Chicken Coop Cut List

Organized by lumber dimension · cuts grouped per board · reflects v11.2 plan set

Supersedes May 3 version — includes hybrid run foundation, all review-driven additions, and the U04/U04b split

How to use this cut list

This list is organized by lumber dimension. For each board you buy, it tells you exactly which cuts to make. Mark each cut with a pencil as you complete it.

Notation

Cut # — sequential ID for tracking. Write this on the cut piece in pencil so you know what it's for.
Length — the final piece length in inches, after kerf.
Qty — how many of this exact cut you need.
From board — which board this cut comes from.
Goes to — which assembly the piece goes into, with the architectural sheet reference.

Critical setup before cutting

Verify your saw kerf width (typically ⅛"). All listed lengths are FINAL piece sizes; account for kerf when planning where to cut on each board.
Cut the longest pieces first from each board, then work down to shorter pieces. Salvage cutoffs.
Label every piece in pencil immediately after cutting. Don't trust your memory after a long day.
Set aside cutoffs in a separate pile — many can be used for blocking, cripples, or cabinet/nest box parts.
Studs and rafters need a birdsmouth or other notch later. Cut to length first; do specialty cuts during assembly.

Approximate cuts

Some short pieces (cripples, blocking, sill cleats, gable cripples) vary slightly based on actual on-site measurements. Where I list cuts as "approx N cuts at L inches", buy a little extra material and cut to fit during framing. This is normal practice.

Summary: boards to buy

Cross-reference with the materials list (coop-materials-list.xlsx) when shopping. The board counts below match the materials list quantities.

Lumber	# Boards	Notes
4×4 PT × 8'	9	8 (4 corner + 4 mid-span run posts cut to height) + 1 board → 4 × 20" coop posts
2×10 PT × 10'	4	Doubled rim joists N & S — full-length, no cuts
2×6 PT × 8' or 6'	2	End joists E & W — single piece each
2×6 PT × 12'	4	Floor joists — 2 cuts at 54" per board (v11)
¾" PT plywood 4×8	2	Floor decking — careful cut plan needed
2×4 SPF × 8'	12	Misc framing, blocking, gable cripples
2×4 SPF × 10'	24	Wall studs — 2 cuts at 58.5" per board
2×6 SPF × 10'	4	Doubled top plate N & S, full-length
2×6 SPF × 8'	4	Doubled top plate E & W (cut to 53") — v11
2×6 SPF × 12'	8	Rafters — 3 cuts at 44" per board (v11)
2×8 SPF × 10'	1	Ridge board, full-length with cupola notch
½" OSB 4×8	4	Coop roof sheathing
½" OSB 4×8	3	Run roof sheathing (with overhang allowance)
2×6 PT × 8'	5	Run TOP rails (U04)
2×4 PT × 8'	5	Run BOTTOM rails (U04b)
2×3 SPF × 8'	12	Run wall studs
2×4 SPF × 8'	3	Run diagonal knee braces (8 braces from 3 boards)
1×6 PT × 8'	5	Run skirt board
2×6 SPF × 12'	5	Run roof rafters (9 rafters @ 50" each, 2 per board)

Phase 1 — Foundation and floor framing

Reference: Sheets A1, A7. Build order: dig 8 footer holes + 4 deck block pads → set concrete and EPB44HDG brackets → set deck blocks and rebar pins → set coop posts in brackets → frame floor.

4×4 PT × 8' (1 board for coop posts)

Total used: 80" of 96". Waste: 16".

Cut #	Length	Qty	From board	Goes to
F-1	20"	4	1 × 4×4 PT × 8' (96")	Coop corner posts (A7) — fasten into EPB44HDG brackets (8 × 0.162"×3½" nails OR 8 × SD10 1½" screws each)

Note: The 8 RUN posts (also 4×4 PT × 8') are NOT cut at this phase — they're cut to asymmetric heights during Phase 12 once the foundations are set. See run posts section below.

