The temporary tarp framework dear hubby set up worked great to keep the rabbits dry and warm, but required me to bend over while lugging feed pails and water jugs to each cage at least once daily, so I confess I'm not terribly sorry to see it replaced.
The new shelters will provide better weather protection during the colder months, and allow more flexibility to adjust from colder to warmer weather and back again. They will also allow me to have the cages raised to a more friendly working height, and walk upright while I perform the maintenance and care required each day.
I'm delighted with this huge step forward for our rabbitry :)
A couple things we'd do differently next time:
-Remove cages entirely before building shelters
-Build shelters where they'll end up, not at the other end of the property where there's a nice flat cement pad to build on
-Attach roof tarps before attaching shelter legs
-Buy heavy-duty weighted footers for securing the legs before building
All in all, the build was a complete success, and though we still need to remove some big branches and logs from shelter 2, and shuffle some rabbits around to their new semi-permanent cages, I'm thrilled with the outcome.