Steps of a DIY project:

• Decide you are going to build a thing.
• Research the thing. Pinterest the thing. Make a long list of features you want the thing to have.
• Research premade things. Scoff at the cost. Steal the best ideas.
• Start drawing a plan of the thing.
• Get overwhelmed.
• Start stressing about the cost of building the thing.
• Decide to buy a premade thing.
• Search for premade thing that has most of the features you want.
• Fail to find one.
• Decide you are going to build a thing.

Research and design took about a week for me. The cost to build my own was quickly outstripping the cost to buy one premade. But two things eventually forced me to build my own. The first was space.  I have a very specific area of the yard that I can bequeath to my chickens. It is only three feet wide. Every coop I found is four feet wide.  The second is the roof. I really wanted a green roof. This allows me not to sacrifice my garden space. Also, it will help keep the coop cool in the sweltering Savannah summer. 

Here is my current plan with a coop and run. The coop is 4w x 3d x 4h. The front doors open and the floor is flat, allowing you to reach in and sweep it out. Windows allow for ventilation.  The nesting boxes with an easy access door to collect eggs. The run has a screen door, allowing you to walk into it. Everything locks. Everything is covered in hardware cloth. It’s painfully cute.