Shed size

I will be getting a shed built for the bunny barn. I was wondering what size would be good? I three kids that do not want to agree on the same breed. My oldest has the English lops. My youngest has the Jersey woollies for now. She wants the belgian hare Not sure why. Then my son has the English Angora. There friend has the mini lop not sure we are keeping the pair we got as on the other fourm told me that they did not look to be good quality. I also wanted a trio of Himi for the kids showmanship at the shows. I am looking at a shed that is 10X16 is that a good size? Each kids will have at least a trio of there breed. What do you think?

if you do a double or triple stacked cage system, I think that would work great, and you could pack ALOT of bunnies into there! down both walls, and you have plenty of space! you could get really creative and plan an awsome mini barn.

Remember to think of ventilation, espessially with so many rabbits in a building. if you could do a dirt floor, I highly recomend it. helps alot with the smell.

I am going to have a big fan on one side and for when temps go up and portable ac unit. That way no one ger hot. I am also going to have 2 large windows put in so on cool days the fan can run and the windows can be open for ventilation. I am not sure about the dirt floor but I do have a shop vac and I could put tile for easy mopping.

how old is your son whp wants EA?

If I was making a new bunny barn I'd work in measurements of 16" on centre. Every three studs would be 4' then, as well as aligning the roof joists.

Standard plywood sheathing would be 8' by 4' so that would be a labour and material saving as well.

I'd pour a concrete pad with rubble foundation; minor sloped and troughed, most economical option and longest lasting in my opinion.

Sounds like you plan on having it wired since you'll have a fan and AC so you may as well have it plumbed as well, not really very much more money with the pex system and having water out there is a wonderful thing for cleaning waste and servicing the animals.

12'x 16' would be a better size but most projects like this expand and if you were to go fifty percent larger at inception it will save a lot of head ache and heart break down the road.

I'd build in a loft too. No point wasting that "above" space for the sake of a couple of 2 x 4's and a sheet or 2 of plywood By golly you'll need somewhere to put the hay, the straw, the pellets, the birthing boxes, the extra wire mess...etc!

the hay and shavings can act as insulation too

the smartest thing I ever did was get plumbing into the basement - the difference to being able to clean was AMAZING

My son he is 11 We have the one right now and want to get a doe for him soon. Waiting for a Smoke pearl I will do the pluming thing for sure easier to fill bottels and such and I love the thought of a lost for hay. They will be in stack cages build 36x36 for the big bunnies and 24x24 for the small ones. The shed I am getting is from homedepot I think I am still priceing them Will cost about 2k for it.

john_francisi love your ideas! and a sloped floor with plumbing in it would take care of my "but it would be so hard to drag a hose over EVERY day..." *whiney voice*


with it worked out right, you could just spray the whole thing down every day....and if you put a sink in there, you could wash dishes in there, and set up a processing corner if you wanted to go that route (now mentally planning my own bunny barn...)

Maybe you have already thought of this but if you are doing a concrete floor that is slopped, put a drain in the center of the building. That way when you clean cages you can hose the floor down and out the drain it goes. Our garage (now a rabbitry) has a drain in the floor and it is very handy.

I'd determine how wide you want each cage hole to be, multiply it by how many holes you want on each row, then determine how many rows you want. Also, factor in how wide you need the walkways to be in between cage rows.

It's going to be different for different breeds/sizes of rabbits, so coming up with a cookie cutter "size" for how big a rabbit barn needs to be would be impractical.

billylilwigeon":z2dbgro0 said:

I'd determine how wide you want each cage hole to be, multiply it by how many holes you want on each row, then determine how many rows you want. Also, factor in how wide you need the walkways to be in between cage rows.

It's going to be different for different breeds/sizes of rabbits, so coming up with a cookie cutter "size" for how big a rabbit barn needs to be would be impractical.

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Custom making a shed that's sized strictly for rabbits, or anything else; is not a practical way to develop the project. Consider it from the labor and material perspective as well as any secondary use the building may have if the rabbitry were to fizzle.