2×10 PT × 10' (4 boards)

No cuts required. Each board is used full-length. 2 boards stacked together on N edge, 2 on S edge to form doubled rim joists.

2×6 PT × 8' or 6' (2 boards, end joists)

If buying 8' boards: 24" cutoff per board, save for blocking. If 6' boards available: full length, no cuts.

Cut #	Length	Qty	From board	Goes to
F-3	54"	1	1 × 2×6 PT × 10'	End joists E & W (A7)

2×6 PT × 12' (4 boards, intermediate floor joists — v11: 54" cuts)

Each 120" board (10') yields 2 × 54" cuts (108" used, 12" cutoff per board). 4 boards × 2 cuts = 8 cuts; 7 floor joists + the 2 end joists come from this 54" stock (buy 5 boards of 2×6 PT × 10' total for all of it, 1 piece spare).

Cut #	Length	Qty	From board	Goes to
F-4	54"	7	4 × 2×6 PT × 10'	Floor joists @ 16" o.c. running N-S (A7)
F-4b	54"	1	From spare 8th cut	Spare or use for blocking

¾" PT plywood (2 sheets, 4'×8')

This requires careful planning to cover the 60"×120" exterior floor platform (v11 5'×10') with 2 × 48"×96" sheets without significant waste.

Recommended cut plan

Sheet 1 (full piece, no cuts): place at SW corner of floor frame, covering 96"×48" of the 60"×120" v11 floor.
Sheet 2 (2 pieces): cut into A) 24"×60" piece covers E strip (x=96-120, y=0-60), B) 12"×96" piece covers N strip (x=0-96, y=48-60). These fill the remaining v11 floor area exactly.
Cuts on Sheet 2 (v11): first rip lengthwise at 24" → produces two 24"×96" strips. From strip 1, cross-cut at 60" to make piece A (24"×60"); save the 24"×36" offcut as blocking. From strip 2, rip at 12" to make piece B (12"×96"); save the 12"×96" offcut as backup. Verify with a sketch on paper before cutting.

Recommendation: buy a 3rd sheet ($58) as insurance against cut errors. The plan is tight.

Phase 2-3 — Wall framing

Reference: Sheets A8 (south wall), A9 (north, east, west walls). Wall height 5'-3" = 63" total. Studs 58.5" (to leave room for 1.5" bottom plate + 3" doubled top plate).

2×4 SPF × 10' (24 boards, wall studs — v11)

Cut all 50 stud blanks first. Each 10' (120") board yields 2 × 58.5" studs with 3" waste per board.

Cut #	Length	Qty	From board	Goes to
W-1	58.5"	50	24 × 2×4 SPF × 10' (v11)	Wall studs, 2 per board (A8/A9)

Stud distribution by wall (target counts)

North wall: ~11 studs (2 corners + 4 kings around 2 sliders + 5 standard at 16" o.c.)
South wall: ~12 framing members (2 corners + 3 kings + 2 short kings at transom + 4 jacks + 1 Dutch door jack pair) — use precise count from Sheet A8
East wall (gable): 5 full-height studs per A9 (2 corners + nest-cluster kings + intermediate), plus cripples/jacks and gable studs above the plate cut to the roof angle
West wall: ~12 studs (2 corners + 4 standard + 2 kings + 2 jacks + 2 gable studs above plate)

Bottom plates — 2×4 SPF (cut from W-1 or buy separately)

N and S bottom plates: 120" long, full-length 10' boards work (slight trim to 120"). E and W bottom plates (v11): 53" each (fit between the 10' N and S plates' inner edges — 60" coop - 3.5" - 3.5" = 53"). Verify on-site after framing N & S walls.

Doubled top plates — 2×6 SPF laid flat

2×6 boards laid FLAT (5.5" wide × 1.5" thick orientation). Doubled stack = 5.5" wide × 3" deep. Top plates fit between end-wall plates the same way as bottom plates.

