Barn Building Series: Workin' On a Full House

We're close. Almost there. Nearly done. Things I have been repeating to myself for months. I have been right every time, but somehow that list still seems never-ending.... However, we're closer today than we have been yet, to fully functional in the barn!

With the exterior structure complete, we're onward to the inside.

After much physical labor all summer, we decided it was time to invest in a tool that would help us to finish and maintain all that we have built; we joined the Kioti Tractor family!

The tractor has already helped us to scoop and rake the stone dust into the floor of the barn, and has been a massive help with manure control. We've even regraded our driveway. This will help us for years to come, and will provide back-saving benefits as well. And, keeping up with this life, requires practicing good health and safety. It even has built in storage under the porch at the new barn!

Now that the stone-dust floor has been installed and compacted (we rented a compactor machine to flatten it down - it looked basically like concrete), we are installing utilities, and the frame for the interior walls.

To do this, we will have to dig a trench for electric so we can install lights and have power within the barn. We'll also run fans in the summer, and some other small appliances in the tack room, as well as tank heaters to keep water troughs from freezing throughout the winter.

In the meantime, I've been scheming tack room designs, light fixtures, and barn mates as our facility is slowly becoming somewhat of a livestock sanctuary, while we work towards the next phase in our plan to acquire beef cattle.

The tack room design has expanded some, but allows us to maximize organization and efficiency. We'll be using cedar stained shiplap on the walls, with a sliding barn door into the isle-way of the barn. Red gooseneck lights will be mounted on the posts that make up the stall corners and exterior tack room wall.

The tack room will help us to contain all of our barn needs, from saddles to bits, bridles, headstalls, ropes, pads, grooming supplies, helmets, veterinary supplies, and feed and grain. There is a lot of equipment that comes with farm and ranch!

Time to giddy up and get it done before Christmas (fingers crossed)!

Photo Credit: Haze Photography, Maine