# Finally got the walls up!!!



## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

Well it's taken almost a month (working all by myself) but I finally got the walls up for my breeder loft. I can't wait til I get the roof and siding on and can actually put birds in the darn thing. Still debating as to whether or not to finish the inside or not. I owe an infinite amount of thanks to Renee' and Everett of Lovebirds Loft for all their encouragement and patience in dealing with my dopey questions. I at one point was going to give up on pigeons and just put ropes and turnbuckles on the platform and turn it into a boxing ring.
I really have come to develop a profound respect for those that can work with wood. It makes me wonder why plumbers make more than carpenters. 
If anyone knows of a site that gives good mathematical formulas or any other info on building a monopitched roof please post the link(s) in a reply to this post.


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## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

*Fine Job*

HI ROXTAR,It looks real good and your doing a fine job. Keep it up you will have aloft that you can be proud of. By the way do you live on the east coast.........GEORGE


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Hey.........looking good. We won the "B" race this week end. Doris won the "A". Guess it was the ladies week this week. Just think of all the fun you're going to have when you get the loft completed. Just be careful out working in all this wind. Don't want to see you come flying by holding onto a sheet of plywood.


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## Feather (Dec 8, 2005)

The loft looks very nice. You are a perfectionist.

Renee, congradulations on your win.

Feather


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## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

Lovebirds said:


> Hey.........looking good. We won the "B" race this week end. Doris won the "A". Guess it was the ladies week this week.


 HI RENEE,Great to hear that you girls did so well in the races this week CONGRATS I have alway enjoyed seeing the guys get a little up tight when you girls win. .GEORGE


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

Roxtar - your loft is really lookin' good. We look forward to the final pics...  

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE LADY WINNERS!! WAY TO GO!


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

*Roxtar, that is a nice roomy loft you have there. It took 3 of us to build phase one of my pigeon coop, and it took over a week. I applaud you for single handedly doing what you have done. 

You can find some information by just goggling mono pitched roofs and it will give you some good ideas.

Thank you Pigeon Life for providing this new section on Pigeon Lofts. It is a great addition to the site. *


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## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

No George, I'm in Virginia, the southwest part of the state not too far from Renee'.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Looks like it is going to be a beautiful loft, can't wait to see updated pics.


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## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

I can't wait til there ARE some updates.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

roxtar said:


> I can't wait til there ARE some updates.


WELL??? Any updates? Ready to move in birds yet??


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## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

*Sort of*

Got started on the roof yesterday and I was all ready to go get the plywood at Lowe's but then this wonderful Virginia weather came and screwed everything up.  This is turning into a complete disaster and I think I should have just stayed in Florida.

So, there's your update. I'm still not ready for any birds. I'll see you in the 2014 YB season LOL.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

roxtar said:


> Got started on the roof yesterday and I was all ready to go get the plywood at Lowe's but then this wonderful Virginia weather came and screwed everything up.  This is turning into a complete disaster and I think I should have just stayed in Florida.
> 
> So, there's your update. I'm still not ready for any birds. I'll see you in the 2014 YB season LOL.


No, you'll see us in 2007 YB season.  So, you've got the siding up? How about another picture??


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## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

Well I almost got the roof finished before the sun went down (I had to go to dinner with the family so my work day got cut kind of short). I didn't want to make it too steep since I'm more than likely going to be putting the plywood and shingles on by myself. My brother helped me get all the rafters cut and my wife helped me get them hung. 

It's just after midnight and it's raining right now. Hopefully it'll clear up before morning so I can finish up.










**BTW** If you've never cut rafters before get yourself a copy of this book along with a speed square. It takes a lot of the guesswork out of the whole process which is pretty simple once you've done it, but can be a real pain if you don't have any experience.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Hey, looking good...........Going to be windy today.........don't get blown off the roof!!!


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

You are doing a great job with the construction! Thanks for the information on the reference book. Things like that can make a huge difference! Does the book mention how steep you need to make the roof if you get more snow?