Cut #	Length	Qty	From board	Goes to
W-2	120"	4	4 × 2×6 SPF × 10'	N & S top plates (doubled, full-length)
W-3	53"	4	2 × 2×6 SPF × 8' (≈96")	E & W top plates (doubled) — fit between N/S

Each 8' 2×6 board yields one 53" plate + a 43" cutoff (v11). Save cutoffs for gable framing — useful for gable studs (24" tall in v11) or short blocking.

Misc 2×4 SPF × 8' (12 boards)

Used for jack studs, cripples, headers, sills, blocking, and gable cripples above the top plate. Cut to fit during framing. 12 × 96" = 1,152" of stock — more than enough.

Phase 4-5 — Roof framing

Reference: Sheets A10 (top-down plan), A11 (section). Pitch 8:12, ridge runs E-W along peak, 16" o.c. rafter spacing.

2×6 SPF × 12' rafters (8 boards — v11)

Each rafter is 44" long including 8" eave overhang (v11; was 52" in v10). Cut to length first, then make birdsmouth and plumb cuts during assembly.

Cut #	Length	Qty	From board	Goes to
R-1	44"	22	8 × 2×6 SPF × 12'	Rafters: 18 standard + 4 doubled trimmers at cupola edges (A10)

Each 144" board yields 3 × 44" cuts (132" used, 12" cutoff per board). 8 boards × 3 = 24 cuts; 22 needed (18 rafters + 4 doubled trimmers), 2 spare. NOTE v11 change: cutoffs are only 12" (was 40" in v10) — too small for collar ties. Cut R-3 collar ties (20" in v11) from W01 2×4 stock instead.

2×8 SPF × 10' ridge board (1 board)

Use full-length, no length cut. But before installation, cut a 12" × 7.25" notch in the ridge approximately at coop-x=54-66 (center of ridge) for cupola airflow. Plan and cut this notch on the ground — much easier than at height.

Collar ties — from rafter cutoffs

Cut #	Length	Qty	From board	Goes to
R-3	20"	4	From W01 2×4 stock (v11)	Collar ties at coop-x = 16, 32, 96, 112 (A10)

Important: cupola opening interrupts center rafter bays, so only 4 collar ties are possible. Do not improvise extras across the opening.

Header rafters at cupola — from the 2 spare 44" rafter blanks (NOT from rafter cutoffs; cutoffs are only ~12" and too short for the 36" headers)

Cut #	Length	Qty	From board	Goes to
R-4	36"	2	From R-1 cutoffs	Cupola opening top and bottom headers (perpendicular to rafters, between trimmers at coop-x=48 and 80)

Phase 5 (continued) — Cupola framing

Built from miscellaneous scraps plus one 2×2×8' board if you can't rip from 2×4 stock. Approximate cuts:

4 × 2×2 × 12" wall posts (cupola corners) — rip from 2×4 scraps OR buy 1 × 2×2 × 8'
4 × 2×2 × 22" wall plates (top and bottom) — same source
4 × hip rafters at 8" rise from 22" base — cut from 2×4 scraps with plumb cut at peak
Louver slats: ~16-20 × 1×4 × 18" — cut from 1×4 trim scraps or buy 1 × 1×4 × 8'
Floor frame: 22" × 22" frame from 2×4 scraps — sits on roof opening

Phase 6 — Roof sheathing

Reference: Sheet A11. v11 roof slope length per side = 36.06" + 8" overhang = ~44". Length 10' + 16" overhang = ~136". Each side = ~44" × 136" ≈ 42 sqft × 2 sides ≈ 84 sqft total. 4 sheets of OSB at 32 sqft each = 128 sqft (unchanged from v10), leaving generous allowance for waste at the cupola opening and cuts.

½" OSB 4×8 (4 sheets for coop roof)

Sheets run with the long dimension parallel to the ridge. Two sheets per side, butted at the ridge with 1/8" expansion gap. Cut the cupola opening (24" × 24") through one sheet on each side, sized to match the framed opening.

