Chicken house as a home - has anyone tried converting a chicken house? (price, money)
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Interesting topic because one of our outbuildings is a fairly large, cement chicken house and we were having a hypothetical conversation the other day about what it would take to make it into a home. It also has water and electric already hooked up. I really don't think it would be much different than modifying an unfinished basement.
Do you keep chickens in your basement? The chicken droppings and ammonia by-product, the lice and mites, disease, etc... make for a huge difference, IMO. YMMV
We converted a 1972 chicken house into a home and petting zoo. 40x80 into 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths.
Then 120 feet with corrals for petting zoo animals. it's been great we have people come over all the time. just had a wedding in the barn last month. Email [email]sandy@bagbyscrittercorral.com[/email]
Location: Olde English District, SC (look it up on Wikipedia)
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My great grandparents in rural West Virginia turned a chicken coop into a house. This was during the 1930s and they eventually added on ending up with a pretty nice house. They both died over 30 years ago, but I remember visiting the house when I was a kid. I never would have known it was originally a chicken coop.
I also posted in the Rural and Small Town Living forum and someone there suggested I may have more feedback here.
I've thought of converting an old 300-500 ft. chicken house into a home. I wouldn't want to convert the whole thing, just one end or part of the middle section.
Has anyone done this or know someone who has?
It seems one would have to sure up the foundation and pour in a concrete slab where you wanted the alternative living space to be. Of course the rest of the structure would have to be sure as well because it is connected to the living quarters.
The chicken house I have in mind was probably built in the 1970's and is the old type with full length of the house curtains. It was repaired a bit a few years back to be used for storage and for drying tobacco.
One plus to using a poultry house is that they already have water and electricity ran to them.
Thank you for any input.
Sorry, but a chicken coop is not a very good place to live due to mold and other stuff that grows in chicken waste that you can't clean out 110%.
I am just beginning this task. `I have a 500' x 40' house that has been inactive for years, but it is pretty modern and very structurally sound. 2 wells and good electric.
I found this website because I also was wondering if anybody had converted a chicken house into living quarters.
I was not going to convert the entire thing; 10,000 sq. ft. of which half would be a workshop.
I am just beginning this task. `I have a 500' x 40' house that has been inactive for years, but it is pretty modern and very structurally sound. 2 wells and good electric.
I found this website because I also was wondering if anybody had converted a chicken house into living quarters.
I was not going to convert the entire thing; 10,000 sq. ft. of which half would be a workshop.
That's not a coop, that's a commercial chicken or egg factory. And if it hasn't been used for several years, there shouldn't be any smell at all, but you might want to consider having it professionally pressure washed. I nearly bought a property with 2 of them in Arkansas, but the financing was too dicey for me. Both of the chicken houses adjoined each other, about 40 x 80 each. My original plan was to live in half of one with a green house in the other half, and turn the second one into either apartments or self storage units.
As for what people live in, they can and do live in anything. It just depends on how desperate they are for a roof that doesn't leak. Chicken coops - the old style coops - have been used for a lot of things other than chickens, including occupancy by families.
If you're in Arkansas, North Carolina, or the Delmarva Peninsula, those big houses are everywhere. They come in pairs because it's the only cost effective way of growing. The integrators (Perdue, Tyson, etc.) are constantly forcing growers to upgrade, so you never can get ahead. It would have cost about $50,000 to bring to an acceptable standard for broilers as well as build a second one for about $200,000. If you grow you need to have a spouse around in case the power goes out and you're not there.
You're right; it doesn't smell. I originally bought it for storage. I know someone who uses one as a rental storage unit. Another guy uses his to store new and replacement windows.
i dont know if you realize just how small 300-500 sq feet is - its really small for a home - my old condo was 950 sq ft and it was adequate plus it had a basement
the other thing is did you ever smell a chicken coop - yeah
If you're in Arkansas, North Carolina, or the Delmarva Peninsula, those big houses are everywhere. They come in pairs because it's the only cost effective way of growing. The integrators (Perdue, Tyson, etc.) are constantly forcing growers to upgrade, so you never can get ahead. It would have cost about $50,000 to bring to an acceptable standard for broilers as well as build a second one for about $200,000. If you grow you need to have a spouse around in case the power goes out and you're not there.
You're right; it doesn't smell. I originally bought it for storage. I know someone who uses one as a rental storage unit. Another guy uses his to store new and replacement windows.
I had a friend who bought one just outside Atlanta.It was very long ! he turned the front into a auto restoration shop and the rear storage for his toys,and wrecks.
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