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## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

No it doesn't, it just goes into all the math involved in rafter layout. I'm sure you can find that kind of information somewhere online. I made the pitch on my roof really low for 2 reasons.

1. I wanted to make each rafter 48 inces long so I could cover the whole thing with 4 sheets of plywood.

2. As I said in a previous post, I'm the one gonna be up there and I don't feel like falling.

If you get a lot of snow I'd recommend at least a 4:12 pitch.


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

roxtar said:


> No it doesn't, it just goes into all the math involved in rafter layout. I'm sure you can find that kind of information somewhere online. I made the pitch on my roof really low for 2 reasons.
> 
> 1. I wanted to make each rafter 48 inces long so I could cover the whole thing with 4 sheets of plywood.
> 
> ...



Amazing the things you can learn on this forum. Thanks!


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## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

I put the decking for the roof on today. It only took me 5 hours because I'm not in a hurry. My dog and I enjoyed being out in the back yard listening to music, I smoked cigarettes and drank two beers before noon. Probably part of the reason that it took me 5 hours to nail down 4 boards I'm going to go get the shingles and tar paper tomorrow and I swear on my mother's grave that the roof will be done tomorrow.


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## Guest (Nov 18, 2006)

you crack me up dude whahaha  you just keep up the good work and you will have pigeons in there in no time at all ..more power to ya ,if I was closer I would come on over an give you a hand cuz thats what pigeon people are supposed to be all about ,passing on the love  stay with it and take care ...


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## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

Ok, I've finally got the roof on, shingles and all. It's kind of a screwy color combination but I got the shingles really cheap in a mix n match clearance sale at a local mom-n-pop hardware store out here. I hope it doesn't leak. I've got no experience with roofing at all. 

Unbeknownst to me my wife was lurking around the palatial roxtar estate with her camera phone and found out why it's taken me so long to build this thing. 










Now to clean up the back yard and then on to the walls.


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

We're all with you, Roxtar!! Don't think ANYONE else has put so much FUN in constructing a loft!

Hey, WHO says a roof has to ALL the same?? DARE TO BE DIFFERENT!!   

Looking forward to more tales of -uh - "high" adventure...well, maybe "lower" - now that the roof is on!!


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Well, look at this way.........when you DO wake up, you don't have far to go to continue working............ Looks good to me. Anyone who looks at will think it's your own design color wise. And when the pigeons land, they'll poop on it, no matter what color it is!!


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

LOL! Love the pics.  

I think the color coding/design will certainly help your birds remember their roof top, and bring them home quicker and faster! Who knows....you might be startng a whole new design idea.


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## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

Siding going up tomorrow or Saturday, weather permitting. We've had some absolutely beautiful weather here these last couple of days. Hopefully it'll last. I'll post pictures when all is done and I've actually got birds in it


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## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

Well, I don't have birds in it yet but it'll be done by Saturday. Just a few finishing touches (like cleaning up my back yard) and all I'll have to do is worry about the inside which should be infinitely easier than the rest of this whole thing has been.


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

Great progress! I'm sure that your birds will enjoy their new digs!


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Looking good........Everett said you called and will be here Sat. That's great. So what color did you decide to paint the loft?


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Your loft is looking really good but think how much better it will look when your pigeons go in it.  You have done a terrific job building this.


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## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

Lovebirds said:


> Looking good........Everett said you called and will be here Sat. That's great. So what color did you decide to paint the loft?


That's completely up to "she who must be obeyed" (my wife). We'll probably go with some sort of yellow - cream color because that's what color the back of the house is. I'll post a daytime pic after the sun comes up.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

roxtar said:


> That's completely up to "she who must be obeyed" (my wife). We'll probably go with some sort of yellow - cream color because that's what color the back of the house is. I'll post a daytime pic after the sun comes up.


