Out Our Way at Way Haven: January 2012

Thought I would check in and give you an update on the progress made toward fixing my tumbled down barn. Overall, I am pretty pleased with what I have been able to accomplish so far. The initial demolition has been completed and much of the debris collected, sorted and hauled off or saved for future use. Hopefully some of the framing lumber can be re-used in the restored structure.

The picture above was taken from about the same place as some of the early pix. It shows that the barn is only half as long as originally built. Part of what was incorporated in the barn previously will become open pens for livestock.

This photo shows a closeup of the supporting wall under the westside of the loft. This will also be one side of the loading chute which is to come.

The new lumber is all treated. I made the decision to use it based on two facts: The cost of an 8-foot treated 2X4 is within pennies of an untreated one; carpenter bees have done a lot of damage to the untreated lumber I used originally in the thirty years that this barn has been in existance. The carpenter bee bores a 3/8" hole into the underside of a board or beam. It then bores a tunnel along the grain of the board in which to lay its eggs and food for the hatched larvae. This can significantly weaken the framing member.

When I built the barn I used 8d and 16d ring-shank nails. In this new construction I am using Phillips head 3-inch screws made for treated lumber. I prefer screws in most kinds of construction now because they are easier to install with a cordless drill-driver, My old elbow doesn't much like swinging a hammer. The holding power of the screws is far superior to that of even ring-shank nails. Another big plus is that they can be removed without tearing up the boards when I need to change something.

I have also used some "old school" tools on this project. When I needed to join a 4X4 and a 2x8, I got out my antique 1/2" auger. It was originally made for use with a hand brace but was modified to fit my drill-driver. When I needed to "adjust" the fit of some framing members, I got my antique framing chisel and what is as close to a "Boss" as I have. The large wooden mallets used by carpenters were often referred to as "Bosses".

These old tools, and really the whole process of repairing this barn, has caused me to recall and reflect upon the memory of an old gentleman from my boyhood: "Grandpa" Thurlow. I knew him when I was about 4 years-old. At that tim he was an old man and worked as the care taker of a cemetary. I learned later that he had been a builder and repairer of barns. He will, hopefully, be the subject of another blog post to come.

This is one of the saddest sights in rural America to my way of thinking: tumbled-down barns, once vital and productive, abandoned and in disrepair. It is a fact of life that a barn neglected long enough reaches the point where rehab is out of the question. Repair is simply too dangerous, not to mention too expensive. Such barns either collapse under their own weight or are knocked down and burned to make way for something else. This sad fact drove me to get to work on my barn.

On May 7, 2009 a small tornado went through our neighborhood. Thankfully, it did only minor damage to our house. It did blow a large red oak tree onto the back end of our barn. The damages were covered by insurance so we had the house repaired. We did not however have the barn repaired, choosing to use that part of the proceeds to pay toward our mortgage.

The tree cutters removed the large oak tree in pieces and laid them out around the barn and in the adjoining pen. They also removed a two-trunk locust tree which turned out to be a windfall (no pun intended). From the trunks of the locust tree I cut four hefty 8-foot fence posts.

After the tree cutters did their work, I turned our four growing hogs into the pen behind and along side the barn. They did their job admirably; rooting up and devouring the vegetation that had grown up amongst the stumps, chunks, and rocks. On Monday of this week I began the process of demolishing the portion of the barn that needs to be removed in order to rebuild the barn.

Now, before you judge me harshly for taking so long to address my tumbled-down barn, let me hasten to note that I am prone to think long on a project before actually getting into it. I have to take the project through a process that is part cogitation and part gestation before cutting the first board, digging the first hole or, for that matter, writing the first word. Perhaps I should also add in my defense that I did use a strong rope and my truck to pull down part of the crushed structure several months ago. The resulting CRASH and cloud of dust left me more than a little leery about proceeding without some serious thought.

And so it was this past Monday morning found me standing out in front of the barn, crow bar in hand much like Saint George sat on his horse, lance in hand, before the dragon. It was a very cold morning and I sort of felt like I was wearing armour wearing insulated overalls and a hood. But I warmed up quite nicely as I worked and by the end of the day, I had made very good progress.

At end of day one.

Tuesday was the last day of Christmas vacation for the oldest granddaughter-in-residence so, in her mama’s absence, it was my job to watch over her. That worked out very well in that I was absolutely too sore to go out and do battle with the barn two days in a row. My hands were the biggest proble I had worn good work gloves so they weren’t cut or nicked. I hadn’t picked up any splinters. But oh, the joints were sore! Just trying to make a fist hurt.

It made be think of something I’d read. In his book You Can Farm, Joel Salatin makes the point that age is an important consideration as one contemplates any agricultural endeavor. Well, duh! Sure it is! It is an important consideration as one contemplates any number of endeavors, but the fact is I’m never going to be any younger than I am right now so I’d better stay after it!

I was back “after it” this morning and made a lot of progress. The first thing I did was move all the used building materials stored in the barn out and into my trailer. There wasn’t a lot of stuff, but I didn’t want it underfoot. Then I proceeded to haul out all the barn parts that I had taken down earlier and placed them in the trailer as well. I continued to do that as the day progressed in order to keep from stepping on a nail. Stepping on a nail protruding from one of those boards could ruin an otherwise golden day.

When I quit working on the barn today, most of the back half of the barn was stripped of siding, stringers, rafters, and roofing. Now it is dark out, supper has been eaten and the chicken house shut up. And I can feel the stiffness setting in. As the Lord would have it, tomorrow I am scheduled to watch one of our other granddaughters which will provide me a perfect opportunity to rest a day before returning to work on the barn.