I never had a cozy playhouse as a child nor do I have kids so I could have got them one. I have, though, always thought they are such practical and attractive structures begging for a reno for a nice flock of chickens. When I saw this newly built coop added to a previous playhouse conversion posted in an online chicken group I reached out to Ken, the owner, asking if he’d be interested in participating in my cool coop design series.
Happily for me, he and wife Megan consented to be the 34th post in my Cool Coop series.
We got our very first batch of chickens in March of 2023, and by 2024, we added even more to our flock. We currently have 11 chickens including Easter Eggers, Australorps, Rhode Island Reds and Orpingtons.
Our very first building project was a playhouse built on top of a sandbox for our kids. Once the kids outgrew it, we converted the sandbox area into our first chicken coop. That original coop worked wonderfully until we decided to expand our flock and needed more space.
Original playhouse conversion. New coop to the right, replacing swing set.
Megan fell in love with several coop ideas she saw on Pinterest, which eventually led us to start searching for someone who could bring those ideas to life. We found a local builder, Chris with Lifetime Coops, who offered a variety of coop designs. We were able to pick one that fit our needs perfectly. From the time we placed our order until delivery and setup, the process took about three months.
Our coop project came in around $4,500.
Original sandbox coop: 15’ x 5’
Main coop (excluding sandbox): 14’ x 8’
Hen house portion: 6’ x 8’
Chunnel: 100’ long, leading to a fully enclosed 14-foot trampoline. The trampoline serves a dual purpose: the chickens get shade and space underneath, while the kids still get to jump on top.
Chunnel
Features:
Our coop is packed with thoughtful features to keep our flock happy and healthy. Some highlights include:
Hen House
- 3 roosting bars
- 3 nesting boxes
- 2 infrared heaters
- Solar-powered chicken door
- Ring chicken cam
- Turf-lined nesting boxes
- Windows
- Wicket doors for ventilation
- Chicken ladder
- The hen house itself is made of HDPE plastic for durability and easy cleaning, and topped with an 18-gauge galvalume metal roof.
Sandbox Connection
We can close off the access tunnel between the sandbox coop and the main coop, which allows us to keep newer birds safe and separate until we’re ready to integrate them with the rest of the flock.
- Enrichment & Comfort: Multiple roosting bars, a chicken swing, stumps for perching, a dust bath, and even a chicken xylophone.
- Feeding & Watering: 2 automatic feeders and 3 waterers.
- Variety Of Textures: sand, wood chips, gravel, dirt, pine shavings, and flagstone for cooling off on hot days.
We plan to frame out the Chunnel to make it more rigid and modular, so sections can be taken apart or reconfigured as needed.
Thanks to Ken and Megan Corder of Meridian Idaho for sharing their coop and photos, used with permission.
Bitchin' Chickens 
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