Where we started

One of the first things I noticed when I saw the property for the first time was an old, sagging, tired building at the edge of the property. With it’s huge windows and weathered old doors, I couldn’t imagine what this building could have been used for. With an awesome view of the parks, fields, and velodrome behind us, it seemed like a prime location for something really special.

I had to kick the old door open, as it had long since swelled and rotted off of it’s hinges. What I found inside was pretty remarkable. It had been an old chicken coop. There were little nesting boxes, shelves, and an old (human) outhouse to boot.

Oddly enough, one of the previous owners had used old license plates to repair areas where there were holes in the walls, which was an amazing find of its own – several completely intact Pennsylvania license plates from 1922 and 1923. Awesome.

I began digging around in the old nesting boxes and found an old toy army jeep, a little cap gun called the “Biff Junior”, and lots of very old baseballs. Further discoveries included some campaign pins for Teddy Roosevelt’s presidential campaign in 1904, and some really hilarious old pornographic playing cards that are way to risque to go into here. Maybe if you rent the place we’ll show them to you.

All I could imagine while standing out there was what an awesome little hideaway this could be, especially with the kind of views that could be had by installing some new windows. And maybe adding a little terrace space out there for warm nights to watch the fireworks at the cycling center.

The only thing that made financial sense was to tear it down. There was no way this building would be able to stand up to the kind of work that would be needed to make it stable and safe for guests. But at the same time, the whole point of this project was to restore what was there, not construct anything new. So we had to get creative. Really, really creative.

A clucked up Process

Probably not the most logical order or operations to be sure, but the first thing we did was re-shingle and stabilize the roof and add gutters. We were having the same done to the house and the garage at the time, so it made sense to take care of the coop roof, even if we weren’t quite sure of what we were doing yet.

The next part came when it was time to lay all of the beautiful Pennsylvania bluestone we picked out for the walkways and terraces. We decided that we needed to lay a stronger foundation and floor for whatever this was going to be, so we literally rolled the old building backwards on plastic tubes, fixed the foundation and floor, and then rolled it right back over top.

Next, Hriczak Electric installed an electrical sub-panel and ran a conduit underground from the house to the coop so that we could have lights, GFCI outlets, and support a mini-split for the building. Still having no idea what we were doing, we knew at a minimum it would have to have lights, power, and climate control.

And that’s where it sat for about a year. Permitting was not easy or timely but we got it done. Now, it was time to call in The Mikes. Michael Cecere and his father (Also Michael Cecere) of the Finishing Touch have worked with us on a number of projects, and they are absolutely masters of both carpentry and craftsmanship. Together, we came up with a plan to raise the roof, re-bulid the windows and doors, and create a bar at the back of the coop that would allow guests to slide open large windows to serve food and drinks to their guests.

It was an awesome and a no-brainer for anyone renting the property for private dinners, weddings, and the like. But still, something was missing. Even though I knew it was going to look good, it was missing the beautiful details found in the house. And just as I was contemplating ways to add that historic charm to a run down old outbuilding, I found a set of incredible stained glass windows from a turn of the century mansion in Chicago who had a date with the wrecking ball.

Made of leaded glass in clear and emerald green, the window were in incredible shape. The Mikes were able to make some small repairs to the lead, and refinish the frames. Like it was meant to be, the windows fit perfectly into the openings we had to work with. And just like that, our tired old girl had some beautiful jewelry to help her glow (literally).

Finally!

Check out the gallery below to see the progress over the 18 months it took to make the re-imagined chicken coop a reality!