October 2, 2017

Barn Progress

It's coming along! Last time I showed you the construction of the hay loft, now Dan has started work on the roof.

The roof is beginning to take shape.

Roof rafters over the hay loft.

Making more rafters.

Making rafters from home-milled lumber is a challenge. Very few of our pine trees are straight, so trying to cut straight boards is often a challenge. Uniformity is impossible! Oh well! And even the waste finds itself in use for things like collar ties and snow block.

Collar ties, all from scraps.

Snow block is from scrap lumber too.

"Snow block" is something Dan got from his log cabin book (Build Your Own Low-Cost Log Home by Roger Hard. He's referred to it often for our barn project). Instead of making soffits for eave ventilation, he's just blocking the openings to stiffen the rafters. We don't really need eave vents, since the barn will be neither insulated nor air tight, and Dan has other plans for ventilation.

Taking a step back...

First two sheets of plywood sheathing.

The feed storage and milking room will be on the left where the old coal barn carport used to be. (Click that link to see what we're replacing.) The milking room roof will start just above the gap under the sheets of plywood you see above.

Rafters for the lean-to roof on the back side.

Plywood siding on the back gable end. Something tells
me I'd better get this painted before the roof goes on!

Autumn temperatures have arrived and our weather has been absolutely gorgeous. Next weekend we'll probably have to take a break to work on firewood. Then we'll be back at it. The goal is to get the roof on before the autumn rains hit. We'll see!

Next > "Not Much to Show on the Barn."

Barn Progress © October 2017 by

15 comments:

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

While you are putting up a barn, we tore one down and are recycling what we can. We are also getting a plethora of strangers driving up and asking for wood for free. It can be very annoying some days. Your barn looks great so far.

Leigh said...

Kristina, old barn wood! What a wonderful resource. Some people can be really nervy when it comes to wanting to help themselves, can't they? We had that problem for awhile when we first moved in. We had stuff stored temporarily in the old barn carport and people were stopping by to ask if they could have this or that. And it wasn't all that visible from the street! You had to be deliberately looking to see it.

Cozy Thyme Cottage said...

Your husbands work is impressive! I hope the roof gets on before the rains! Nancy

Susan said...

That must be so exciting! It is going to be a wonderful barn - it's especially great when you can design it to a custom fit!

Ed said...

Living in Amish country (they have no shame), we get lots of requests for something in that barn out back, etc. But at least they always ask. Other non-Amish have been known to just take which I find worse.

Old barn wood is like wd-40 and duct tape. It has a million and one uses.

I still think that barn is too good for a handful of goats!

Mrs Shoes said...

So impressed with Dan's skills. It's coming along wonderfully!

M.K. said...

Looks really wonderful. We've such lovely, cooler, dry weather. A good week to get things done. I'm sure the rain will come back. Congrats on that nice barn!

Sandy Livesay said...

Leigh,
Nicely done!! I'm sure you'll have the roof up on your barn before the autumn rain starts. Chopping wood seems to be a full time job :-)
Hugs,
Sandy

Mama Pea said...

What a beautiful and sturdy little barn it will be!

m said...

Wondered about the half inch of the bracings making sidings harder to place, but realized they are notched...lovely

m said...

Ah.
..

Leigh said...

Mama Pea, thanks!

Mike, Dan would admit that the whole thing isn't true to one particular building style, but he has managed so far to make it work!

Renee Nefe said...

How exciting! Hope the weather holds for you. We've had a few more snags getting our church built...first with permits, then with contractors up and quitting on us and now with weather. Hopefully they'll finish the shingles today (before we get more rain this weekend!) and having the siding finished this weekend would be great also. Wondering where the doors are?

Chris said...

I love seeing construction projects. Yours is coming along very well. Solid enough, to launch out to sea in, I reckon. ;)

Let's hope you beat those autumn rains.

Leigh said...

Renee, oh no! Your winter weather will hit so much sooner than ours, so I know you're anxious to get everything under cover. Do you have an estimated completion date?

Chris, thanks! I've just been looking at the weather forecast and see that Hurricane Nate is scheduled to dump a lot of water on us tomorrow and the next day. Can't do much about the barn for all that, but I plan to get as much planting in today as I can!