5/23/22
I read your email twice. The first time, the only thing that stuck with me was “I met Joel Salatin…”. Everything before and after that was a blur, LOL! I’m a fan and a follower. You confirmed what I’d always thought about him: an honest, down-to-earth kind of guy.
Okay, the door.
I thought if I could extend the top part of that opening out and create a flat, vertical plane, I’d have a frame… if I have a frame, I can build a door. But I think I put it in the wrong place. Had I cut the area out of a different polygon or centered it better, it would probably have been more appealing to an engineer’s eye. As it is, however, it does function.
Hinges are from Amazon, about $11. Here’s a screen cap:
There is no latch (yet), I’m using a bungee strap which keeps it closed and I will be adding a spring (or two) to snap it shut even when it isn’t latched.
We live near the foot of a mountain, so NOTHING is level, but we got it as close as we could.
If I had to do it over again, I would have built the 16’ standard dome instead of the silo. It’s great to walk in like it is with lots of working area for me and living area for the chickens, but there is a lot of unused space above me.
I can tell you this, I learned A LOT during the construction and can see many uses for structures like this all over a homestead. Where else can you put up a structure this big with this kind of strength built into the design for under $600? That’s wire, tarp, hardware, everything.
I’m happy with it and the chickens love it! Looking forward to integrating rabbits into our little two-acre ecosystem and placing them in our Raken Dome. Thanks for everything.
Jud Morrison
Cherokee County, Texas
