# BARN! and NEW PORCH!!!!



## Baymule

We have so much going on around here! We finally have our barn going up and at the same time we have a contractor putting a screened porch the whole length of the house, 54' long by 12' wide. And our DD called this evening and they found church pews for $75 and wanted to know if we wanted one. Yup. And can we use our truck and trailer to go get ours (and theirs?)  So they got 2, we got 1, and it is on our new porch.

We have been collecting materials for a barn for quite some time. We thought we would put it up on land we used to have, but decided to move so we could be close to our DD and family.  So we finally got all our stuff moved up here from our old place.

http://www.theeasygarden.com/threads/barn-poles.17498/
And we started cleaning up a place big enough for a barn on our new place. Pictures of that are on page one of my hugelculture thread. 

http://www.theeasygarden.com/threads/hugelculture-bed.17846/
The place we are putting the barn dips down to a low spot and needed dirt. So we called our friendly dump truck dirt guy and ordered 4 loads. DH is like a little boy with a dirt pile and Tonka trucks and equipment to play in all that dirt with.







That wasn't enough, so we ordered 3 more loads of lovely dirt. Our horses played in the dirt like little kids. They climbed the dirt piles, pawed at the dirt, chased each other around the dirt piles and bucked and kicked. They had a blast. Who knew? All this time we just needed a dirt pile for the horses! We smoothed down the first 3 loads with our tractor and let the horses play in load #4. Our hay guy, Russell brought his big tractor for the other 3 loads and put them where he wanted them. He worked Saturday on dirt and getting the batten boards set up (boards and string that get the site squared up to set the poles). Today he and his friend Tim started setting poles. My husband worked all day out there with them today and yesterday.






You can see the batten boards in this picture, this is a corner pole. The corner poles took the longest! They had to be spot on, straight up, and perfectly in place.






Here's another corner pole going up! They used that pipe sawhorse to get the pole positioned and chained to the tractor.






Tim has the level on the side of the pole, Russell and DH are supervising. When Tim called it level, DH shoveled dirt in the hole, Russell tamped the dirt around the pole and Tim held the pole steady until there was enough dirt tamped around it to hold it up. Then before they unchained the pole, they drove pointed 2x4's in the ground and nailed long 2x4's from the stake to the pole on 2 sides to hold the pole in place.

Today they got the 4 corner poles set and 2 poles on one side. The barn will be 36'x36' with six 12' stalls. One of them will be closed in and floored for a feed/tack room. Allowing for the size of the poles, the alley will be about 11' wide. We are excited to get our barn started! The poles range from 18' to 22' tall. After all the poles are set, they will be measured and cut to 12' tall.


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## Baymule

Now for the porch pictures! We pass by a doublewide on our way to town that has been remodeled and really made to look nice. So one day we stopped to admire their porch and ask who did it. Well, the lady told us, her husband built the porch and he is a contractor and builder. He came out and started the bid process. After my husband's expert negotiations, the price got down to what we were happy with and construction began. They started the Monday before Thanksgiving.













Since Thanksgiving was upon us, they laid down 2x6's so we could at least walk on them to get in and out of the house.





Monday after Thanksgiving, it rained, like it had been raining all weekend. So they came Tuesday and made a lot of progress. They laid all the deck boards down without nailing them in place. A few key boards were screwed in place to hold the other boards in place. There was one guy cutting, and 1 measuring and 1 laying the boards in place. The contractor had an extension on his drill that fed screws to it. He walked along, pressing the extension on the marked lines and screwing the boards down. It took him about 30 minutes to do the whole deck. Everything this guy does has to be perfect. Everything has to be exact. Every measurement has to be right and the whole porch is perfectly square. It is sturdy, well built and if a tornado comes, we'll be in the dirt under the porch!












By Friday afternoon, they had the roof decked, tar paper rolled out and a few courses of shingles started. They will be back Monday to finish shingling the roof. There are 3 sets of steps, one on each end and one in the middle. The set of steps on the left, closest to the carport is inset in the porch. That way we won't be running over them backing out of the carport.







They will build a partial wall around the porch and then screens to the top. We can't wait for it to be finished! When they went to lunch on Friday, I dragged two rockers out of the storage building and we put them on the porch. We sat and rocked on our porch, thoroughly enjoying ourselves.


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## Southern by choice

Looks fantastic! 
Love how quickly they did all that too!
Yay for screened in porches! No chickens allowed!


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## Southern by choice

Can't wait to see the continued progress on the pole barn too!


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## BlessedWithGoats

Yay!! Looks very nice Baymule! Congratulations!


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## Devonviolet

Looking good!  I can't wait to join you & DH in the porch, in your rocking chairs!


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## Latestarter

WOW... LOTS of progress going on there! Looking GREAT!


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## Mike CHS

That looks like something that you are going to truly enjoy.


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## Baymule

Well, the storm last weekend dumped a LOT of rain in a very short time, spawned tornadoes that waltzed through town spreading destruction. My rain gauge overflowed at 5", a neighbor's rain gauge went to 6" and overflowed. So we probably got between 7" to 10". Our lovely dirt pad for the barn got rearranged. We lost at least a 14 yard load. There was a large hole at one corner of the barn that is now filled in. Dirt washed out in a thicket, no way to reclaim it. We had planned to use cinder blocks and concrete blocks to hold the dirt in place, but who saw this coming??

