Loft Advice

[hillfamilyloft]

I would also buy the wood in a bundle and get one of those numatic nailing gun and go for it in a few days. The warping wood is an issue. I have burned a few in the chiminea myself. You could also buy a wall at a time and do it that way. I also watch the builders put up houses in a snow storm and leave the walls to get wet and layered with snow. I think that they will do ok if they are nailed together and covered with tarps. Love the design. I like the addition of the aviary for the breeders.
Randy

[roxtar]

Learning,
I too am in the tough spot of having to do all this stuff a little at a time and can tell you that if I could hit the "rewind" button and go back about a month I'd definately wait and buy all the lumber in one trip and build the whole thing at once. It really is hard for me to stay motivated to keep going when the progress seems sooooo slooooow and every bit of progress seems trivial in relation to the amount of work left to be done-and thinking about how you're going to afford to take that next step is only another obstacle and further adds to the desire to throw up one's hands and say "screw it".
Otherwise, your loft looks great and it appears to be coming along real well. Good luck with the rest of it.

[Trees Gray]

Hi roxtar,

You should just look at each project at a time ( a day at a time, sometimes even...an hour at a time), it keeps you from looking ahead too much and rushing.

I know the feeling, as I have been there and done that. You will always go back and look at things and say, oh I should have done that or this, but that is just the way it is.

You have to look at it as a great learning experience, and enjoy each different phase and aspect of it. It is easy to want to hurry and seeing the finished project in your mind does keep you motivated.

If I had to do it all over again, I would visualize where all the poop would land before setting up perches/roosts, and nest boxes, everything...it is amazing the nooks and crannies where pigeon poop goes.

Your project looks like you have gotten a great start, and you will eventually see it thru to the ned.

[george simon]

HI DAN, I would take the slow approach. I rember when I was building my loft,I was rushed into getting it done by those that had raised young birds for me(late hatches).I often look at my loft and wish that I would have taken the slow approach. Now if I were you I would have a three phase plan.

1. PHASE#1 STOCK LOFT AND STOCK HENS AND SELECT SECTION
2. PHASE#2 YOUNG BIRDS AND WHITE BIRDS SECTION
3. PHASE #3 WIDOWHOOD SECTION When you reach this phase you will have only the outside walls to do for this section as the inner walls will have been completed during phases 1and 2

.......GEORGE

[learning]

Thanks to all for the input. I think I am going to have to wait and save the money to do all the exterior walls in one push. I have a two week break in December for Christmas so hopefully it won't be too cold down here and I can get it knocked out. Hey Roxtar, look at it this way, you are a lot further along than I am! I guess it is my age, but I have learned to be patient with some things out of shear neccesity. One learns, as one gets some more "experience" (for lack of a better word), that life tends to throw curve balls at you just when you think you have things figured out. I have found that if you try to fight it, it just comes back to haunt you. I guess it is God's way of keeping our priorities in line.

I am just going to keep plugging and sooner or later, probably later, I will be welcoming my new birds into their home.

Thanks again to all,

Dan

P.S. I noticed that this thread has been moved from the racing group. Did I put this in the wrong place? Sorry if I screwed up!

[TAWhatley]

Originally Posted by learning

P.S. I noticed that this thread has been moved from the racing group. Did I put this in the wrong place? Sorry if I screwed up!

Nope, you're in the right place Several members had asked for a separate forum just to discuss loft plans and construction of same.

Terry

[Trees Gray]

Originally Posted by learning

P.S. I noticed that this thread has been moved from the racing group. Did I put this in the wrong place? Sorry if I screwed up!

Hi Dan,

Thank you for your inquiry.

You didn't screw up. You put the thread in the right forum that we had at the time. Since your thread was started, we did get a new forum for LOFT DESIGNS, as Terry mentioned. I just moved it to the new forum.

[learning]

O.K. guys, two things. First of all, I wanted to share what better be the last adjustment to my floorplan as I am about ready to start building the walls and I can't keep doing this forever! This brings about yet another question for all you racing geniuses out there. In an effort to keep things as simple as possible (yea right!), I was going to have the old bird widowers trap into the same openning as the young birds do and just fly down the hall to the widowhood section of the loft. My thoughts on this are two fold. First, the young birds and old birds won't be sharing the trap at the same time of year and secondly the birds would have to learn just one trap their entire racing life. Might make it easier from a training standpoint for those yearlings. Do any of you see any plusses or minuses to this thought process and this system? Sure would make construction easier, just one trap to install.

Please feel free to chime in on this with any of your thoughts.

Thanks,

Dan

Attachment 5050

[learning]

Well, for all of you that wanted updates, this is where I am to date. The walls are up and the ceiling and roof joists are hung. Next it is on to the exterior siding then the roof. Oh well, one step at a time right?!

Enjoy,

Dan

Attachment 5326

[roxtar]

That looks absolutely great!! That's going to be a helluva loft once it's finished. Are you a carpenter or just a hobbyist like me? And I thought I had my work cut out for me!!

[Pigeonpal2002]

Hi Dan,

Wow...your mansion loft DOES look great It's been in construction for quite awhile now but your efforts are certainly showing. It's funny, I was just looking at your thread the other day and was wondering how things were going.

You're moving slow but steady....the ways of a true craftsman

[TAWhatley]

Fabulous, Dan! I really can't wait to see this get completed!

Terry

[Trees Gray]

Hi Dan,

Oh...my...what a grand opening celebration you are going to have.

Looking forward to your next update!

[learning]

Thank you all for your encouragement. I am hoping that by this fall I will have this thing finished. It will all be a matter of funds. We'll see. Roxtar, I am certainly no professional. If you could see this up close you would see that it is not exactly perfect shall we say! Before starting this little project I think I might have driven maybe a dozen nails in my life. I do feel, however, that when it is done it will be a safe and healthy home for our new family members.

Thanks Again,

Dan

[maryjane]

Look absolutely amazing!! Great job so far! It rather puts my pvc and hardward cloth aviaries to shame.