Spry Brothers Bush Carpentry

We live in a world in which superficial beauty so often trumps actual function. With each new shiny thing we have to ask: "How long will this last? Will it work, or just fall apart after three uses?"
This is a question you will never need to ask yourself when you use a Spry Brothers Bush Carpentry product.

Bush Carpentry

Some people will always want the best 'look'; they are willing to pay a premium to have a nicer granite counter top, the plush leather interior, and books with hand-penned marginalia.

Other people just want it built well, on a budget, preferably using materials from, "that scrap wood pile over there. You can probably find some nails, baling twine, and old fencing in the barn." If you are the latter kind of person, we are your guys.

At Spry Brothers we eminently value function over form. We are two of Vancouver Island's finest "bush carpenters". 

These are some of the traditional skills of our people, and we are pleased to bring to you our finest 'traditional bush timber construction'. 

Austin has trained extensively in 'stockhouse architecture', and is 'a very rough, unorthodox artisan indeed'.

Jonathan brings his field experience to the team, and specialises in anything, "rough, rude or crude, but good enough for the purpose" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bush_carpentry).  

Our Portfolio

Here is a selection of some of our finest projects:

Coop 1.0 ('The Plywood Dumpster')

We've tried to throw it away, but the garbage man just keep just emptying it.

The plywood dumpster was our first major product. With only eight hours to pull together a shelter for our first set of chickens, this was the most utility we could possibly cram into a 4'x8' space. You;ll notice that it is hardly more attractive than a stack of plywood.

Coop Evo 2.0 ('The Pullet Coop')

Google cringed at the sheer ruggedness of this coop and tried to 'AutoAwesome' this photo. If this structure looks for a second like we might have been trying to make a thing of beauty, that's Google's fault.

Patch Notes:
2.1 - fixed roost bug (chickens not roosting when clipping on)
2.2 - fixed roof bug (unanchored roof would self-remove during extreme weather events)
2.3 - added exterior laying facilities (chickens would not use alternate interior space if the Boss Broody chicken was occupying the interior laying box)

For the Pullet Coop we made several major improvements to the overall utility of our coop design. The coop was raised 18" on stilts to provide cover from raptors and the elements. We created intentional overhang no for aesthetics, but in order to allow room for feeders to be hung from the eaves and stay dry in foul weather. Skylights were cut into the roofing panel to eliminate the need for an interior light bulb.

Laying Shelf Conversion

(see 'Patch Notes' for Coop Evo 2.0)

Most people are unaware that using only a few scrap pieces of light lumber and an old blanket, a previously loved bookshelf can be quickly converted to make an ugly, but serviceable laying facility.

Coop Evo 3.0 ('The New Coop')

On approach, always ensure that you maintain the coop on your port side. Upon departure, always ensure you maintain the coop on your starboard side.

Coop Evo 3.0 is our latest model, and exemplifies solid bush carpentry practices. This structure has been roughly cobbled together using leftover lumber from old projects, and salvaged navigation markers. In the construction of this coop we emphasized an absolute minimum of cuts, and used bolts to attach the plywood to the frame. This coop is so utilitarian that it can be collapsed to flat in less than ten minutes (when and if you want it to!!) and repurposed. 

Nursery Pen

Plenty of fresh air, easy to clean with a garden hose.

It only took us a matter of minutes to convert this propagation table into a baby's nursery pen using some scrap chicken wire. It's not so easy on the eyes, but you won't have to wait for this one to go on sale so you don't break the bank!

Laying Box

It puts the Labour & Delivery Ward in perspective.

With an additional thirteen pullets nearly online, and another dozen chicks up and coming, we badly needed more laying space. If you ever want to see a chicken go full velociraptor, let me know and I will introduce you to our territorial broody chicken. Not nice. Will not share.

Compost Facilities

Some of you are probably thinking, "Austin, what about your Open Ecology Composting Station?"

"Worried about rats? Why would I be worried about them? They're fine; we throw plenty of bones into the compost for them. They LOVE compost!"

In all honesty, although we were consulted on design, we contracted Couturier Mechanical to build this Open Ecology Composting Station. The carpentry is just too competent for us to take credit for this build.

Our open system is ugly and it smells, but it allows the ravens to rake through the compost, virtually eliminating the need to manually turn it over. Once again you ought to be boggled by the sheer emphasis we have placed on utility.