Yesterday DH and I went to Lowes and bought cinder blocks. Today our neighbor Robert came over to help repair the mess. We scooped dirt, tractored dirt and leveled dirt. We ran a string so we would get the cinderblocks straight. I plopped down in the almost mud and placed the blocks. On one corner, we ran a double stack because of the elevation drop.





It might not look like much, but it is a start to secure the durn dirt pile. We have another load coming tomorrow to replace what washed away. Here is the now filled in hole and the light streak in the brush is our dirt! There was a big drop off at this corner.





Saturday Russell and Tim are coming to work on the barn. I can't wait!


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## goats&moregoats

Very nice porch. Will be great to be sitting out there relaxing after a hard days work. Enjoy!


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## Baymule

And an update on the porch. The contractor is gone now, the screens are ordered and will ready in a few weeks. That will give us time to get it stained on the outside, at least where the screens will attach to the posts. It has to dry out from the storm, the T-111 siding buckled in the rain. Great.  The roof leaked like crazy during the storm. The contractor called to check on it and came out. He climbed on the roof in all that rain to look at it. He came back and tarred the joined new roof to the old. It rained again and no leaks. We now have electricity and ceiling fans on the porch!






The wicker porch swing you see on the church pew is now hung. There is nothing about me that screams white wicker, particularly nothing that screams imitation white plastic wicker, but it was free and it has a bodacious heavy chain to hang it with. We like to swing in it.


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## OneFineAcre

Nice


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## goatgurl

don't you love it when a plan comes together.  it is all looking really great.  and your goats,  oh, i mean sheep (and goats) are gonna love that big old barn.


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## Ferguson K

Looking great!!!


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## Devonviolet

Looks awesome! I'm looking forward to sittin' in those rockers, sipping sweet tea with you & your DH, while we watch the sheep & pigs in the front pastures!


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## Mike CHS

That is the kind of addition that makes the season changes even more enjoyable.


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## Hens and Roos

very nice!


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## Southern by choice

What a fantastic porch!


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## Latestarter

I subscribed to the thread but never got these latest updates   At least I finally found them  It's looking really nice! I'm sure you'll absolutely love it once it's finished.


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## babsbag

Love that porch, I have porch envy for sure.


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## sadieml

Everything is looking so great, @Baymule .  You are all gonna love hangin' out on that porch!  And the aminals are gonna love that barn.  WOW!!!


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## Baymule

The men came Sunday and worked on the barn. The 16 telephone poles are level and chainsawed off. What's funny, is the horses hang out in the barn, even though it is just dirt and poles. Haha.

The contractor brought the screens for the porch yesterday and will be back to install on Friday. Can't wait!


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## HomesteaderWife

Just found this thread and can't wait to see more pictures!


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## Baymule

In the days before Christmas, I finally had the right weather for painting the stain on the porch. I was fighting rain and low temperatures and got a few days of sunshine. #1 critical area was the T-111 siding that got so wet in the storms and buckled. Thankfully, it dried and went back in place. #2 critical area was the framework where the screens will be installed. #3 critical area was the fascia and soffit. The steps, hand rails and screen doors could wait. I worked my tail off for 3 days, rolling and chasing it with a paint brush. I haven't posted pictures because they were on my old phone and I finally got my DSIL to download them on my computer. We left Christmas Eve morning and all I could think about was how I wanted to be painting on my porch! 










  We got the porch swing hung!










SCREENS GO ON FRIDAY!!!!!!!!


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## frustratedearthmother

Sooooo nice!  I know you're going to enjoy the heck outta that porch!


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## Mini Horses

Awesome addition!!  Enjoy.


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## Ferguson K

Yay!!!! Looks great!


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## Devonviolet

Very nice!  Looking good!


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## sadieml

WOW!!!  It looks great!  You guys are gonna love that porch.


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## Mike CHS

You made an awesome change that I know really makes you guys smile whenever you walk out or in.


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## Baymule

Working on the barn today. Got the tin on the roof! I ordered the trim pieces that cover the 2x6 rafters on the ends of the barn, they will be ready Friday. Going to go ahead and bite the bullet and order the tin to go around the whole barn. The alley down the middle will be left open. It is 12' tall and we could drive a cab tractor through it.  See all the boards nailed willy-nilly all over the barn? That is the scaffolding they walked around on!








This is the view from my back step. Notice the gate. Convenient huh? Nope, got a smart aleck horse that can open it, so it is wired shut. See the thicket behind the barn? A couple of months ago, the barn site was a briar, brush and sapling snarl of thicket.


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## Baymule

Got the screens on the porch! It still needs some more painting (stain) but at least I got the critical parts done!


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## Latestarter

WOW! Lots of progress! It's looking real nice Bay! You've got to be thrilled seeing it all come together.


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## frustratedearthmother

It all looks great!  Congrats on so much progress!


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## samssimonsays

Wow this looks fantastic! I am sorry I just am seeing this now!!!