If the intention is to use dimensional lumber and a poured concrete pad for the construction then custom fitting will raise the costs. Also worth noting is a bump up in the costs of plumbing and wiring when switching from standardized sizing to custom fitted.

Consider the look of ecstasy that glows outward from a contractors eyes when the word "custom" is interjected into a quote!

Don't get me wrong here now, if money is no object then custom is definably the way to go. I'd throw in things like robotic feeders and power washer nozzles for the trough, gosh; even have a water reclaim system. Climate control, ambient lighting, perhaps even a skylight so the rabbits could enjoy the dappled moonlit clouds as they floated overhead.

Dang, maybe I'd live out there after a while!

Now on the other hand if you were to make your shed a rustic pole and rough beam construction with dirt floors and expose the plumbing and wiring then fitting it to any particular configuration wouldn't be a problem - from an economical standpoint. Of course you'd have this hillbilly monstrosity on your property but it may come across as quaint to anyone that was within eyesight of it. On the brighter side with no foundation and the earth to wood contact on the poles used as load bearing columns, it won't last very long.

Spoken like a true carpenter john_francis!

My husband and I were considering the DIY kitchen remodel which was absolutly necessary and he said "Now where did you want that stove to go?" and I said "Well, the gas line is already over there and we have an exterior wall for the hood fan, so let's put it there." His face lit up and he said "I do love you, you know!"

When you are considering those trios your kids will have don't forget the inevitable grow-out cages. If I were building one from scratch I would be cheap and have a dirt floor with good drainage and just set the posts in concrete above grade. In my climate you would get a natural worm bin effect, and cleanout would be a twice yearly job, with a deep litter method under the cages. Good for the lazy among us.

I guess now you know who you don't want to live next to! I'm the lady with the hillbilly monstrosities in her yard!

lol, thats how I would have my shed eco2pia! (and I would put it close to a hose hookup, so I could have my water)Clean it spring and fall, and there ya go!

If I did not live in the city I would do that I need to keep smell down. So what I was going to do is get a 3 teir high cages the big bunnies are in a 36x36 and the small one in a 24x24. I do have grow- out cages that will be out of the shed. I am doing 2 windows for cross vent when it is cool and a nice big fan to keep air moveing. the cage will all have pull out trays for easy clean up. I am going to start buying the cages now so when taxes come all I have to do is order the shed. I do want to see if they can put a loft for hay feed and stuff like that.

john_francis, I hope you're still here, because I'd like to revisit this thread and pick your brain. Everyone else, please feel free to jump in, also, especially if you have some experience/know-how to share.

john_francis":2cdruruu said:

If I was making a new bunny barn I'd work in measurements of 16" on centre. Every three studs would be 4' then, as well as aligning the roof joists.

Standard plywood sheathing would be 8' by 4' so that would be a labour and material saving as well.

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So 20'x20' would work as well, right? I want to make this as standard-sized as possible, with no more cutting than necessary. I'm going to have to do this one myself, with maybe some help from one or two sons. (DH is working out of town now, so won't be available.)

I'd pour a concrete pad with rubble foundation; minor sloped and troughed,

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Rubble foundation? Troughed? Please explain. How much of a slope?

We're moving in May, but I want my bunnies out of the garage (and not outside--predators) while we try to sell the house. I'm thinking that for this first barn, maybe dirt floor under the cages, with a walkway down the middle made of paving stones. Comments?

I'd build in a loft too. No point wasting that "above" space for the sake of a couple of 2 x 4's and a sheet or 2 of plywood By golly you'll need somewhere to put the hay, the straw, the pellets, the birthing boxes, the extra wire mess...etc!

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I like this, but don't know how to go about it. How high would the "ceiling" be? (The loft may have to wait until the second barn in the new place.)

I found some plans online that I would like to adapt, here:

http://msucares.com/pubs/plans/6233.pdf

Seems to me that 20' x 20' would work great. I'm not enough of a builder to give comments on the loft, but I think a dirt floor with the paving stone path would be fine. Dirt really absorbs urine odors.