When I was about halfway through my Henhouse Series, a friend said I had to visit Cosima. Her henhouse was a Taj Mahal of henhouses she said. Look here and you can see the center posts that is key in holding up the green roof.

When I finally visited Cosima I had to agree. Her henhouse is a work of art. She said they built this cordwood  masonry henhouse using Robert L. Roy’s books and that this is actually his sauna building plan. The building has an interior diameter of 9 feet with circular walls that are about 8 inches thick. These walls are comprised of cordwood/firewood, sometimes split, and sometimes as plain logs, plus a special masonry mix. They also created a green roof . They put hay bales on the roof and planted gourds and nasturtiums in a pocket of soil in the bales.  Other plants were carried there by the wind. In this rear view of the building you can see trailing nasturtiums, and if you look very closely you will see trailing gourds on the right.

In addition to the cordwood, Cosima used glass bottles to provide handsome graphic elements.

Hens lay their eggs in these egg boxes inside the henhouse.

But eggs can be collected from the outside.  This type of construction keeps out the wind and is quite warm in the winter. Practical and beautiful. One cannot ask for more.

Althuogh I did not realize it. when I arrived as Cosima’s house I got a preview of the henhouse. The cordwood masonry  mudroom is an addition to the old house, and is also beautiful as well as practical.

This interior detail of the mudroom gives some hint of its charm.

So there it is a week’s worth of henhouses, providing food for thought about designing for practicality and beauty. For more unique henhouses click here, here, and here.