Originally we began thinking the structure below could be modified to become the new hen house.  It was used as a kennel for four beagles and probably had a life as a small coop before it was turned into  kennel.  The structure was mostly sound and even had a concrete floor.  The more and more I thought about my ideal design, however, the more I realized that it would simply have to go.

With rough plans in hand we demolished the kennel, used a demolition hammer to break up all of the concrete and got ourselves down to bare earth.   The general direction of the design was to create a post and deck foundation, much like you would expect to hang off the back of your typical suburban dwelling.  So the construction began with renting a large hydraulic down-pressure post-hole digger (after realizing a measly 2-man 5hp digger wasn't going to do the job) and digging holes.   After much frustration in getting things aligned, missing the mark by nearly a foot in one case, we finally had holes dug, concrete poured, and began construction of the "deck" foundation:

Framing the deck was much more difficult than I imagined.   With the amount of rock in the soil the auger bounced and shifted and I ended up with holes that were quite a bit off.   I hand dug wider holes and re-poured some concrete but still managed to come out quite a bit off-square.  Not sure yet how much of an impact it will be.     

We are progressing rapidly now and will have more construction photos and plan diagrams to share soon!

So, the major construction is now complete and we are very slowing working through the final touches, getting close to being able to paint.  Lots of work obviously took place between the pictures above and those below but unfortunately I had a failure in my Nikon D70 and had to set it back to the manufacturer for repairs.    Still need to be done at this point:

• Trimout side vent windows
• Caulk and seal
• Installation of nestbox
• Paint
• Run electricity
• Window Boxes
• Weathervane
• Landscaping

Here are some closer shots of the door, which I made from T&G 1x6 cedar.  I think it turned out well.  The nice thing about this approach is that it naturally squares.   You really just cut the 1x6 T&G to length for a full height door.   Screw the bracing on, and then cut it in the middle.   Couldn't be simpler.   For installation, I merely snapped a chalk line true, placed the door within the opening, shimmed all around and then screwed the hinges on with the door in place.