Tuesday, June 10, 2008

How Many Boards to Buy?

Some of you have written to ask me to calculate the number of boards you need to purchase from the lumber yard. I have included in the plans the lengths of the boards, but did not give you a shopping list per se. Here I will list the lengths of boards and the number to purchase.

First, consider finding used decking materials that can be recycled. The coop is designed to allow older looking deck boards to be used for the frame without detracting significantly from the sharp appearance. A post on www.craigslist.com might net you some used lumber and a substantial savings on your coop materials.

Whether new or used, you will need the following deckboards to build the 4 x 8 coop.

The 5/4" that I use to name the deckboards refers to the rough dimension of the lumber before it is planed smooth. After planing, the boards will measure 1" thick, not the 5/4" for which they are named.



4 deckboards measuring 1" x 5 1/2" x 10' in length

13 deckboards measuring 1" x 5 1/2" x 8' in length


Please consider these numbers as estimates. The actual quantity depends on your building choices. This will give you an idea for your first trip to the lumber yard.

If you find that the 12 footer are nicer and straighter than the 8 footers as often is the case, then you will need to purchase only 10 of the 12 footers instead of 13 of the 8 footers.

I hope this helps. Please give me some feedback once you build your coop.

1 comment:

Monica Rich said...

When building our coop, we posted a "wanted: used lumber" add on Freecycle.com and were bombarded with people trying to get rid of lumber (decks, wheelchair ramps, etc.) and only ended up having to buy the chicken wire, roofing, and other hardware for our coop. It's a beauty and it was practically free!