January 13, 2018

Goat Barn: The Rest of the Roof

A view through the loafing overhang roof.

The goat barn is officially roofed! Once Dan finished roofing the hayloft, all that was left was the back of the barn.


There were two sections to do: a lean-to to extend the inside space, and an overhang for goat loafing and to protect the doorway from getting muddy. We had a number of clear days, so he was able to get it done.


Looking up between the hayloft floor joists.

So everything is under cover now, which is a relief.

Back side

Barnyard side.

The exterior walls will be next. We discussed every kind of siding we could think of, crunched the numbers, and decided to stick with plywood and battens like the Little Barn and Chicken Coop. We're on the pay-as-we-go method, so I'm not sure when we'll get to buying the plywood. The rest of our savings will have to go to paying the hefty tax penalty for not being able to afford health insurance. Even so, most of the inside work on the milking room can still be done, as well as the hay loft floor and the hay feeder. So progress will continue!

19 comments:

Gorges Smythe said...

Congratulations!

Goatldi said...

Looking good!

Let me not comment on the fine for no health care. Can you see me applying duct tape to my lips?

Looking forward to the forward motion and inspired to go clean my barns while we are between rain storms. Time to change the sheets anyway. AKA as applying new bedding for any non livestock folks.

Leigh said...

Gorges, it feels like a milestone!

Goatldi,I'm so glad you all are getting rain. We just got several inches ourselves, although I'm not sure how much since very winter my rain gauge gets busted from freezing and thawing. Certainly need to muck out my little goat barn too! It's at the top of my outdoor project list once I pass my upcoming deadline.

Mama Pea said...

I'm not up on current prices but would 4 x 8' panels of "T-111" be any more economical for siding? We've used the T-111 in the past (it comes pre-primed) and been very happy with it.

I've always had trouble with the saying, "Money doesn't buy happiness," but in the case of us pay-as-you-go homesteaders, easier and faster would make me happier!

Leigh said...

Mama Pea, we love the look of T-111, but around here it's nearly double the price of paint-grade plywood. :( I would honestly love to be getting this project done ASAP, but Dan has pointed out that he doesn't want to put the siding up unless we can paint it, and our temps are way too cold for that. We just had a couple of really warm days, but it poured rain the entire time! So I have to keep my patience hat handy and wear it often. :)

Lady Locust said...

Leigh, that is looking great. All in due time. It really is coming together really nicely.

Brenda said...

We don't have health insurance either. Look into Medi-share as an alternative. You won't have to pay the penalty. It is half the cost of government owed health insurance. I hope that is more affordable for you. For the two of us, I'm the oldest at 61, cost $779.00 a month. We haven't used it for anything big though so can't say how well they pay when you need it.
Great barn! We are looking forward to getting ours in the spring.

Harry Flashman said...

Maybe the new tax laws will save you from that penalty. I am expecting to hear from my accountant on another matter, and I'll ask her about it.

Leigh said...

Lady Locust, thanks!

Brenda, thanks for the information on Medi-Share. That's about $1000 cheaper than what regular insurance would cost us but still about half of our take-home pay. The penalty remains is the most affordable option.

Harry, from what I understand the penalty will go away in 2019, so unless something changes drastically for us, we'll have one more year after this one to pay it. :(

Ed said...

Barn is looking great! You could probably get by with tarping the sides for a year or two until money for siding is available. I've seen plenty of others do that in a pinch.

I sincerely wish we could all stop fighting about who is going to pay for medical insurance (i.e. the government or the people) and work on fixing why it is so expensive to begin with. I'm not going to hold my breath until that happens though.

tpals said...

I will be joining you in paying the penalty next year. Not good, but what can you do?

Goat barn roof looks amazing! Lovely to see it coming together.

The Wykeham Observer said...

A job well done! Such neat work. It's good to see people taking care of their own needs and improving their lives out in the country. I'm sorry about the insurance. As active as you are, I'm sure that will help you stay as healthy as you can both body and spirit. Phil

Leigh said...

Ed, thanks! We could certainly use tarping, we've done it before! LOL

Yeah, the whole argument over health insurance is strictly political and has nothing to do with reality. Everybody only wants their way or no way. How does that help anybody? Even so, if the government pays for it, they use tax dollars, which means the people pay for it either way. The trouble with government is that the more layers of bureaucracy that are added, the more expensive it becomes. It's not only the end product tax payers foot the bill for, but the overhead, salaries, benefits, etc., etc. which all jack up the price. From my experience it isn't working. Dan and I pay the penalty and get nothing in return for it but poorer.

Tpals, you're right, what can you do? I've written to numerous congress members with our specific plight all I ever get back is a form letter that has nothing to do with the problem!

Phil, thanks! I have to say that not having insurance has forced us to look more into alternative medicine. And there's always the doc-in-a-box or the E.R. if it's that drastic. Then you just set up a payment plan which probably ends up being cheaper than insurance in long run anyway. My daughter's doctor doesn't accept insurance of any kind, and his fees are so much lower than everybody else's. He maintains that no little insurance adjuster is going to practice medicine for him, but he also doesn't have to keep and pay an entire staff to just handle insurance claims.

Donna OShaughnessy said...

Oh yes, having the roof on makes it all seem so real doesn't it? We live under that pay as you go plan as well so no loft or shop walls within our new (old) barn until we can start tearing down the 1856 house on our property. We plan to recycle as mush building material as we can out of there, including insulation. I am both excited and terrified about what we will find behind those 162 year old walls!

We too are without health insurance by choice and circumstance, going on two years for me and a year for Keith. Haven't seen a doctor in 4 years. We use lots of alternative med items and we feel quite good. Both of us hope to drop dead outside doing something we love. Like barn building!! I feel a new health care blog coming on!

Leigh said...

Donna, the roof is always huge and feels like a milestone. Walls will make it seem like a real barn! We've finally learned to think of projects in stages. It helps with the frustration, especially for Dan. He was always been one to work on something until it's done, but pay-as-you-go often necessitates breaks, as you well know! Nice that you have something to tear down for resources! We wouldn't be nearly this far along if it wasn't for the sawmill.

Goatldi said...

We have used plywood forever but when we moved and had to build barns from ground up for the third time our friend who is a carpenter suggested OSB as a less expensive choice. It is cheaper but since it is a composite wood (think particle board only stronger) it does seem to not do well in areas with a lot of rain with standing water. I am also not too sure I want to know what it is held together with.
As I need to replace pieces I am going with plywood the old stand by. But some folks love it .

Leigh said...

Goatldi, we'd have to agree about the OSB. It doesn't do well being rained on. It can be painted, but I've found that the particles fall or peel off sometimes. Plywood seems to be the best option for this purpose!

Renee Nefe said...

That really stinks about the insurance, but I know that a lot of folks are going that way. I don't know what they were thinking when they thought that one up. We have always been blessed to have insurance through my husband's employer...the US Govt. lol Of course if they don't agree on the budget here soon we'll have no pay again. sigh
The barn looks great. Can't wait to see the kids move in.

Leigh said...

Renee, yeah it does stink, and points to how far out of touch politicians are with how Americans really live. The way "affordability" and who pays the penalty is determined is idiotic. Forbes did an analysis not too long ago and said that 80% of the people paying the penalty are families making $50,000 or less. But politicians are exempt so they don't care. And apparently, whose party label is on it is more important than the needs of the people. Hopefully a decent budget will be passed before you all run out of paychecks! Seems congress cuts it too close to the wire nearly every year.

Hoping to make a few more strides toward finishing the barn today! The weather should be sunny and above freezing!