed and painted the "base boards,"

~finished the second coat of gloss paint on all parts on the inside walls,

~primed the odd triangular space above the porch ceiling(an act that really made me appreciate Michelangelo more than I already do) that will be our storage cabinet area for all extra things chickeny,

~primed the front porch posts and the beams that runs across the front and sides of the porch ceiling

~cut the 2 pieces of OSB that will be fitted up against the rafters on either side, where they meet the ceiling to close off that gap there, where roof meets wall,

~cut, primed, and painted the fascia boards for both sides,

~ installed fascias on one side,

~we messed around with the front door to see exactly how we are going to install that lovely beast I found on CraigsList,

~removed those horizontal pieces of stud( I don't know what you really call 'em) on either side of the door facing, seems they were a bit too long, causing the door space to bow in a bit, and the door unable to fit, so we will be adjusting the length of those and re-installing,

~realized we had not screwed in the decking boards where they butt up against the front door wall, so quickly pre-drilled and countersunk a bunch of screws.

So, tomorrow while John is at work, we get the pleasure of finishing the installation of the fascias, priming and painting those lengths of notched OSB to close the gaps, and hopefully installing those buggers. That way when John gets home we can cut the pieces for the front wall and get those installed...maybe more if he is up to it.

I am planning on making screens for the windows. We will put the windows on a hinge, they will open out, but not all the way...working on exactly how that will all work. So, what I am hoping is to make screens that we install on the inside of the windows, using 1"x 1 1/2" opening welded wire(like for the bottom of rabbit cages) and then a layer of screen like for windows or screen doors, then frame it with something that looks nice, but plexi can be added in winter for warmth and cutting down on drafts. I am still working on the plans for this. Should not be too hard.

Roof has been shingled!

So, yesterday afternoon and this morning...look what I did!!!!! Yep, burned my hands on hot shingles, got blisters from hammering in a million nails, and got asphalt glue type substance stuck to my backside. This was so much fun! I love roofing, however, it is very high up..yikes! And I was 2 2/3 shingles short, so need to go get another pkgs to finish the ridge cap.

Still priming the interior!!!

While John is on the roof, various children and I are hard at work inside. The interior is primed now, except the front wall which we haven't installed yet. Now to paint! We have chosen high gloss white!

Roof boards are all up and some felt paper

Today John and the boys finished putting the OSB up, the drip edges on the eves, and started rolling out the felt paper. Next...we will open the stack of roofing shingles and learn to roof!

1/2 the roof is on and the rafters have been painted

Here we are busy at work on the coop again. It was a busy Saturday filled with soccer and a short jaunt to the Gateway Poultry show. We helped out a wee bit, and checked out a few gorgeous birds. So, we rushed home at the end of the day to see if we could get some things accomplished. Well, John was home first and painted the primer on the rafters, and the gloss paint on the roof boards. We worked together to get the boards up on top and nailed down. We worked right up until dark. We had hoped to get both sides of the roof up, but alas, just one side, Sunday we will see what we can do. We are getting closer everyday!!

Started priming the inside walls!

We all worked together today and primed a lot of the interior. Boy, I had a lot of helpers. Work on this will continue tomorrow.

Primed the OSB underside of the roof prior to installation

With Lexi and Gia's help, we primed 7 sheets of OSB. I think that will be easier than doing it after they are up there.

Another 1/2 wall up

John and I got the 5th sheet of the exterior attached last night! Now we just need to cut out the south facing window.

A tiny bit of the roof has been attached

So the first piece of the roof is on. John and I got it up there last night and hammered in to place just as the daylight faded to black. Hopefully today we can get some more of the roof on. I will be sure and keep you up on any new progress.

Half of each side wall attached

Rear Exterior wall has been attached

Two 4'x8' sheets of grooved exterior plywood and we have a back wall!!

Fixed the miscalculation, 2 sets of rafters added

Added a set of rafters at the front and back!

More Rafters

More rafters are on. Kids are having a ball climbing all over like monkeys. Now we are solving a slight miscalculation, no biggee, just need to add longer bits of top plate to accommodate a pr of rafters at front and back.

Ridge Beam and a Few Rafters

John and Anthony have been busy this morning. Finally it is not raining, so we can make coop progress! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last night we got the porch ceiling put on

Last night as the kids and I were at the Poultry Club meeting, John wrestled this sheet of plywood to get it up on the porch. He cut it to size up there and cut the slots for the rafters. Unfortunately as he began to screw it in place he accidentally screwed a hole in his finger, so the progress on the coop will have to continue this evening.

One month of chickens!

Our Barred Rock chicks are one month and a day old!!!
They are so friendly. Here is "Cheeper." Vincent has really fallen for this girl!
Soon her new home will be complete!