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## sadieml

Sooo beautiful!  If you decide to visit the SC coast anytime soon, maybe you can help us redo our porches and steps.   Mama never stained, sealed or painted, so lots of boards need replacing, now. And we need to build ramps front and back for DH (and me, too I guess with all the knee trouble I'm having).  DH says I'm falling apart and need to give-up on the farm dream.  NEVER, I SAY!!!  My whole life my dream was to be a wife and Mommy  (check and check) and live on a farm/ranch either here on the family land or in Wyoming (or Montana).  DH says if we move it'll be back to PA where he's from (a nice place-_not really_-to visit, but, well, you know...) so that means we stay here.  I'm fine with that, and since he is barely mobile anymore, and NEVER leaves home, I figure I should choose.  As long as he has internet, he's happy, so I get my farm, I just have to take it easy on the knees sometimes, i.e. SIT instead of kneeling, that sort of thing.  The rest of me still works pretty well, AND we have strong boys 17 & 19 still home (for now), and when son #1 moves out in a few months (boo hoo) he will only be 15 mins. away.  DD is only 13 (going on 30) and loves the aminals, so will help as needed for pets, like the ducks and bunnies she wants.  No workie, no duckies no bunnies.  It's a sort of barter system.  The more you help, the more you get, including a % of any cash for eggs, etc..  I think it's fair.  That leads me to an idea for a new thread, so I'll start it and see where it goes.

Anyway, @Baymule , your home is looking AWESOME!  Can't wait to see the barn finished!

edited to add new thread link


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## Baymule

@sadieml my knees are crap too. I am still mobile and some day will be a prime candidate for knee replacement surgery. DH is there now. He went for knee replacement, but had to be checked out first. That's how he wound up with a triple bypass open heart surgery, then teeth pulled and a partial. I think he's rebuilt enough to go back to the knee doctor. LOL

Just get you an electric cart with big wheels  (mud doggers?) and go where you want to.


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## OneFineAcre

Looking Good.


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## Devonviolet

Baymule said:


> Working on the barn today. Got the tin on the roof! I ordered the trim pieces that cover the 2x6 rafters on the ends of the barn, they will be ready Friday. Going to go ahead and bite the bullet and order the tin to go around the whole barn. The alley down the middle will be left open. It is 12' tall and we could drive a cab tractor through it.  See all the boards nailed willy-nilly all over the barn? That is the scaffolding they walked around on!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is the view from my back step. Notice the gate. Convenient huh? Nope, got a smart aleck horse that can open it, so it is wired shut. See the thicket behind the barn? A couple of months ago, the barn site was a briar, brush and sapling snarl of thicket.


  Looking really good Baymule!   I'm with Animalmom! This gives me a bad case of _BARN ENVY!_

I'm not sure how your horse is getting the gate open. But, we have found that adding a carabeaner to the latch makes it pretty darned secure!


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## Baymule

The gate has a chain latch, it goes around a post and a chain link slips into a notch in the gate. Joe can untie any rope, so he is prime suspect. Rocki (the big red mare) can grab the chain in her teeth and yank on it until it opens. Smarty pants horses!


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## Devonviolet

Baymule said:


> The gate has a chain latch, it goes around a post and a chain link slips into a notch in the gate. Joe can untie any rope, so he is prime suspect. Rocki (the big red mare) can grab the chain in her teeth and yank on it until it opens. Smarty pants horses!


Our front gate has a setup like that. I would think if you wrapped the chain around the post and then the gate & joined the ends with a carabeaner, Joe & Rocki couldn't open the gate.  We love carabeaners here. Have about 25 small & 20 large ones that we got at Wal-Mart for cheap. All of our gates are security (second line of defense) latched with carabeaners.


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## sadieml

We had a dog when I was little who was a whiz with latches.  He could open doors, open gates, open-up the crawlspace under the house, ring the doorbell, knock on the door and sound like a person knocking.  He was a riot.  No one ever believed us until they witnessed it themselves, but he could ALWAYS outsmart us.  Such a delightful pup, my best friend and guardian when I was young.  I had a congenital heart defect that caused me to blackout periodically.  He would lie by my side until I awoke, or go get my mother and bring her to me.  I might be under the azaleas and camellias, or in a toy box, but he would stay right with me while I was out, and make me get out of trees when I was about to blackout.  I wasn't at all surprised when I heard of dogs alerting their owners to heart attacks, etc., because Pudgy always knew about me in advance.  What a marvelous friend he was.


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## Baymule

@Devonviolet I will add them to my shopping list!


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## HomesteaderWife

@Baymule - WOW! That's all coming together so nicely! I bet you are very excited to have your porch done and the barn in the works. You know pictures are always a continual must, haha


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## misfitmorgan

@Baymule got any updates on the barn??


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## Baymule

@misfitmorgan thanks for the reminder! We got the outside finished and have plans to build a feed and tack room. We got a great buy on treated 2x6's 20 feet long for only $10 each. A builder had them left over from a job and returned them. We got 11 of them, plus a lot of other lumber from the reject rack, now stacked in the barn, waiting on us to get started.






This summer was so hot, we had the round bale set in the barn where it was cooler for the horses.





The horses LOVE their barn!! We still have to finish the inside, but they don't care.


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## misfitmorgan

It looks great @Baymule !!


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## Baymule

Well, it's been a year and we have been busy. We attacked an acre of green briars with machetes and hacked our way through the trees and now have a nice pasture and wooded area. We worked a little on the fence and got 2 more 200' rolls of non climb horse wire put up. The garden produced fairly well and I did lots of dehydrating, canning and freezing. I ordered 50 Delaware chicks, straight run, and wound up with 10 pullets. We butchered 33 roosters, the mean devils killed 7 of them. Our daughter had a beautiful little girl September 1 and we baby sit the girls every chance we get.  My husband had knee replacement surgery and the following physical therapy. He is scheduled for shoulder replacement surgery in a couple of weeks.