Phase 7 — Siding and trim

Board-and-batten style: 1×8 boards laid vertically with 1×3 battens covering the seams.

1×8 pine board × 8' (28 boards — v11)

Each board covers ~7.25" of wall width (allowing 0.75" for batten overlap). v11 walls: 2 × (10' + 5') × 5'-3" + gable triangles (1'-8" rise × 5' base each) ≈ 180 sqft of siding. 28 boards × 8' × 7.25" ≈ 217 sqft, leaves modest waste allowance.

1×3 pine batten × 8' (23 boards — v11)

Battens cover seams between 1×8 boards, plus corners and openings. v11 estimate ~23 vertical seams × 5'-3" = 121 lf + 30 lf around openings ≈ 151 lf needed. 23 × 8' = 184 lf works with cutoffs for short batten pieces.

1×6 pine fascia × 10' (4 boards)

Around the coop eaves and rakes. ~32 lf total perimeter at the roof edge.

1×4 pine corner trim × 8' (6 boards)

4 corners need 2 trim boards each (one on each face) = 8 corner trim boards. 6 × 8' boards yield enough with cutoffs as window/door trim.

1×4 pine window/door trim × 8' (8 boards)

Around all openings: 2 cleanouts, 2 access panels, Dutch door, transom, 2 sliders, run door. Each opening needs ~16 lf of 1×4. Cut to fit during installation.

Phase 8 — Doors (Dutch door, cleanouts, run door)

1×6 T&G pine × 6' (20 boards)

Used for Dutch door (top + bottom halves, ~10-12 boards), cleanouts (4-5 boards each × 2 cleanouts), and access panels.

Dutch door top half: 5-6 × 1×6 × 29" boards in a 1×4 frame
Dutch door bottom half: 5-6 × 1×6 × 29" boards in a 1×4 frame
Each cleanout door: 4-5 × 1×6 × ~24" boards
Access panels (drop-down nest-box fronts and lower panels): 3-4 × 1×6 each

Run access door (built from scraps + hardware cloth)

30" × 67" door frame from 1×4 PT scraps; hardware cloth stretched across and stapled to the frame. No T&G needed — open-air design.

Phase 12 — Run construction cuts

If you're building the coop first and the run later, all cuts in this section are deferred. Buy the U-series lumber (U01 run posts, U04 top rails, U04b bottom rails, U05 studs, U06 rafters, U10/U12 skirt, U17 braces) only when you're ready to build the run, not with the coop materials.

Run posts are NOT cut until you've measured the actual bracket and block elevations after concrete cures. Cut conservatively long and trim down.

4×4 PT × 8' (8 run posts)

Asymmetric run roof (3:12 slope down to N) means different post heights:

Cut #	Length	Qty	From board	Goes to
U-1a	~75"	2	2 × 4×4 PT × 8'	S corner posts (in EPB44HDG brackets, high side)
U-1b	~73"	2	2 × 4×4 PT × 8'	S mid-span posts (in deck blocks, slightly lower)
U-1c	~63"	2	2 × 4×4 PT × 8'	N corner posts (in EPB44HDG brackets, low side)
U-1d	~61"	2	2 × 4×4 PT × 8'	N mid-span posts (in deck blocks, slightly lower)

Verify before cutting: do not cut any run post until you've confirmed which group it belongs to and measured its specific bracket/block elevation. Heights vary by a half-inch or more after concrete sets.

2×6 PT × 8' top rails (5 boards, U04)

Run top rails act as integrated header above the run door opening. 2×6 needed (not 2×4) because each rail spans 5'-4" between posts and would sag under snow load if smaller.

