The Barn

The barn has been and will continue to be a long spanning massive overhaul kind of job. It is amazingly big, fantastic original bones, lots of character. However, it has had two additions that are both rotting. It has a roof that lost some metal sheets during the hurricane from the front and a roof on the back that was pieced together with cut scraps of metal. The interior has had one loft cut out and a section of the floor lifted. So lots to do before we can build stalls and bring in more animals.

As I have discussed before, we have had an exterior wall framed in now. In the spring I will be board and battening it. We left the rotted addition up as a sort of wind block protection. It may not last the winter and if it blows over, well it saves me the trouble of dropping it! The loft has been rebuilt , two new windows installed and two more windows repaired. And finally this past week the big news....

The roof is finished!!

The gentleman who came to do the job had quite the challenge. He had to rebuild eaves, remove shingles, reduce drooping, place strapping, lay 18' long metal sheets, and I am probably missing a lot of other details he had to take care of in order to leave us with a roof that would protect our structure and animals for years to come! I love going outside and hearing the birds and the trees and the waves, and not the flapping clanging loosening metal roofing!

The next step will be the one section that has no floor. I will begin the framing and once I get some more hemlock cut, I will lay that. The plan for this winter, is to allow the chickens to roam inside the barn. It still allows them some freedom on those cold, windy, rainy, snowy days while offering them some protection. And since the wall isn't finished yet, if the sun does come out, they have easy access to foraging.