So we have finally come back to the barn! Last week, we scooped poop, cleaned the barn up real good and spread chip mulch that a high line cleaning contractor dumped on our property. Then we got the outline 2"x6" frame put up for our feed and tack room. I measured and screwed in place the 2x6 metal thingies for hanging the floor joists. DH and I riffled through our pile of lumber that lives under the carport (keeping the car and truck out in the weather) and loaded up 10 sheets of plywood on the mule. Our neighbor Robert came over to play because he was bored at his house. Between the 3 of us, we got the floor laid and it doesn't look half bad. In between all this, we had rain, cold, and a day that we made a turn around trip to Houston to attend a funeral. Throw in a dog that had to go to the hospital for surgery and a Doctor appointment for my husband and keeping grand kids on the weekends. LOL

Monday we got our dog from the vet--he swallowed a hickory nut! Parker will recover. https://www.backyardherds.com/threads/we-almost-lost-parker.35174/ Then we again riffled through the lumber pile and loaded up the mule with 2x4's and took them to the barn. We put them on the "in progress" pile in the barn, then studied on how we were going to go up with the walls. I want the walls to go all the way to the ceiling, DH thinks I'm nuts. Neither of us have ever built a stud wall and raised it. We laid 2x4's in various places like we knew what we were doing--which we don't but that has never stopped us.

This morning we delivered eggs and came home and had lunch. DH called Robert and asked him if he wanted to come over and build walls. He has built various projects and has a nice shop that he built and seemed like a prime candidate for helping us mess up a bunch of 2x4's. So off course he came right over.

You have to understand that all the lumber we have is either cull rack rejects from Lowes or I dragged it out of construction boxes (scraps) or it is used and has had nails pulled out of it. ALL of it is bowed, curved, has bark rough edges, split, broken, splintered or screwed up in some way. The whole barn was built of my scrounged up reject lumber except for 21 twenty foot 2x6' rafters that we had to buy brand new. Oh, all the metal outsides was new too. The end result is an optical illusion that looks like a nice barn, but has not one square corner, not one level board, not one straight anything.

So today I put up 2x4's against the end of the proposed future feed and tack room. Robert and my husband built a section of wall, that will face out toward the alley, allowing space for a door. Each 2x4 was measured, checked for really outrageous bows and laid in place on our new floor. Then they screwed it all together. We raised it and proceeded to screw it in place. We got the door headers measured, cut and screwed in place. My husband got the level, gloating that it was only almost a half a bubble off. Sometimes he got downright pissy that things weren't level. For a guy with no carpenter skills, where did he get this brain fart that boards are supposed to be straight?

This is a picture from yesterday, before we got a section of studs up today. Joe is checking out our handiwork and my husband is telling him to smile for the camera. The 2x6's screwed to the poles halfway up are to keep the horses from tap dancing on the new floor.


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## Mike CHS

You two sound like us but I will leave it at that.

It looks Great!


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## promiseacres

am dreaming of a barn this year....


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## samssimonsays

Wow! Beautiful! I would just be happy to get my building fully torn down from Rabbits and set up for goats  I would KILL for your building lol!


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## frustratedearthmother

Ditto!


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## Bruce

What was decided as to the height of the walls? 8' or to the ceiling? 

I can see value in both depending on what you are doing with the room. More 'long' wood if you go all the way up. I imagine connecting to the ceiling would require some thought. But you have full height if you have some long things you want to stand up in there. If you go part way up you can deck the top, have more flat storage space and the ability to keep birds out of the room .

BTW you can make 2 bowed 2 bys straight when in a framed wall, just cut a "spacer" the length the gap SHOULD be, put the boards such that the bows face each other and once the studs are attached to the plates, nail/screw the spacer in where they meet. et voila, straight boards 

All moot of course since the first wall is already up. Sure is nice Robert is right there and has the time and desire to help.


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## Baymule

We're going all the way to the ceiling. The wall we put up is 8' because that is what we have. We'll make another piece to go on top of that. I want to seal it all up, insulate it and keep the dust out. Then if we want to build a loft in it for more storage, it won't get all dusty and dirty.


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## Bruce

Is there going to be heat in the feed and tack room? If not what is the value of insulating it? 

I sure understand the dust thing. I realize the alley of my barn is dirt but there are lots of shavings all over it yet fine dust coats everything seemingly within seconds of cleaning it off.


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## Baymule

@Bruce it gets so hot here it ain't funny. The barn was cool and airy this past summer, but I am afraid that a closed space will heat up. I want to put up heat barrier on the ceiling and outside walls, plus insulation. It is also about keeping humidity out. We have a portable building that is in the full sunshine. Opening the door to that in the summer is like opening the oven door.


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## Bruce

That does seem problematic!


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## CntryBoy777

Are ya going to put some turbine vents on the roof?...and an Attic fan can move quite a bit of air too.


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## Baymule

CntryBoy777 said:


> Are ya going to put some turbine vents on the roof?...and an Attic fan can move quite a bit of air too.


No, I just want it insulated. I think that will suffice.


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## greybeard

Just remember, that insulation will both keep hot air and humidity out but will keep it in too.
It is impossible to keep any space in E. Texas humidity free without some kind of air circulation, especially if it has a wooden floor. It's one of the reasons homes have moisture barriers.

I have seen more than one storage building insulated, but with no air circulation and the inside of the building or room have water condensate on the ceiling.


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## Bruce

True! I suspect a tightly closed area will require a dehumidifier to keep it dry.


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## Baymule

We got started on the feed and tack room again. This is our next project to hopefully finish. Once we get the outside walls up and doors on, we can get it wired. It just goes a little at a time.


