WATCH THIS BEFORE you buy a CAROLINA COOP!!

2 years ago we ordered our Carolina Coop and 1.5 years ago, my wife built it. This is her memory of why she selected Carolina Coop and lessons she wants to share about building it.
We just think this is useful information for anyone considering a Carolina Coop. We love our Coop and it's kept our girls comfortable for 1.5 years. There are just a few things we wished we had known before building it.
DON'T FORGET: Stick around for the bloopers! Making this video took a loooong time and it was a lot of learning, but i think the end product makes it worthwhile. Especially the bloopers.
There is ZERO SPONSORSHIP in this. We are not paid by Carolina Coop and paid full price for our Coop.
0:00 Introduction
2:33 Why we chose Carolina Coop
4:40 I got the chickens
6:30 the coop delivery
8:27 Lesson 1: Avoid building it during a heat wave
9:20 Lesson 2: You’ll need the right tools
11:21 Lesson 3: You can do this by yourself (except…)
11:45 Lesson 4: Give it some base
12:45 Lesson 5: Location, location, location
14:40 Lesson 6: Handles not included
16:02 Lesson 7: Plan for Winterizing
18:38 Lesson 8: You’ll want gutters
20:44 The stuff not talked about, the door and the solar panels
26:18 Bloopers
Filmed on Canon R5: amzn.to/3YJf86z
shopping list:
Mybecca Clear Marine Vinyl Gauge 40: amzn.to/3jTadkU
Solar Panel Kit with Battery and Inverter: amzn.to/3HRR6jb
Dewalt Nail gun: amzn.to/3YLQTVy
Dewalt Drill: amzn.to/3lugZ10

[@HomesteadEngineering]

You guys are doing great. Nice story and really good tips. Thanks!

[@davidvincent3959]

Very informative video. I too am excited to get chickens after my better half (Borat voice: my wife!) agreed to it. We have been researching and looking at Carolina Coops for a couple of years now. We will be in the market to purchase a house this spring/ early summer 2024. After the home purchase and I've scoped out a good space, we'll make our purchase with the time frame for delivery factored in. We think we'll see if CC would install/ build the coop onsite (in Maryland). We're budgeting for that possibility.

[@AlainGrandemange]

Thank you. I remember their installation costs were really high. It’s honestly not that complicated to install. A good local handyman can do it at a fraction of the cost of CC. Best of luck with your future chicken adventure. Make sure you check out my video about lesson learned.

[@elledechenestudio]

Thank you for making this video. My American Duck Coop is being built while my ducks languish in the bathtub, I’m hoping that the permit gets approved soon and the coop makes its way to me quicker than 9 months. It’s definitely an adventure. Could you talk a bit more about how you built the base? I’m also planning on using 4”x4”x6’ ground contact wood, but I’m not clear on how to join them (are there brackets?) and what types of screws (nails?) to use. Any tips would be great, thank you.

[@AlainGrandemange]

Thanks for asking. I used 20-Gauge Galvanized Tie Plate and 1/4-Hex Drive, Strong-Drive SD Connector Screw to connect the lumber. We're over two years into this adventure and the base and coop are holding strong. Luckily the coop itself is extremely heavy, so i probably over-engineered my base, but it works. hope that helps.

[@LeonMurphey]

Maybe a solar generator with the solar panels would help😊

[@AlainGrandemange]

Our attempts at solar powering the stuff in the coop didn't work out the way we would have liked, but Andrea believes she knows what went wrong, so the next Coop we build (next year) will have proper solar power. theoretically. Getting solar power working is her project so i'm anxious on seeing the second version of this.

[@QueenSprings]

What stain did you use for the coop?
And what are you using the solar panels for?
We are getting ours july/Aug. 😊

[@AlainGrandemange]

Hi. It’s a exterior cedar stain. Also the solar panels are from Amazon. Sungold 100 watt 12v solar panel. I also attached them to the roof with magnetic solar panel mounting brackets ( they hold up to 700 lbs) and are crazy strong. Panels don’t move and we’ve had some pretty powerful nor’easter’s!

[@suzannehofer2541]

If I could afford the materials, I would just build my own. Everything has skyrocketed!
So I would think the first tip is don’t buy the chickens till you have the coop built !

[@AlainGrandemange]

100%. As cute as little chicks are, they grow really fast and having a coop ready to go when they’re ready to be moved out is key.