This was one of the most time consuming building projects in awhile. I usually prefer something quick to move on to other things, but this one took almost two weeks. Basically, I had to build up a hillside along the creek and use all recycled wood. The thought-process of what to use, how to use it, and where to put it took time.

As the other posts show, the area in front of the chicken coop was expanded and leveled. Now, the building process. I had a pile of recycled redwood 2×6 deck boards and some really long 10′ pressure treated 4x4s. Not wanting to use any pressure treated wood in the organic garden, it dawned on me to deconstruct the old outdoor camping bed inside the horse corral. Having to dig up the posts and bust out cement was back-breaking and time consuming. But, locust is very sturdy and bug resistant. Worth it!

I’d cement in a few posts, dig out a few posts, cement in a few posts, dig out a few posts. Deciding the layout too. Due to the space, I opted for a 5×5 bin on the left with space for a gate down to the creek. On the right is a 5×5 bin in the back and a 5×5 bin in the front. There will be a door between them, something light weight that I lift straight up. Doors will be later.

Whenever I dug out a locust post from the horse corral, I had to figure out if it would be better as a post or for the bottom frame depending on size and maximizing length to make sure I had enough. Once I cemented in all the posts, I framed the bottom with more locust logs. I laid locust bark down first on top of the dirt to minimize rot.

Now, the posts and bottom frame are done. I tried to figure out how best to use the limited number of redwood 2×6 deck boards. I knew that I could not frame it all in so I figured it’d supplement with hardware wire. The compost needs to aerate anyway, and the wire is sturdy enough to hold the green waste. I cut the deck boards, one for the top and one for the bottom. In some places, I had to patch pieces together. I started with the top board and leveled them all to match.

I’m still deciding if I want to cut down the posts to match rather than having random heights. It’s good for the outer wire to have support, and I want to decorate with my tools and saws. Once I build the doors, add more art, etc. then I’ll decide.

More to come…