The chicken coop is coming along. Two weekends ago, H and I spent a day gathering materials, the next day positioning and digging concrete blocks into the sandy soil (H did all of the work here), and then the next day assembling most of the deck frame with pressure treated wood (until we were rained out). Lucy helped a little by double-checking the level.

 We are building a 10x 14 deck to float above the ground. A smaller 6×10 shed will be placed on top of this and the deck will extend a few feet on all four sides. This will hopefully resemble the flooring that often extends from inside of the building out into nature, as seen in many traditional Japanese teahouse and country home designs. It is mostly for show, but the deck will provide the perfect place to stack hay bales around the exterior walls of the coop for additional insulation in our very cold Alberta winters.

For the past week, I have been staining the planking that we bought for the floor of the deck. I found some old stain left behind by the previous owners so I used it to stain the bottom and sides of the decking. I will stain the top (the only part that will be seen) with a new darker stain and then add a few coats of low gloss varathane to give it a deep sheen. I chose not to use pressure treated wood for the top deck planks as I wanted a more rustic look. The wood that I bought is not perfectly straight or rounded on the edges, and it still has the bark on it in some places. I like that. It has a more natural feel. Less manufactured.

 We used new lumber for the frame and the salvaged lumber for the support pieces. We will do this for the walls and window/door framing as well. Speaking of which, tomorrow I am visiting two architectural salvage places in Edmonton in search of a window and a door. I also hope to find a French door for the greenhouse. Wish me luck!