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## CntryBoy777

Looking like ya have a pretty good start on it there Bay!


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## misfitmorgan

Bay I LOVE your gate! I'm joking of course lol. In seriousness it does look like you have a good start on getting it wrapped up.


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## Baymule

misfitmorgan said:


> Bay I LOVE your gate! I'm joking of course lol. In seriousness it does look like you have a good start on getting it wrapped up.



We had to do something to keep those nosy big busybodies out!


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## misfitmorgan

If only goats/sheep were as easy to keep out or in for that matter


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## Baymule

Well here we are again. We stopped on the Feed and tack room for whatever reason. But today we went back to work on it. We got more Tin put up and got the end entirely covered. We’re going to work on it again tomorrow.

DH and I put a couple of sheets up, then he called our friend Robert, who was already on his way over. LOL The three of us worked, measuring, I cut with tin snips and we put the sheets of tin up.

Prince kept coming in, getting in the way, and pawing at the stack of tin. DH chased him out over and over. It was comical watching them. I caught a picture of Prince sneaking back in and DH waiting to spring out and yell at him.


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## Southern by choice

That is too funny! What a great picture!

Good for you guys getting more done!

We are wallowing in the most horrid mud. Hasn't been this bad in years. UGH


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## Bruce

What'ch doin in there guys???


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## CntryBoy777

We had mud before the couple of inches of rain fell overnite, so now it is really muddy....ducks swam in the field all day today and Gabbie was running around in it like a retriever...they both just loved it.....
It really doesn't matter the reason Bay...the fact is ya have started back and that is always Good. Sometimes at our age "Life" gets in the way of ongoing projects. Then there are births, butchering, and weather that factor into available time for those things....and the amount of daylight hours increasing helps to get more done also.....


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## Bruce

So how much mud DID Gabbie bring into the house @CntryBoy777 ??


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## CntryBoy777

Not much....we have a stack of old towels by the backdoor in the washroom to wipe her with when she is nasty....and a bathroom with a tub just down the hallway, if needed....


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## Goat Whisperer

Looking great! 

Prince sounds like our goats, always into everything!


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## Mike CHS

That is also making good use of re-purposed metal.


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## Bruce

Yep, I think one of Bay's goals is to get the "Most frugally built barn" award.


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## Mike CHS

Bruce said:


> Yep, I think one of Bay's goals is to get the "Most frugally built barn" award.



I made a promise to myself a couple of years ago to never ever figure out the cost of the sheep meat that we are eating.


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## Baymule

Since we don't eat the horses......and it's their barn...... frugal is good.


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## misfitmorgan

Looking very good Bay, It's good to see progress being made no matter what it is on.


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## Baymule

DH over did himself yesterday. He’s been feeling borderline sick, I doubled down on his vitamin C and he felt better, just better enough to go work on the barn. He is ok, but just a little blah, so I wouldn’t let him come out to play today. He went to TSC and got Sheep Feed for me. 

Robert came over and we built the frame work to go to the rafters. We set them on top of the wall frame. DH came home just in time to help us lift up the first one. 




 

Second one.


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## Bruce




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## misfitmorgan

Lookin good.... I'm excited for you


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## Baymule

Got more done today! At one end, next to a pole, there was nowhere to screw the tin down. 




 

So I made a L with a 2x4 and a 2x6 and screwed the 2x4 to the wall stud. 



 

Prince tried sneaking back in. 



 

I had a flange to screw the tin to. 



 

We cut tin and put it up, 4’ pieces from the pole and flange to the door opening. Later while holding up my end of an eleven foot long piece of tin, I was standing up high on a ladder. I looked down.....my helper was back! LOL 



 

We got a run of tin above the doors, there was a lot of cutting in and trimming. That took time. More coming tomorrow!


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## CntryBoy777

I think Prince was looking for a job to help....like standing on his back instead of the ladder....
That really looks Good!!....and a Great solution too. Just glad Prince didn't try to move the ladder with ya up on it....


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## Latestarter

That horse is as helpful as the goats are!


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## misfitmorgan

I'm so jealous Bay! I'm itching for spring so we can start building stuff and getting everything going. I also dont see any of that evil white stuff at all in any of your pictures...go figure.

Sounds like you guys got a lot done! Cutting tin always takes forever, good thing slapping up large chunks is faster or we would all get discouraged.


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## Bruce

CntryBoy777 said:


> I think Prince was looking for a job to help....like standing on his back instead of the ladder....


I agree. Why use a ladder you have to move when you have a willing helper that will walk you to where you need to be??


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## Latestarter

SO as I was saying about the goats... Went and rebuilt their shelter today and had to go back to the shed as I forgot something. I had everything in a 5 gallon bucket for ease of carry. Got back down there and they had pulled out the zip ties, all over the ground, pulled out the staples, all over the ground, pulled the hammer out, moved my drill to a new location, and were eating the tarp packaging.   Danged helpers! So I got everything picked back up and every time I'd turn around, I'd have to chase them off again. And you know, the wether and the buck are the worst of the bunch. They just can't keep their mouths off anything! The does all basically stayed laying down at the other end of the pen after satisfying their curiosity.


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## CntryBoy777

Yeh @Latestarter it is Nice to be so LOVED!!....I use to get perturbed with that, but now I just have to laugh and enjoy it. They can make something very serious just laughable and they sure like the interaction too. They like your company and appreciate the time being around ya....that's why I love having animals....they will always listen to ya and accept ya no matter how grumpy or serious ya may be.....