Well, looks like you'll see first hand how "DIRTY" a loft can get. With the temps last night, I'm SURE that the loft won't get cleaned today, cause you'd have to have a hammer and chisel to get the poop up!! Not going to be any better tonight...........the birds don't care of course.......it's ME that can't stand to see the loft get like this. I SURE DO HATE WINTER!!!!


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

Lovebirds said:


> Well, looks like you'll see first hand how "DIRTY" a loft can get. With the temps last night, I'm SURE that the loft won't get cleaned today, cause you'd have to have a hammer and chisel to get the poop up!! Not going to be any better tonight...........the birds don't care of course.......it's ME that can't stand to see the loft get like this. I SURE DO HATE WINTER!!!!



You could always move to OUR area, Renee. Of course, be careful what you wish for...we have our own problems out here...


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## RyanGSP (Jan 3, 2007)

Wow thats pretty sweet. Where you from that you need to worry about snow?


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Not sure who you are asking??  If it's me, I'm in VA. We don't get much snow but back when these posts were made it was getting down to about 18 degrees at night.  OH, and welcome by the way. I of course read your other post, and now that you have THAT all straight,,,,,,,,,if you get some pigeons, I hope you enjoy them. And,,,,,your dogs are beautiful by the way.


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## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

Yehaww Virginia!!! 
I'm going to put up pics tomorrow, I promise. I've been real sick for about the last 3 weeks and the only things that make me feel better are Marlboros and Steely Dan.


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## DEEJAY7950 (Dec 13, 2006)

Hey you promised! Happy New year everyone!


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## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

DEEJAY7950 said:


> Hey you promised! Happy New year everyone!


I know, I did. Here's some pics of the inside with birds in it. I hate using message boards as my personal blog so if this thread gets too lengthy I'm going to start a "pigeon blog" and just provide a link to where you guys can keep up with my progress on finishing this one and the building of my YB loft. (YAY )

Here's the nest boxes that my brother and I built today sans fronts. Those will get built and put up tomorrow. That's a bird in the far box on the top.










Perches on the hens' side, going to be removed and reconfigured after I get all the other loose ends tied up. Those are birds on the perches. 










This is going to be the opening to one of the aviaries, there's one identical on the other end of the loft and I'm going to put doors on the insides to keep the rain out and maybe put them outside while I'm cleaning the floor etc. 










And finally the opening to the aviary that's going to be on the front of the loft. There's also going to be one identical on the other side so each side will be able to go outside and play and get direct sunlight throughout the whole day. That's a bird up above the opening, I have no idea what it's doing up there, just hanging out I guess.


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Very nice, Roxtar! Are you available for hire and able to travel to California ???  

Terry


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Wow, that is a really nice coop, and I love the pigeon decorations!  

You are going to find out that pigeons will sit anywhere they can, even the smallest places, wherever they feel secure.... and their poop will follow! 

It is amazing where I have found pigeon poop.

Aew those genuine nest bowls or dog bowls? I like the colors.

Thank you for sharing the pictures.


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## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

Trees Gray said:


> Are those genuine nest bowls or dog bowls? I like the colors. Thank you for sharing the pictures.


They're dog bowls. 

I left a box of nails out in the loft last night and when I came out in the morning I found that they had almost emptied it out and tried to build a nest with the nails. So I see no reason that a dog bowl wouldn't be adequate for them to lay in.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

roxtar said:


> They're dog bowls.
> 
> I left a box of nails out in the loft last night and when I came out in the morning I found that they had almost emptied it out and tried to build a nest with the nails. So I see no reason that a dog bowl wouldn't be adequate for them to lay in.


LOL...they will use anything they can find to build nests. The dog bowls will do just fine, they are untippable.


