Chicken Coop... The Design/Breaking Ground

So it's been a few weeks now and progress has been slow.  Being a "weekend warrior" means that I only have 24 hours at most over a weekend to work on the coop design and construction.  As the weather improved slightly, the ground thawed just enough to start digging out a foundation on February 28, 2016.  My plans are not yet complete, but I knew that I needed to dig down for stability and security.

My property is on a slope, roughly 13^o. This means digging deeper on one end of the structure's base to level the foundation.  Since everything is dependent on a sound foundation, time is being spent to ensure a proper footing is in place. Once dug out, the area will be leveled and formwork will be added in preparation for concrete.  I know what you're thinking:  "Concrete?  Really? Isn't that overkill?"  My response is only that I have to make sure that the coop will be stable in strong winds and be able to keep out critters that will kill the flock.  Those critters include ones that burrow under fences.  A concrete base will help mitigate that potential.

So far, I've managed to dig down roughly two feet at the east end and one foot at the west of the coop base.  In doing so, I've come across two layers of "trash", compressed over the decades/centuries.  It's quite intriguing finding broken porcelain dishware, glass bottles of varying sizes, wrought iron components, an older version of a spark plug (I think) and yes, even a coin (1911 wheat back penny)!  We're considering getting a metal detector to find more "treasure" (as my son had called it).  We've also found discarded architectural details from our home:  a stone fireplace lintel, similarly as found in our parlor (seen here).  Another find was what I can only assume to be the daily meal of my home's former occupants.  Oysters and clam shells were found in extreme quantity throughout the trash layer with random bovine bone fragments.  My father, forever the pessimist, has kept fretting over my property being condemned for finding human remains... hasn't happened yet.
 

The coop/run design will have a footprint of roughly 12 feet by 6 feet and orientated west to east.  At the east end, an elevated coop "living" area will be built.  It will be 6 feet wide, 4 feet long and will be 2 feet above the ground.  The height of the coop will vary from roughly 4 feet to 5 feet.  The idea for it being elevated is to give the chickens a shaded area under the coop while in the run as well as making it harder for predators to gain entry into the more secure coop at night. The roof of the coop portion is still being considered.  I'm weighing the pros and cons of using asphalt versus cedar shingles.  The extra expense of cedar is just too hard to ignore, but cosmetically, more appealing.

The run potion of the design will be open on all sides not taken up by the coop to take advantage of as much fresh air as possible.  The roof will be either a clear corrugated panel system allowing sunlight to enter yet stopping rain and snow, a solid metal panel for strength or a plywood/shingled roof.

Conceptual views using Google's Sketchup CAD software (free download here):

A general list of materials being used will be ready-mix concrete bags for the foundation, embedded concrete anchors, Douglas-Fir 2x4s, pressure treated 2x6s, corrugated polycarbonate roof panels (maybe), CDX plywood sheeting, roofing nails, felt and shingles, exterior grade construction screws and washers, wood weather protectant stain, door hinges, vinyl flooring, masonry sand and pine shavings.  There are also miscellaneous wood components and hardware needed for the hatch and ramp (to be made from scrap).

Next up, the build.

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Spirits and Bangs in the Night

At some point while running through the gauntlet of reality shows on cable TV, one comes across the unmistakable green washed image of night vision goggles being used on yet another episode of Ghost Hunters or Ghost Adventures or any other carbon copy series. You hear the homeowner's tales of encounters with the supernatural. Footsteps in the attic, a distant voice, perhaps even the levitation of various objects... ohhhh my (in a George Takei impersonation).

No, our kitchen cabinets are not opened by some mysterious force, just our mystgevious cat. No, the clanking sounds are just the plumbing pipes that were never perfectly suited for a home of this vintage. That rumble in the basement? Oh, that's the oil boiler doing its job in a not so efficient manner. The flapping sound in the attic is the recently installed bathroom vent cap flapping in the wind.

I tell you these things because I am aware and conscious of most of the sounds my home makes. I must, by now, as it has been several months since we moved in. So, what is this post about?

You must've guessed... surely I wouldn't have written all the above without hinting at some sort of paranormal ongoings.

Several months ago, I was sitting in the old kitchen (now our living room) watching TV when I heard a thump come directly below me in the basement. I like to think of myself as a manly-man; late at night, probably due to just completing an episode of Ghost Hunters, in the dark (no less), I was not to keen on entering the bowels of our home to investigate a bump in the night.

Upon the rising of the sun I had a sudden surge of courage to venture into the cellar. Here is what was found:

A part of a brick had "magically" popped out of a patched wall, attached to it was a piece of garment.  In the hole in the wall, was and still is a stuffed shirt, seemingly, stripped and a bit lacy as if it were feminine. Well, OK, it's not too freaky, I'll admit, until I heard of a story from the prior owner.

Several years ago, the story starts, the previous owner was hosting a party for a few friends and friends of friends.  Not knowing it at the time, two of the guests were mediums.  Upon the conclusion of the party, while leaving, the two mediums said to the previous owner, "We don't want to alarm you, and they're really quite harmless, but there are two women, other than yourself, living here."

I'll wait a couple seconds for the goose bumps to settle.....

Hearing this second hand didn't really phase me.  I mean, really, that sounds interesting, but she could have just been saying that, right?

My lovely sister-in-law made a visit last week to help us while we are adjusting to our new born baby.  She's a bit of an oddity when it comes to dreams.  At times, her dreams become reality or closely related.  Does that make her a medium, perhaps, perhaps not, but what she told me as a first witness account freaked me out.

While leaving our room after yet another crying fit from our little boy, crossing the second floor landing to the guest room, she closed the room's door and heard a woman's voice say, "Hi!".  Thinking it was her 8 year old son, she turned around to find him fast asleep.

She had a dream that night involving a few names one of which escapes me at this moment.  They were Maggie, Scarlet or Charlotte and a third.  I am curious to know if these are related to any prior inhabitant.

To any future visitor, don't hesitate a visit just because our home has (had) a history. My wife and I haven't seen any spirits nor are we on a T.A.P.S. waiting list. Our cat does get the scared-bushy-tale syndrome once in a while, but don't let that phase you either.  Our home is quiet aside from the usual banging, clanking and rumblings that all homes of this vintage make.

So come one come all, to ye olde home abode, and fear not thy bumps in thy night.

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Discoveries in the Backyard

On the weekend of February 18/19, while tending to some yard work, I noticed something buried in a stone retaining wall.  It looked odd, not like the other stones stacked to form the wall.  When I took it out, it fell in two, so perfectly that it must have been previously cut.  Regardless, it looked like wood... old rotten wood, but was as hard as a rock, literally.  I knew what I thought it was, but I waited for my wife, the biologist, to come home and verify my conclusions.  Upon her arrival, I anxiously brought her over to it and asked her to identify this specimen.  She said, "Is this... no..., yes, yes, this a petrified piece of wood?!"

We both stood there astonished.  This hunk of stone, I mean wood, sat hidden in the retaining wall for at least 100 years, becoming, well, a hunk of stone (according to Wikipedia.com, wood takes a minimum of 100 years to become petrified).  Due to the clean cut, my suspicion is more that a previous owner had it on display in the garden, forgot about it where it was lost to time until, in my boredom, I dug it out of the wall.

Either way, my home is just awesome!  I find things in the backyard that are just amazing!

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