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## Baymule

Latestarter said:


> SO as I was saying about the goats... Went and rebuilt their shelter today and had to go back to the shed as I forgot something. I had everything in a 5 gallon bucket for ease of carry. Got back down there and they had pulled out the zip ties, all over the ground, pulled out the staples, all over the ground, pulled the hammer out, moved my drill to a new location, and were eating the tarp packaging.   Danged helpers! So I got everything picked back up and every time I'd turn around, I'd have to chase them off again. And you know, the wether and the buck are the worst of the bunch. They just can't keep their mouths off anything! The does all basically stayed laying down at the other end of the pen after satisfying their curiosity.


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## Baymule

Today we got one piece of tin hung. One. It went to the rafters and had a lot of cutting, weaving between poles and braces. We had to beat it in. DH beat one end with a 2x4 and a hammer. It got mangled, but that sheet of tin finally went where we wanted it to go! Then I cut the mangled end off. We quit. We have one more piece to go up. Then do trim and build doors. 

Today was Prince’s day off. Joe was on Snoopervisor duty.


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## CntryBoy777

Guess Joe didn't totally believe Prince's report on the goings on and just had to see for himself.........it is good to see the animals taking such an interest in the changes being made there....and sometimes ya just gotta make something Fit even if it takes a little effort to "Customize" it just a bit.....


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## Baymule

Yesterday we got the last piece of tin up. DH and I were working in the garden when Robert came over. We dropped what we were doing and went to the barn. Now we have to trim out the doors, build and hang doors, get it wired, spray in insulation, wall it up and load it up with Feed and tack. 

I know y’all will be glad to know that Prince was on duty in his position of Snoopervisor. LOL


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## Mike CHS

Prince seems to be doing a good job making sure that things are just right.


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## Bruce

Good boy Prince. Looks like he's giving you a little assistance getting up the ladder. I guess from there on up you are on your own though, I don't think his muzzle will reach your butt any higher.


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## Latestarter

You beat me to it Bruce... Was going to say Prince was "backing her up" to prevent a possible fall while she was yelling at someone vice watching her step on the ladder.


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## misfitmorgan

I bet your glad to get the last of the tin up!!

Prince is just lending his moral support....and possibly a soft-ish place to land if you slip.


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## Baymule

Can't wait to get it all wired up. Going to put a light in each stall and lights in the top of the barn.


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## misfitmorgan

Baymule said:


> Can't wait to get it all wired up. Going to put a light in each stall and lights in the top of the barn.



Lights in any building is always a vast improvement. I dont even want to count the number of times we have had to do flashlight chores. We still have to for goats and sheep!! I know you are aware of the flashlight chores joys too Bay!


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## Baymule

We're going to use LED floodlights. Looked at the LED tube lights, got real disinterested real fast.....$$$$$...... LOL


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## Bruce

We can get LED dual tube 4' fixtures (with the tubes) pretty cheap due to the Efficiency Vermont subsidies. When they first came out a single 4' tube was ridiculous, IIRC pushing $100. But that was several years ago.


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## misfitmorgan

LED floodlights should be nice and bright!


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## Bruce

Especially if you get the 5K Kelvin bulbs. Nice and white. I have a bunch of LEDs in dual aimable light sockets in the workshop in the barn


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## Baymule

After a looooong time of STOP, we are back at it again. We have built and hung 2 doors. Robert came over and the 3 of us made the first door. We used a sheet of 3/4” plywood, framed out and reinforced with 2x4’s. We got one hung the first of the week, the other one built and hung yesterday. 







The plywood for the doors is left over from a stage we built years ago when we held an Opry on Saturday nights. I have used a lot of that plywood. 

I watched videos on YouTube on how to build a wooden sliding door latch. For the most part they were long and boring. I’m like, don’t waste my time with the labor pains, just show me the baby! So I skipped ahead to see the finished product. I found one I liked and took a picture with my phone. I ripped a 1x6 in half, took measurements and cut all my pieces. I have to sand off the sharp edges and round them off. Then I can install them. I snapped a shot of how I laid them out in the back of the mule. 







After I get the latches installed, the next step will be to cut 2x6’s to fill the space between rafters at the ends to keep the dust out. Not going to worry about insulation or finishing walls, I just want it closed in and useable.


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## CntryBoy777

A 1/4" or 1/2" round over bit and router will take those edges off pretty easy for ya....looks nice and like the strap hinges too.....


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## Mini Horses

I'm sure you will enjoy "having it useable".       I have a couple of those jobs to work thru but, not done yet.  Been way longer than your door wait.  
We will probably see those sliders installed before long.


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## Baymule

Today we got the cut edges of the wood latch pieces smoothed and rounded. I tried the sander borrowed from a neighbor, too slow and not enough progress for the work put into it. So I got a 2x6, set it on saw horses and put a cinder block on it. Made one for DH and together we rubbed the cut corners.



CntryBoy777 said:


> A 1/4" or 1/2" round over bit and router will take those edges off pretty easy for ya....looks nice and like the strap hinges too.....



Don't have a router, but I have a cinder block. 






It came out pretty good. No more sharp corners. This piece has a rounded corner and a sharp corner so you can see the difference. 






BJ suggested that we paint the doors a medium to light gray. It will match the tin and the color of the dust. Smart idea!


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## Mike CHS

The best thing I've seen for rounding edges is a small Block Plane but whatever works is a winner.


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## Bruce

I guess a cinder block is pretty much like very coarse grit sandpaper.