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## hillfamilyloft (Jun 22, 2005)

I also used dog bowls for a while. I would recommend getting some nest felts to put in the bottom of the bowls. This will help keep the youngbirds warm. It will also help those who do not build that great of nests. Help prevent spraddled leg. You may also want to drill holes in the bottom of the bowls to help with moisture in the bowls. What I did for nest fronts was to drill six holes two inches apart, one inch in on half of the nest boxes. I threaded dowels on the left side of the nest boxes from the top to bottom. Works great. 
Randy


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Looking really, really good - especially with the pigeons in there.


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## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

> I would recommend getting some nest felts to put in the bottom of the bowls.


I've heard real bad things about nest felts in the past. 

Is there anything from around the house the I could use? (Pieces of an old towel for example)

I think I am going to go with the simpler nest fronts like these: 









The ones that Renee posted the plans to are great but I'm not sure that I could attempt to build those and have them come out looking right so I think it would be better for me to just keep it simple.


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

roxtar said:


> Is there anything from around the house the I could use? (Pieces of an old towel for example)


Toweling works well .. just be sure there are no holes or strings that the babies could get caught up in. Sweatshirt fabric works well too, and probably best of all is the rubberized shelf liner. If you get the thicker shelf liner (non-adhesive type for sure), it can be cut to fit, gives great traction, and can even be washed and reused a couple of times before it disintegrates. http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=58697-133-00-26279&lpage=none

Terry


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## hillfamilyloft (Jun 22, 2005)

I build my nest fronts like the ones pictured. The only thing I would do differently is to set the dowels back about 4" or so, so the cocks could roost outside the dowels. This breeding season I am going to cut some solid dividers with wholes in them and feed them diagnoly between the last two dowels to the right corner of the box. This would allow the cock a triangular roosting spot outside the enclosed box. I am going to lock the hens in the boxes for a day before introducing them to the cocks. I have not had any problem with nest felts. I use them with the disposible nest bowl. 
Randy


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## DEEJAY7950 (Dec 13, 2006)

Ah thanks for the pics, loved them!


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## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

I didn't go with the simple nest fronts, this is my interpretation of what Renee' posted explicit instructions to in a previous thread. A+B=L in my world. I still give myself an "A" for effort.









I've now got a hardware cloth ceiling and a light hung as well as the hens and the cocks separated. It's amazing how the loft calmed down once I got them apart. Feeding time is much more orderly now.


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Everything looks good to me.

Did you build your feeder? Could you give me the dimensions? We need to do some like yours.



Pitchers usually show up about the 2nd week in February, I think, so baseball is just around the corner. Course, it will be the samo-samo for the Chicago Cubs so I don't know why I ever get excited but I do.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

hey..........those look really good..............how many more do you have to go now? Are they removeable? The birds look good too............


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Lady Tarheel said:


> Everything looks good to me.
> 
> Did you build your feeder? Could you give me the dimensions? We need to do some like yours.


Maggie, I think that Jason has probably gone to work..........Everett, my hubby actually built that feeder. We've got feeder that are 2 ft long, and 3 ft long...........they are pretty easy to build and pretty cheap too, considering pigeon suppliers sell them for $15 and up.............


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Renee, they look great. Could you (at your convenience of course) give me dimensions, particularly how high are the end pieces. I really like the looks of them.

Do they require any special cleaning? We had thought about getting the aluminum kind but the wood ones look sturdier.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Lady Tarheel said:


> Renee, they look great. Could you (at your convenience of course) give me dimensions, particularly how high are the end pieces. I really like the looks of them.
> 
> Do they require any special cleaning? We had thought about getting the aluminum kind but the wood ones look sturdier.



