Chicken House: Leave Her Up or Take Her Down?

[NavyStinger]

[FONT=Garamond]I just purchased a new home in November and it came with an old chicken house. I apologize that I do not have pics or dimensions immediately available, but I will work on that this weekend. The house sits on a slope and there appears to be significant support issues and unquestionable roof concerns (semi-flat with tar paper and some asphault shingles). The roof has apparently been leaking for years as the interior flooring is shot (fell through up to my waist during my second visit). The main house was built in 1930, but I do not have a history for the chicken resort, but I expect that the "house came first." My dilemma: It is a great size with a lot of potential and I would like to save it, but, truthfully, I do not know where to start.

[Splicer]

:Welcome1: NavyStinger :trink39:

Sounds like the cost to repair would be better spent on rebuilding. Getting it to code to be stable for what you want to use it for IMO.

[Carl]

The coup is like 3' above ground?
What is it setting on?
A lot of times a roof leak will cause rotting of the roof sheathing, but usually the rafters are ok.
Check the walls and foundation and roof/rafters.

[NavyStinger]

Splicer: Thank you for the welcome. I am glad to be here. The walls and supporting cross beams (rafters) appear to be in great shape, so I do not want to rule out a restoration, as it may be as simple as new supports, floor and roof. However, I won't really know until I get an expert to eyeball it for me.

Carl: Because of the angle of the slope, the entrance to the "coop" is ground level and the far end of the house (approx. 18 feet in length) sits at 5 to 6 feet off of the ground. The supports are brick columns roughly 2' X 2', with one on each corner and one in the center. The columns themselves may be fine, the the horizontal beams are shot. I'd like to erect a solid concrete block foundation and either create an access point to the new "crawl space" from either the outside or within the house to use for home brewing.

I do not know much about construction, so what baffles me is: (1) How do you rip off an old roof that size without it caving in on you? and (2) Should I attempt to restore the floor first? Either way, I am very interested in preserving the existing walls.

Regardless, I fear that it is only a matter of time before the house succumbs to the weight of the saturated roof with or without the snow. Not to mention the fear of injury to a wandering child.

[NavyStinger]

The hard part is the fact that I really want to preserve the old girl, but it is so tempting to just hang it up and make a call to the gentlemen of Lancaster County.

[Maybar]

Leave Her Up if Possible. Below is a link you might find useful if the sill plate is shot. Once those are replaced the floor should be a snap. (well hopefully)

http://www.hammerzone.com/archives/framecarp/repair/sill/garage/rotted.htm

[Byron R]

Navystinger,,You ask how to replace roof without caving in..All basic remodeling or restoration starts at the top ...Just reverse how it went together..Strip roof ,anything rotten tears out(sheathing and any rafters) Then replace with new....and Reroof...Then go inside tear out floor or whatever is rotten ..(won't happen again cause you fixed the roof)..Replace with new..Keep existing building if you can.. A new building will get you into 2006 codes..footers ,foundation,permits ,inspections..That would be enough to make me want to repair Existing Chicken House..Maybe even get some Chickens?? :trink40: Just my .02 ,,Byron

[NavyStinger]

Maybar: Great link. Thank you. It gives me hope.

[NavyStinger]

Byron: Thanks. Great advice. Now I need to enlist manpower. I will take some pics and journal it. I am now really anxious to get started.

[pigsitter]

:Welcome1: I'm glad to see this thread as I have two buildings in about the same shape.Please keep us posted and try to get some pictures! :wwp: Maybar thanks for the hammerzone link,you just may have saved a building! :fing32:

[Maybar]

If I'm visualizing NavyStinger's structure right I can see where double 2x4s or 6's etc.. on a base to the soil surface may work as lally colums. Also sometimes we can be surprised with the lifting power of a couple of wedges (for example tapered cedar shingles) driven in opposite directions like between the base and end of the column. With a little planning these same pieces of lumber can often be used to replace studs, rafters or floor joist as needed.

Mr. hammerzone even admitted the big jacks may have been overkill but I can also see where at least one jack would be handy.

This should be interesting as it progresses. Keep us informed.

[NavyStinger]

Pigsitter:

Super. It will be great to know that my adventure may offer some assistance to another. Until yesterday, I was quite bummed, as my wife and I decided on Saturday that we would most likely have the chicken house demolished. We are just too concerned that someone is going to get hurt, due to the fact that the roof is presently so unstable and portions of the floor are as delicate as litmus paper.

However, I am now quite confident that I can tackle this preservation project with just a few extra hands. :dancingpa: The roof is the part that I am most nervous about, as I am not sure how I will remove it without climbing onto it. :00000061: Perhaps once I post the pics I can get a better plan of attack for that part of the task.

That said, I plan to take pics on Saturday morning and post promptly. I have set up a personal blog and will create a photo album there to manage the progress. You will be able to view it at: http://navystinger.imeem.com/. However, I will let you know once they are posted.

[NavyStinger]

Maybar: Thanks again. Once I have my pics posted and the dimensions are gathered, I will be grateful for any input that you can offer. Ciao.

[NavyStinger]

The following link will take you to a site that recorded the events associated with a particular restoration project, which included work on a chicken house. The chicken house covered is nearly an exact replica of mine - almost scary and it was constructed in 1936. Considering the fact that my residence was constructed in 1930, it is possible that the chicken houses were built within years of each other.

Enon Hall Restoration Journal (http://www.enonhall.com/html/journal0205.html)

[NavyStinger]

Not to toot my own horn, but that was a very valuable find. If you start from the very beginning of the site, I think that we can all agree that there is something for everyone. Enon Hall Home Page (http://www.enonhall.com/default.html)

[Maybar]

Haven't seen a latch like that in nearly ( _ _ ) years. They were on all the old wooden granary doors when I was a kid.

Thanks for the interesting Enon Hall link.

[bontai Joe]

It might be worth while to check if you tear it down, would you even be allowed to build something new. Zoning changes may prevent a new building because of set back requirements, etc, but an old building is grandfathered in, which makes repairing the old building the only way to even have an outbuilding. That happens a lot in my neck of the woods.

[NavyStinger]

Thanks. I really am glad that I found that link, as I am one that needs to visually work things out before I move in for the kill. Not to mention, it really helped to read about how they enlisted the assistance of different specialties. I am not afraid to ask for help nor recruit people who know more than me, but I have had many occasions where I get barked at for not tackling the project myself (particularly, my father-in-law). Thus, it was nice for once to read about people who did not do everything themselves.

As for a permit to build on the same footprint, I expect that you are right. More the reason to preserve her for future generations. :trink39:

[pigsitter]

another reason to rebuild is your property taxes should be lower with the old building than if you built a new one!! :fing32:

[Ingersoll444]

Well most of the danger of the thing is not knowing whats wrong. With carfull inspection, you can find the weak parts, and work around them in a safe manner. As others have said, get the roof first. that will protect all future work. You may find you need some shoreing up to saftly get to the roof, but that is normal. Just work bit by bit, and you will do it.

[NavyStinger]

Maybar: I have been studying that latch and cannot figure out how it worked. Is there some hardware missing?

[Maybar]

Yes, there is another part missing that fastens to the door face frame. I seems as like the other part was often nothing more than a big square cornered staple driven into the door frame but I haven't found one in my search so far and my memory cells aren't cooperating yet today.

[Carl]

NavyStinger what is happening with the chicken coop? Are you still walking around it and trying to visualize what you are going to do? :wwp: :wwp: