Chicken House

[LizStreithorst]

I don't know if I posted the before pics of the little building here or not.  It's so close to being done but I bet it takes me longer than I hope.  There isn't much left to do.  I have that broken window  take out and patch.  There's another place I need to patch in front.  I have a door to reclaim from my old barn.  I need to cut out and hinge a small chicken door.  I need to buy trim to hide the obvious fact that I am not a craftsman.  I need to put up the tin which will be in tomorrow.   Then I just need to paint.

This is where I need advice.  The siding on this building is made of wafer board which turned out to be not as good as everyone had hoped.  I replaced the worst part on the bottom with 1/2" ply, but the stuff on the top is still kind of pealing off.  I'm planning on using an oil based primer and an oil based cover coat which I know I should put on twice but might do   Do I scrape the wafer board first to remove the pealing off chips or just slather on the paint?  I'm thinking of painting it a soft sage green so it won't stand out.  If I decide that I like it so much that I want it to be noticed I will paint some of the trim a dark brown which will fit in but be a contrast.  Opinions please.

[Tony44]

Looks good Liz are you good with drywall ? Just get some 20 min set only about 10 mins of working time and take the dry wall knife and fill all the spots where it is peeling off of course take the loose stuff off and surface will be smooth then paint if you don't want to use drywall stuff could always use wood filler but more money

[wallace]

I'm the world's laziest painter, sooner its done the better. I'd smear paint over whatever was there and make a point of not looking at it... but that's not necessarily what you should do if you care what it looks like.

[LizStreithorst]

Tony, what you said is a great way to do it.  It would be all smooth.  It would even cover up my patches.  The time I tried dry wall finishing I wasn't that great it.  I wasn't great at it but at least I have seen it done well.  It is another step that will take more than twice as long as I think it will but it would make that building look fine.  I'll think hard about about doing one more thing that I don't really know how to do well, but I at least have a clue how to do.

Jack came down today in his "Gator" to check on me.  (I think that Judy wanted to be rid of him for a bit.)  He wasn't disappointed with me for buying plywood.  He noticed that I bought treated.  He wasn't disappointed in me when I told him that I decided to buy new tin rather than reclaim tin for the roof.  He remembered when I was building my big barn.  He said, "you were moving all over the rafters like a rat".  I reminded him that that was 40 years ago.

It depends on what I feel up to tackling.  I might just do as I planned and do as Dan said and slather paint on it.  I have time to decide.  The chicks are big but they're not overcrowded.  I'll kind of miss the sweet sounds they make at night when I finally move them out of the house.

[Tony44]

Liz one thing you have to check is the paint make sure it is non toxic cuz the chickens will eat chips and don't want anything to get in the eggs

[LizStreithorst]

I hadn't thought of that, Tony.  Thanks.

I have decided to put the dry wall mud on the front of the building, at least.  There is a a 5 gallon bucket of the stuff sitting in my storage shed.  It's about 7 years old.  It's been opened but only about a gallon of it has been used.  A painter left it.  I'm sure that my neighbor has one of those long beaters that you attach to a drill and mix the mud with.  I opened it up and the liquid had separated out and was on the top.  I don't know if this stuff lasts forever or if I should buy new.

[BallAquatics]

Liz, isn't this building out in the weather?  Drywall topping, or joint compound is strictly an indoor product.

http://cs.trains.com/grw/f/91/p/197649/2162869.aspx

Dennis

[LizStreithorst]

It is indeed.  Thanks for the info, Dennis.  I'll just slather it with paint as I planned to do in the first place.

[Tony44]

Yea it's for indoor but if you are using a oil paint will be fine

[LizStreithorst]

   I'll call and ask Mr. Sharp.  He makes his living doing this stuff.  He will tell me yea or nay.

[Barb]

When I see these pics Liz, it reminds me how many millions of people around the world would LOVE to call that home.  Right?  Your chickens are lucky.
Barb

[LizStreithorst]

I have the skinny on drywall mud outside and more. 

Mississippi Public Broadcasting has two hours of local programming between 10 and noon every weekday.  Today was the DIY show from 9 to 10.  They have the host who is an MPB  employee and a big DIY'er, and the same two general contractors every week and usually an guest who specializes in something.  This morning the guest was a painter.  I called in and asked them my question.

The answer was drywall mud outside no way, no how, no matter what you put over it to protect it.  The second thing they said is that wafer board was never intended to be the final thing on the outside building.  They suggested that I use hardy board or put vinyl siding on it.  Of course, these guys are pro's.  They're not going to advise me to do it half assed.  I, on the other hand am not a pro, and I shall do it half assed because half assed is good enough for me.  I'll do as I originally intended and slather paint on it.

[LizStreithorst]

Roof's on.  I wish they hadn't forgotten to send the ridge cap, but they did.  I called my neighbor to help me set the first piece correctly because I was unsure and if the first piece is wrong the whole dang thing is wrong.  I'd never used this kind of tin that you put screws on the flats.  I was surprised how hard it was to drill the screws in.  It was easy if I could lean on it but sometimes I had to stretch and use muscle power only.  The muscles work, but it took a toll on my wrists especially since I had to take my compression gloves off to grab hold of the tin.

It was warm and I was sweaty enough to stick pretty well to the tin, but I finally ended up taking my shoes and socks off so my sweaty feet would make me stick better.  It was a bit of a challenge getting off the roof after I screwed in the last piece.  Remember, "I've fallen and I can't get up"?  I felt like, I've gotten up and I can't get down.  I figured it out though.  I knew it would be difficult so I made sure to set the ladder in the best place.

[BallAquatics]

Looks great Liz!  You did a great job!  I needed you when I put a new roof on my shed a couple years back.   

Dennis

[Mugwump]

...nice job Liz.....you'll sleep good tonight for sure