Thanks. I will look into it.

Actually I don't know what's wrong with plain old concrete. This is a very standard flooring for aviaries, and it's supposed to be easy to clean. The site at http://www.bluequaker.com/Art-034.htm says "A concrete floor is the easiest to keep clean, requiring only frequent hosing and an occasional wash with a mild bleach solution. Care must be taken to provide adequate drainage when electing for concrete." Then they go into detail about the drainage. My sister used concrete flooring for dog kennels, and as far as I know all she did to clean it was squirt it with a hose. Dog poo is obviously a lot more heavy duty than cockatiel poo and she had big dogs (huskies).

BTW that site says they used a peaked (gable) roof. I would expect that any type of sloped roof will make the water go to the side. The shed roof makes it go to one side and the gable roof makes it go to two sides. I don't know all the issues with drainage but you could ask him if it makes a big difference.

The other standard alternatives to concrete are dirt/grass or sand/gravel which have more cleaning issues. I've never heard of using tile in an aviary before. It sounds cool but I don't know how well it works. I don't know whether this guy has previous experience with aviaries but you could mention to him that concrete is commonly used and tile isn't. I haven't looked into tile in detail, but if you google for aviary floor tile you do get some results. So I'd suggest checking it out to see what people say.

This board lists some pros and cons of concrete: http://www.ausbirdforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=577

Here's a simple article with some nice tips: http://www.idealhomegarden.com/outdoor- ... an-aviary/ One of their suggestions for flooring is to use cement blocks, which I haven't heard of before. Seems to me that those would be prone to tilting if it wasn't done just right.

I really want the concrete flooring. He said he can do it but it isn't good. He doesn't know anything about birds. I want the concrete floor. The shed roof makes the water go to the grass and the gamble roof will make the water go in the sides. According to the man, he said the water will go on the door of my house. I don't think that will happen because there is a over hang that covers that area. The water won't go on the doorway. I will post pictures on what I am talking about.

Did he mean the ground by the doorway? You don't want runoff water near the foundation, so if water from the roof would hit near the door that wouldn't be good because you might get a flood or rot. Although, do you have basements in Florida? Flooding and mold or rot are big concerns here in Minnesota, but we've got a high water table and lots of precipitation. I'd imagine Florida would be similar, at least as far as high moisture content being a potential issue.

Everything is sorted out now. They didn't understand how I wanted to position the roof. They agreed. We are also going to use concrete.

Hooray, I'm glad you're getting what you want! I would think you'd be able to make the runoff from the roof go anywhere you wanted depending on which direction the roof faced (north-south versus east-west) and how far the eaves projected beyond the walls.

Maybe he'll feel better about the concrete floors if you show him a couple of websites talking about how this is standard construction for aviaries.

I'm guessing that most houses in Florida do NOT have a basement. Houses in areas that don't get long periods of freezing weather usually don't. I didn't have one when I lived in Atlanta and I don't have one in Tucson. Which is unfortunate because I'd really like to have one - they give you an awesome amount of storage space.

Has a time been scheduled for the start of construction?

I don't have a basement. He said he can do the concrete but it's better not to. I will tell him I want it. I would love to show him links but he doesn't speak English so he can't read it. He only speaks Spanish. He doesn't know too much about birds. They didn't want the gamble roof because they didn't understand what direction I wanted it. We are going to get the supplies together on Monday.

Would you like help translating? My Spanish is rusty, but I could help.

Thanks.

I know Spanish. The only problem is that he doesn't know English so he can't read any articles on concrete.