Every once in a while I spray mine with some bleach water and let them sit in the sun and dry. If you put any type of oil on your feed to make stuff stick to the feed, then you'd have to clean them more often. I'll get Everett to give me dimensions or he might even have a drawing........I don't know.....he's the carpenter......I'm just the "supervisor" and we all know that the boss rarely knows what's going on.........LOL


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

ok. Here's what he said. 
End pieces are 5 1/2" wide and 6 1/2" tall
Length.....what ever you want to make. 2ft and 3ft are pretty easy to handle. Bigger than that and they might get bulky.
Dowel rods a 1/4" in diameter and are 2" on center.
The lid is 6 1/2" wide and 1" longer than the feeder its self.
He also attaches a couple of 1 by 2 pieces on the under side of the lid to fit just inside the feeder so that the lid doesn't slide off.
I can take some pictures if you want, but I'd have to e-mail them to you. I'm out of room here on the forum for pictures.


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Renee, thank you bunches. I'll give this info to "my" carpenter and see if he needs more info.


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## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

Lovebirds said:


> hey..........those look really good..............how many more do you have to go now? Are they removeable? The birds look good too............



I have to build 5 more fronts. Mr. Baltimore bird has decided he wants 3 boxes so I'm going to have to build at least 4 more boxes too (YAY). I haven't seen him fighting with any of the other birds except for when one of them tries to get into the box right below him or next to him. I've been watching him but I don't think I need to hobble him just yet.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Lovebirds said:


> Every once in a while I spray mine with some bleach water and let them sit in the sun and dry. If you put any type of oil on your feed to make stuff stick to the feed, then you'd have to clean them more often.


Hi Renee,

This is the wood feeders I use for my birds. They are easy to clean and I actually don't find a poop in it but once in a while.

http://www.globalpigeon.com/productimages/fullimg/IMG1124273090.jpg



What I wanted to say was, I got the plastic feeders from Foy's on those days that I use oil on the seeds, it saves the wood feeders from wear and tear and sure are easy to clean of the oil/brewers yeast residue.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

roxtar said:


> I have to build 5 more fronts. Mr. Baltimore bird has decided he wants 3 boxes so I'm going to have to build at least 4 more boxes too (YAY). I haven't seen him fighting with any of the other birds except for when one of them tries to get into the box right below him or next to him. I've been watching him but I don't think I need to hobble him just yet.


I wouldn't build more boxes just because one bird thinks he needs more than one. You should only have one box for each cock. Any extra boxes need to be shut off so no one has access to them. You might not believe me now, but TRUST me, at some point you WILL want to add more birds and it's a whole lot easier to not let them have the box in the first place than it is to try to make them stay out of it when another bird is introduced and needs a box.


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## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

I'm almost done!! The inside is all finished, now all that's left is to build the aviaries on the fronts and sides. 










We decided to paint it red.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

roxtar said:


> I'm almost done!! The inside is all finished, now all that's left is to build the aviaries on the fronts and sides.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

Perhaps you guys can come over after the meeting on Saturday and I'll cook some dinner (without onions)? Call, e-mail or PM me and let me know.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

roxtar said:


> Perhaps you guys can come over after the meeting on Saturday and I'll cook some dinner (without onions)? Call, e-mail or PM me and let me know.


Thanks for the offer, but Victor is coming here to ride with us because he doesn't know how to get to Doris' house. Another day soon maybe?


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Roxtar

Congratulations on finishing the loft. It looks great.

As a UNC fan, blue would have been nice.


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## abisai (Jan 30, 2007)

*Loft's shapin' up*

Roxtar . . .It really is shaping up nicely . . .Good looking Loft . . .It took me forever working on mine, cause I could only work on weekends. However my daughter and I took our time and we are really satisfied with the results. Little by little man . . just take your time. The details are what make for a masterpiece. 

AC


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## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

*Hey look, it's an aviary!!*










They like standing out in the rain and getting all wet.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

ALL RIGHT!!! Looks good........how are the babies? Think it's about time for a new picture?????


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

They are really enjoying it! There is nothing like fresh air and rain, or sunshine. Seems they love it all.

My birds enjoy their avairy all year around.


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## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

Lovebirds said:


> ALL RIGHT!!! Looks good........how are the babies? Think it's about time for a new picture?????



New pic of the babies over in story and picture section.


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