Small block plane or a draw knife.


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## Baymule

We went to the feed store mid week and for the FIRST time, put feed IN the Feed and Tack room!! We put 3 metal trash cans in there and filled them up. What a great feeling. Meanwhile, other things have taken center stage, yesterday I showed a friend how to butcher chickens, we did 5 roosters. It took me a LOT longer, cause he had 53 questions for everything. He kept quoting Mother Earth News like he was some kind of authority, having never actually done it. But all in all, it was a good experience. If someone wants to learn, I have no problem sharing what I know. I sent him home with a rooster, cut up and vacuum sealed. My husband was delighted to get out of rooster pickin' and took the tractor to the barn. He pushed out a summer's worth of manure and dead hay and filled in a wash out. We parked the round bales in the barn in the heat of the summer. I processed the roosters in the house, took care of sheep and chickens, cooked supper and collapsed. Haven't even gone out to the barn to admire his work.


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## frustratedearthmother

That's a busy, but productive day you had there!  Reading all the butchering articles in the world is no substitute for actually doing it.  I'm sure the guy learned lot from you!


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## Bruce

Yep, reading gets things started in your brain but until you get your hands on it there is only a vague idea of what it will really be like. Some things HAVE to be felt to understand what you are dealing with.


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## Baymule

This guy is from New York, talks fast and talks a LOT. We met him at TSC, he works there part time. Nice guy, offered to hep us do anything, if he is off work. He suggested a building to do slaughter in, instead of outside under a tree. Yellow jackets kept buzzing around and it was hot. He used to be a builder, maybe we'll take him up on his offer. 

Somebody has been pumping him full of crap. He told me that he wants_ original_ chickens. (huh?) he expounded on their virtues, such as longevity, laying just a few eggs a year, that's why they live so long, they don't burn out laying so many eggs. (again, WTH, huh?) AND he knows a guy that raises these_ original_ chickens. Yeah, and I bet that_ original_ chicken breeder has some burned out 3 or 4 year old layers that would fit that description. I summoned up my Southern Lady and politely informed him that those_ original_ chickens would still eat as much as chickens that lay 5 or 6 a week, so wouldn't it make more sense to feed a chicken that you will get eggs in return? (smiling sweetly-yuck-I could taste all that sweetness in my mouth) Nice guy, really wants to learn homesteading, canning, the whole thing. When I cut the first rooster's throat, he commented, "I may never eat chicken again after this."


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## CntryBoy777

........and I wouldn't doubt at all that ya made sure it was "memorable", either Bay......


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## Bruce

By "original" did he meant "heritage" (as opposed to "extra crispy")?


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## Mini Horses

Now, there's a guy you want at your next hog butchering!!   BUT...we want it all on video, so we can watch him puke and cry and cringe.      Don't count on his help, just his reactions.  

If he wants to learn, he may still be salvageable.


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## Baymule

He came through the experience with flying colors and was thrilled to have learned something hands on as opposed to reading about it. I study, read and learn all the time, so I understand his thirst for knowledge. But nothing takes the place for hands on. I was glad to help. Friends come from all walks of life, he is a well of information in his area of expertise and that is what makes community. People with different areas of abilities who work together make a better world.


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## Baymule

Today we painted the Feed and tack room doors. Inside and out on one, just the outside on the other. We went to Lowes yesterday and got paint. It is gray with just a touch of blue tint.







How does it look next to the old tin?






I painted one side and edges of the door latch pieces.






Husband says we should paint the green corner trim so it will match the doors and old tin. I like the used-scrap-look of the green corner trim.

What do y’all think? Green or paint it?


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## Mike CHS

I'm sure his final answer will be whatever you want Dear but I would paint it.


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## B&B Happy goats

Oh heavens , leave the funky old look...it looks awesome !   Love that rusted tin


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## CntryBoy777

I'd paint it either way it will freshen the seal...and what adds to "layers" of paint to "reveal" the age of thangs?.....


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## frustratedearthmother

I like it the way it is - but there is some wisdom behind the suggestions to paint it.


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## misfitmorgan

I would paint it just to give it an extra coat as it looks like there are some scratches in the green paint. I do love the old tin look as well and the grey blue looks really nice and like it belongs with that old tin.


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## Bruce

I think you should paint the door and trim to match the rusty tin. Do it well and no one but you and BJ will know where the door is


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## misfitmorgan

Bruce said:


> I think you should paint the door and trim to match the rusty tin. Do it well and no one but you and BJ will know where the door is


 Bay does have all that extra time on her hands!


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## farmerjan

I'm with the paint it group.  Help seal the dust out and keep some of the rust from catching on clothes and such.


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## Beekissed

Paint it!   Paint tends to bring a scrapped together project together for a more neat and whole looking appearance.   As the Ol' Bat always says, "Paint hides a multitude of sins."


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## Baymule

The rusty tin stays. I'm torn on the green trim. My husband really wants to paint it. I like the mis-match. The paint we have is latex exterior paint, not so sure what it will do on metal.


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## CntryBoy777

Ain't but 1 way to find out.....


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## Bruce

I don't think any paint sticks to rust, not even rust colored paint.


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## B&B Happy goats

I'M, with you on the mis matched old funky look, that green metal will last our lifetime, why not let it age and gain more chracter....it has a story to tell when you look at it


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## Beekissed

Oh, I wouldn't paint that rusty tin either....gives character.  I would paint the green trim around the door to either match the door or blend in the scratches and hinges.  I vote for barn red on that trim....it's my fave for barns and outbuildings.  

