April 28, 2018

Random Progress on the Barn

Back wall for the milking room.

Bottom to milking room back door (top to come later)

Dan used my Kikobian Books logo as the pattern.

Oak floor boards for the hay loft!

The floor boards for the hay loft aren't home milled, but they are locally milled. Dan's hand simply isn't ready for the chain saw, which is something he'd need to prepare more pine trees for milling floor boards. We considered waiting, but also really want the hay loft functional by the time we start harvesting hay. We didn't get a tax refund for federal taxes, but we got some back from the state; enough to buy the hay loft floor plus everything for a hayloft door. That is extremely encouraging! And the to-do list for barn completion is definitely getting shorter.

17 comments:

Gorges Smythe said...

Looks good!

Goatldi said...

That is just awesome! Everything from the finished work including the profile on the door to the refund making it able to be done! Looking forward to the next installment .

Leigh said...

Gorges, thanks! It's exciting to see it taking shape.

Goatldi, thanks! It's really taking shape now so that we can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel! I think we're going to focus on getting it ready to move the goats in and then work on windows and battens, etc. Dan's getting anxious to turn the old goat barn into a workshop. :)

Mike Yukon said...

Almost finished! You will have a good looking and valuable asset to your property.
How're Dan's fingers holding up?

Jean Ellen said...

I love the goat cut out on the door. It't the icing on the cake. Glad to see you are seeing the end of the tunnel. Hope Dan's hand continues to mend.

Goatldi said...

I almost snorted my coffee at the picture in my mind of all those four footed contractors with clip boards helping Dan with finishing work.

I imagine Dan is chomping at the bit to get his workshop going. Good for you sir! Pictures please when you get started 😊

Mrs Shoes said...

Wonderful!
Suggestion? Paint the goat head a contrasting colour (any colour you have on hand) & it would stand out more.
p.s. I just painted my chicken yard door using a metal chicken cutout as a pattern, but now I want Mr Shoes to actually cut the chicken pattern from one of his many scraps of wood so that I can have a door like yours!
Little does he know that, if he agrees, I also have patterns for the pigyard and the cattle gate....

Mrs Shoes said...

Oh oh, & the bunny house too!
Mr Shoes DID just get a new-to-him router with all the bits... I feel SURE that he will be GLAD for this idea from Dan as a chance to practice with his new-ish toy!

Kev Alviti said...

Love that logo on the door. Just that little bit of extra effort and I'm sure it'll make you smiles for years to come! The barn is looking great, I could certainly do with something like that here!

Leigh said...

Mike, almost! This is a huge accomplishment for us. Dan's fingers are doing pretty well, although they usually hurt by the end of the day. But being productive is good therapy.

Jean Ellen, thanks! He surprised me with the goat on the door. :)

Goatldi, LOL. They are certainly bossy enough!

Mrs. Shoes, actually I thought about painting the edge of the head to accentuate the 3-D effect. We'll see! I really like your idea of metal animal cutouts for doorways - or wooden ones. Excellent use for a router! We may have to do something like that when we finally update the chicken yard.

Kev, good to hear from you! All the special touches truly do make me smile. Getting it done and repurposing the current goat quarters will make a huge difference around here.

Ed said...

An oak floor that will outlast us all!

Fiona said...

Wonderful progress and oak is awesome. Except when it is ancient and dry....ours is near impossible to nail into without a pilot hole....is your oak seasoned or green?

Leigh said...

Ed, what was really nice was that this floor cost less than anything we could have gotten at Lowes, and is better quality. That was a blessing!

Fiona, we have worked with some of that ancient dried out oak so I know what you mean. This was partially seasoned, but Dan will likely drill the holes anyway, just to guard against splitting any of the boards

Kris said...

This is wonderful and heartening news : that you got $$ for the floorboards and that Dan's hand is making progress. I know how much it gives the spirits a lift when progress is made. Take care - don't overdo. (LOL, like you guys EVER 'overdo'. :-D )

Mama Pea said...

How encouraging to see things moving ahead on your little homestead even with a somewhat handicapped Dan! I hurt my thumb (nothing like Dan's serious injury) this past winter but decided I wasn't going to let it stop me from doing what I wanted to do. And I'm finding the more I use it, the better it's feeling so I can totally understand why Dan's injured fingers hurt at the end of the day, but bottom line I feel he's doing the right thing by working with them as much as he can.

I have to throw in my vote for a contrasting paint of some sort for the goat's head on the door. I deserves to stand out!

tpals said...

More exciting news. Looking forward to seeing the full hay loft.

The Wykeham Observer said...

It's so good to see farm buildings with nice fresh paint. I don't know why, but it really agitates me to see farmers around here let buildings go to ruin and not bother to paint. Good work! Phil