Barn Building Series: Dirt On My Boots

Delivery Date 06.08.2020

Our pole barn kit has arrived and comes with everything we need to do a good old fashioned barn raisin'!

This will hopefully be completed over the next few weeks - aiming for mid July/Early August, so that we can add on the paddock and finally bring the horses home (yes, we are getting horses! See below) and get our current herd into a bigger more secure living situation.

Harmony

Benny

The barn will feature 3 stalls, 1 of which is an open "run-in" that can be utilized by the herd at any given time, but can become a stall by closing the overhead door. It will also have equipment, feed and grain storage, and excitingly a tack room! I am so looking forward to putting a fun spin on that space.

We went traditional - red siding and white trim, a side "porch", and a cupola with a rooster weather-vane. There will be a 3-rung wooden fence around the paddock, weleded-wire fencing on the interior, and a "hot wire" around the top for maximum security and safety. The fence keeps the animals contained, and also protects them from predators.

Design & prep work have been the two biggest pieces of this puzzle. The plans took nearly six months, and then the prep-work from clearing the lot, adding fill, and leveling it has been an extreme amount of work. When all is said and done, we truly hope that we created a thoughtful and effective layout.

The footings were poured this past weekend, and it was one heck of a job! The ranch team mixed 6,000 lbs. of concrete, and had to dig 15 holes for the footings (what the barn stands on). The team put in a 12 hour day, and battled through equipment malfunctions, and 90 degree heat - talk about sweat, grit, and grime... We did our best to keep them fed and refreshed throughout the day. The Homestead Husband says there is still concrete dust in his nose! This is some dirty work for sure!

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On a Personal Note...

The ranch team, as I have aptly named them, is comprised of family and friends (who are also considered family). It is out of the kindness of their hearts that they offer to be here with us, volunteer to help, and get covered head-to-toe in dirt. Their actions are not lost on us, and we're so awe-struck by their generosity. These projects are sizable, and we are so blessed to see them coming to life - we're lucky, as this has been one of the most challenging years of our lives with the loss of our daughter. We're grateful to see some of our dreams to fruition. In many ways, with each step of these projects, with each board, drop of sweat, and heavy motion, it is as if our hearts are being repaired at the same time. When we can stand back and see the fruit of all of this labor in a few months - there is healing. It's intentional, purposeful - monumental. Thank you for helping us grow, learn, and heal. In the words of Maren Morris, "Yeah, I guess that's my church" - except it's red, and filled with pine shavings, leather tack, and animal hair. We humans grieve and heal in so many unique ways...

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The next phase is construction! The pole barn kit comes with engineered directions - sort of like adult Legos... This portion is a little intimidating to us, as we've never built anything like this before. Renovations have been one thing, but this will be a learning curve, putting together braces, trusses, and purlins (learning all kinds of new vocabulary over here).

Yee-haw!