Stylish and Strong ; The Garden Loft Coop Design

Protection from the elements and security from predators are the most important features of any backyard coop design, and plenty of coops seem to manage this with an effective, but all too often, unappealing design.

But you’ll get way more enjoyment from your backyard flock when you combine these must-have strengths with an elegant design that enhances your existing landscape, and earns the approval of the neighbors and even the neighborhood HOA. 

And The Garden Loft does just that. This spacious backyard coop plan from the designers of the Garden Coop is large enough for up to sixteen hens, and like it’s smaller cousin, has a covered run integrated into the design. 

With the entire footprint of the coop covered with tinted polycarbonate roof panels, your hens will stray drier and more comfortable during the cold, rainy months, and shaded during the hottest part of the summer. 

And the Garden Loft is completely protected from predators and pests, whether they fly, dig, slither, or bite. This backyard coop design’s sturdy frame is clad with a combination of T1-11 siding and 1/2” galvanized hardware cloth mesh that’s buried around the entire perimeter of the coop. The open ceiling is protected with the same 1/2” wire mesh, keeping out predators and letting in fresh air. 

Some of the other delightful features in this clever coop design include the waist-high high hen house area on the back of the coop that makes it easier to clean, and helps protect the hens from sun and wind. There’s an interior access opening and chicken ladder that lets the flock go back and forth between the henhouse and the run, while the outside human entry door remains securely locked. And the Garden Loft has lots of perch space and plenty of nesting boxes.

 
The placement of the egg door makes it easy to collect eggs without having to enter the coop, and, perhaps the most delightful feature of the Garden Loft is that the open design that makes it easy to watch and enjoy the show from many angles.

The Garden Loft measures 11.5’ wide,  9’ deep, and 8.5’ tall, making a building permit unneccessary in many cities.  

And remember that just because the Garden Loft is large enough for sixteen hens, doesn’t mean that you have to actually keep that many in your coop. 

In fact the Garden Loft is the perfect sized coop for a smaller backyard flock of, say, five to eight chickens. A smaller flock will appreciate the extra space, and owners that travel or may not be available to let the hens out to forage every day, can feel better about leaving them inside this spacious coop for longer stretches of time. 

We love building the Garden Loft design for our customers because the step by step plans make it easy for us to deliver the same high-quality finished product every time ; you get a Garden Loft coop that looks just like the one in the photos. We build the Garden Loft’s frame with untreated red cedar that’ll last for many, many years, and gives the Garden Loft a special elegance and enhances the simple beauty of the design. Our team can complete much of the initial assembly in our workshop, reducing the time spent on site to about two days. And we’ll be happy to stain the siding on the back side of the coop to your specification.  

Of course, handy chicken keepers can roll up their sleeves, download the Garden Loft plans, and build one themselves. The plans are indeed beginner friendly, just like the website says, and there’s no complicated wood joinery. Take your time with it, recruit at least one capable helper, and you’ll be just as delighted with with the finished product as we are.