And then your door or barn wall needs a barn quilt!   

















I've been wanting to do one of these for our woodshed, as it's the only outbuilding that can be seen by the public...well...if the public takes our private drive back half a mile off the hard road.


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## Baymule

I love the barn quilt! Hmmm.....it would have to be a Lone Star quilt. I made one in 1986, red, white and blue with red prairie points.


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## Baymule

We had a big pine tree next to the barn turn brown and dead. So Russell our neighbor came over with his chainsaw and took it down. BJ raised him up in the tractor bucket so he could tie a rope around the tree, 12 feet off the ground. Then forward around another tree, sideways to another tree, then over the gate and tied to the tractor bucket. BJ kept tension on the rope, backing up as the tree started to fall. It fell right in front of the barn, MUCH better than on the barn, which it was leaning towards. The gate was closed to keep the horses out, or they would have come running in to see what we were doing. 



 



 



 

There was another dead tree on the fence line at the back, so we repeated the rope and tractor trick and it fell, away from the fence.


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## Mike CHS

Nice job.  It's obvious there was little if any, room for error.


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## frustratedearthmother

Whew!   I know you're glad to have those down.


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## Baymule

Mike CHS said:


> Nice job.  It's obvious there was little if any, room for error.


It was in a difficult position, but it went down right where Russell wanted it to go.

He gladly accepted lamb chops and pork chops for pay! LOL


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## CntryBoy777

Man!!....Nice Goin'...........it does get a troublesome stone from over your head....we have some pines here that are every bit of 60-70' tall.....it should help ya sleep better when those "boomers" get to sparking over there.....having a Great neighbor certainly nevers burts either.....


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## misfitmorgan

Excellent work!!


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## Baymule

I finally went back to the barn to work on the door latch. I had a LOT of help from a well qualified Snoopervisor. 





Whatcha’ doin’?





Surely you don’t think you can do this without ME! 





Are you ignoring me?





Stop messing with those stupid power tools and pay attention to ME and ONLY ME!





I did get one door latch made due to all the expert help I had. I need to sand down the sliding bolt so it will slide. LOL I’ll borrow Robert’s belt sander and make it work.


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## frustratedearthmother

Good work - but I think Prince was just in there playing spy and now he's going to teach everybody to slide that latch!!!


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## Duckfarmerpa1

Baymule said:


> Now for the porch pictures! We pass by a doublewide on our way to town that has been remodeled and really made to look nice. So one day we stopped to admire their porch and ask who did it. Well, the lady told us, her husband built the porch and he is a contractor and builder. He came out and started the bid process. After my husband's expert negotiations, the price got down to what we were happy with and construction began. They started the Monday before Thanksgiving.
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> Monday after Thanksgiving, it rained, like it had been raining all weekend. So they came Tuesday and made a lot of progress. They laid all the deck boards down without nailing them in place. A few key boards were screwed in place to hold the other boards in place. There was one guy cutting, and 1 measuring and 1 laying the boards in place. The contractor had an extension on his drill that fed screws to it. He walked along, pressing the extension on the marked lines and screwing the boards down. It took him about 30 minutes to do the whole deck. Everything this guy does has to be perfect. Everything has to be exact. Every measurement has to be right and the whole porch is perfectly square. It is sturdy, well built and if a tornado comes, we'll be in the dirt under the porch!
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It’s beautiful!!


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## Bruce

frustratedearthmother said:


> Good work - but I think Prince was just in there playing spy and now he's going to teach everybody to slide that latch!!!


I bet you are right. "Helping" not to guarantee a quality job but to figure out how it works by paying attention to the assembly process.


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## Mike CHS

That has to make you smile every time you go outside.


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## Baymule

Mike CHS said:


> That has to make you smile every time you go outside.


Prince is such a lovable pest. He would come in the house and live with us if we let him.


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## thistlebloom

Haha Prince!  
I bet if you checked his resume you'd see he used to work for OSHA.


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## Baymule

This horse has a sense of humor.


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## YourRabbitGirl

Baymule said:


> We have so much going on around here! We finally have our barn going up and at the same time we have a contractor putting a screened porch the whole length of the house, 54' long by 12' wide. And our DD called this evening and they found church pews for $75 and wanted to know if we wanted one. Yup. And can we use our truck and trailer to go get ours (and theirs?)  So they got 2, we got 1, and it is on our new porch.
> 
> We have been collecting materials for a barn for quite some time. We thought we would put it up on land we used to have, but decided to move so we could be close to our DD and family.  So we finally got all our stuff moved up here from our old place.
> 
> http://www.theeasygarden.com/threads/barn-poles.17498/
> And we started cleaning up a place big enough for a barn on our new place. Pictures of that are on page one of my hugelculture thread.
> 
> http://www.theeasygarden.com/threads/hugelculture-bed.17846/
> The place we are putting the barn dips down to a low spot and needed dirt. So we called our friendly dump truck dirt guy and ordered 4 loads. DH is like a little boy with a dirt pile and Tonka trucks and equipment to play in all that dirt with.
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> Today they got the 4 corner poles set and 2 poles on one side. The barn will be 36'x36' with six 12' stalls. One of them will be closed in and floored for a feed/tack room. Allowing for the size of the poles, the alley will be about 11' wide. We are excited to get our barn started! The poles range from 18' to 22' tall. After all the poles are set, they will be measured and cut to 12' tall.


That looks so great, good job you guys. Keep it up!


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