Cut #	Length	Qty	From board	Goes to
U-4a	64"	4	1 × 2×6 PT × 10'	Top rail segments between adjacent posts (4 per long wall × 2 walls = 8 total but bought as full-length, cut to fit posts as set)
U-4b	48"	1	1 × 2×6 PT × 8'	End wall top rail (4' run width)

Buy 5 boards; actual cuts will be measured after posts are set. Pieces vary because corner-to-corner span and corner-to-mid-span span are different.

2×4 PT × 8' bottom rails (5 boards, U04b)

Bottom rails are 2×4 (not 2×6) because they carry no significant load — they just define the lower edge of the hardware cloth wrap.

Cut #	Length	Qty	From board	Goes to
U-4c	~62"	varies	5 × 2×4 PT × 8'	Bottom rail segments — cut to fit between posts after posts are set; on south wall the rail is interrupted by the 30" door opening

2×3 SPF × 8' run wall studs (12 boards)

Intermediate studs at ~24" o.c. between corner and mid-span posts. Cut to height after top rails are installed (height varies S vs N).

Cut #	Length	Qty	From board	Goes to
U-5	~70" (S) / ~58" (N)	10-12	12 × 2×3 SPF × 8'	Run wall intermediate studs

2×4 SPF × 8' diagonal knee braces (3 boards for 8 braces)

Each brace is ~24" long with 45° cuts at both ends. Three 8' boards yield ~12 braces with cut waste — you need 8 for the run.

Cut #	Length	Qty	From board	Goes to
U-17	~24"	8	3 × 2×4 SPF × 8'	Knee braces: 1 at each of 4 run corners (alternating N/S long-wall bias) + 2 at door bay

1×6 PT × 8' skirt board (5 boards, U12)

Closes gap between bottom rail and grade around the run perimeter.

Cut #	Length	Qty	From board	Goes to
U-12	varies	5	5 × 1×6 PT × 8'	Skirt board around run perimeter (cut to fit each segment between posts/corners)

2×6 SPF × 12' run roof rafters (5 boards, U06)

9 rafters total at 24" o.c., each ~50" long (49.5" pythagoras length for the 4' span at 3:12 slope, plus a few inches for overhang and birdsmouth).

Cut #	Length	Qty	From board	Goes to
U-6	~50"	9	5 × 2×6 SPF × 12'	Run roof rafters at 24" o.c. (4'-span between top rails)

Each 12' board yields 2 × 50" cuts. 5 boards = 10 cuts, 1 spare. Verify rafter slope direction (downward toward north) before fastening permanently.

Phase 10-11 — Interior fixtures

½" CDX plywood (3 sheets)

Sheet 1: Poop shelf 38"×84" (v11; ½" CDX plywood, 1 piece from one sheet, cutoff available for other uses). Shelf sits against the south wall and overhangs the storage cabinet's north door face by 6".
Sheet 2: Storage cabinet walls and floor (42"W × 32"D × 22"H — v11, cut into 5-6 panels). Cabinet occupies the west half under the shelf; its north face holds the top-hinged hardware-cloth door and is set 6" south of the shelf's north edge (the shelf cantilevers over it).
Sheet 3 (half-sheet): Nest cluster (3 bays × 14" each, 14" deep — v11.3) — also includes floor sloped 5° toward egg roll-out tray

Interior 2×4 SPF (2 boards for roost bars)

Cut each of 2 boards (8' each) to one 84" roost bar (84" cut + 12" cutoff per board). Two 84" bars cannot come from a single 96" board, so 2 boards are required. Sand all edges round (don't leave sharp corners — chickens grip with feet and need a comfortable flat-top surface).

Shelf overhang support cleat (v11)

Cut 1 × 2×2 (or 2×4) SPF cleat to 84" (or two 42" pieces) to support the shelf's 6" cantilever over the cabinet door face. Fasten the cleat to the wall studs / cabinet frame along the shelf's north edge so the overhanging shelf does not sag under roosting load. The north roost bar sits directly above this line, so the cleat carries real weight — use 3" screws into framing, not just into plywood.