Life before 2008 17 Jul 2006 07:48 am
das chicken haus
So the story continues….
Saturday I woke up still waiting for the lumber store to call with my completed order. David and I talked about it and he was willing to spend the day taking over working on it with me and called the store to see where the order was. They hadn’t even gotten to it and thought it might take into Monday! Jeez Louise….he cancelled the order and brainstormed for some better ideas. After a trip to home depot for 1 x 4’s we got started on cutting slats for the side panels.
But first he insisted on taking the whole thing apart. Remember I couldn’t get it to do so? Well, he bought a hack saw and cut the screws right off. We worked together getting the A-frames to square up better which was really a two-adult job. I spent a few hours with my nose in a snit, having been demoted from project designer/builder to “A-frame holder upper” but my project highjacker knight in shining armour just quietly built alongside me and waited paitently let me have my turn with the drill now and then.
Eventually I had to surrender to how beautiful the thing was turning out having two of us at it. Wow! It’s gorgeous. Sturdy and square. We painted it dark brown and I”m going to stencil a large white silouette of a rooster on the center door. It has overhang on the roof line on each end so I can hang pots or windchimes. It needs either wheels or pallbears to move (way over-engineered) but it’s the perfect city chicken ark. Our biggest problem area was the doors and that’s where it still would have been better to have an electric saw to rip it more to size. There are little gaps but they were unavoidable. And we painted everything first before putting on hardware so the job is clean and bright.
We worked until 10 last night to get it done. Andrew was inside hammering the wire to the edge rails, Celia kept baby busy, and W handed us stuff. At 10 I was making chicken salad sandwiches, chips and cookies and we were on shower rotation while our biddie babies were nested in their new house. They had a peaceful, quiet night and seem quite happy! They are much more secure at any rate and I’m bustin’ proud of das chicken haus!! 
on 17 Jul 2006 at 8:58 am 1.Dr. Hibiscus said …
Congratulations on your successful endeavor! Now - I want to see a picture!
on 17 Jul 2006 at 9:57 am 2.Tia said …
Alas Dr. H, a picture will take some time as I’ve yet to enter the world of digital photography and my pile of film waiting-to-be-developed is waiting until after the move. thanks for the congrats!
on 17 Jul 2006 at 12:13 pm 3.gina said …
Lol, me too- I have rolls to develop- I thought you had a digital, but it must have been Erin’s that you used a while back for the coffee picture? Your chicken house sounds great!
on 17 Jul 2006 at 1:31 pm 4.Bannergranny said …
Woo HOO!!!Yippeeeee! I knew you guys could do it. And you will undoubtedly go on to build many others things..some together, some all by yourself. Very proud, this mom is.