HEY... HAY Shed

Well, I am finally putting up the first phase of my pole barn. I am starting with a 30' wide x 30' long x 16' 6" ceiling hight hay shed which will be the center of my future barn. It is constructed in such a way that it will be easy to add on more length and sides when the time comes.

The contractor is really a cool guy and he has a good team of men working for him. It is refreshing to watch a team of guys work who really know what they are doing. They have lots of cool tricks to get the job done right. I especially like their string trick. They staked out the whole base of the building with criss cross string in such a way that there was no question about where the posts should go or whether or not they were in line. This picture doesn't do the process justice but does give you some idea of what I am talking about.

WOW... so cool! I must learn how to do that!

They first staked out the place. Then they dug the 5' deep holes and poured cement fittings. Then they placed the poles. Once they got them placed where they wanted them they braced them and poured cement in the holes around them.

While the cement was drying the guys went to work on the trusses. This was all done on a Thursday and Friday. They let the cement dry Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Then on Monday morning the assembled the roof... BUT... what is wrong with this picture?

Well, as you can see, they still need to raise the roof! It is all very interesting and I for one don't know how they are going to accomplish this. I will keep you posted and let you know how it works out.

TTFN :)

Tuesday 5/13/08
ALRIGHTY THEN...
Today I found out that THIS is how you raise a roof...

You get a half a dozen big, strong men, a big ol' crane, and a couple of really tall ladders, (and of course all the necessary accouterments... nail guns, drills, etc.).

All I can say is, BETTER THEM THAN ME!

This process took these guys all of 45 minutes! If the dogs wouldn't have woken me up by barking I would have missed the whole process... that would have been a shame.
It must be said that this skeleton doesn't look much like a barn! I am certain that even with the roof on it will look somewhat naked until the sides can be added, don't you think so? But, it is a great hay shed, eh?

MORE YET TO COME :)


Thursday 5/15/08
Cerra and I were visiting and remembering back to the days of the loafing shed when Nolan, Heather, Cerra and I worked together to build it. We were pretty proud of ourselves, (and rightly so I might add). You can see it lingering in the background of the pictures of the hay shed. This little loafing shed may pale in comparison to the hay shed but it has sure served its purpose well. Cerra spent a lot of time up on the roof of the loafing shed securing the sheet metal roofing. She can probably really appreciate this next picture...


Today they started putting up the roofing. There are 3 guys working on this project. Boy would I like to have some of the equipment that these guys have! It makes me want to start my own landscaping business just so I can get some for myself... like a front end loader, back hoe, one of those giant tractor driven augers, etc.Anyway... BETTER THEM THAN THEE, eh Cerra? (LOL)

After working all day on the roof the guys finally finished.

The commented to me that they have done several of these hay sheds but have never done a better job than they did on this one. I smiled and told them, "Oh, I'll bet you say that to all the girls!" (am I turning into my mother?). They laughed a little and then helped me move my little horse trailer. It is great when you find people who go the extra mile, eh?

Now all that is left is the clean up and loading the barn with hay for the winter! The guys will be back in the morning to collect their back hoe, trailer and trash. Then I'll rake the floor and start stock piling for the winter.

Now I just have to work a few extra shifts and save up the money to put the sides on and turn this into a real barn :)

Did I mention that ...

I HATE DIAL UP!!!

Almost Finished

When I moved into my home I had grand plans for an arbor to welcome people to my home. That was put on the back burner for a couple of years but about 5 years ago I started looking for the right arbor. I looked at plans, kits, pre-made, you name it. Try as I might I couldn't find what I wanted. I finally decided to just build it myself. After all, how hard can it be?

OH MY GOSH! Let me tell you, it is hard! The first thing I learned is that I am not a master carpenter. Seams and joints that should have lined up perfectly didn't. The next thing I learned is that if I think it is going to take a half hour it takes three hours! Despite all that, I am almost finished and here is the preview...
A fence like the one you see on the east side of the arbor will also be installed along the west side of the arbor. It is hard to see it in the picture but there is a climbing rose bush on the east side and I just planted one on the west side as well. Eventually the arbor will be covered with beautiful yellow and orange climbing roses. Won't that be nice?

Looking at the arbor from an angle you can see the lattice panels on the sides and the planks on the roof. You might have noticed that the fence is designed to mimic the lattice panels.

So, here is my dilemma. You will see in the next picture the peak of the roof looks somewhat unfinished. Do I leave it like it is or do I do something to make it look more finished?

I had wanted to attach a celestial looking sun decoration to each peak but I have not been able to find what I want. Instead I found a couple of plaques but I don't know whether or not to use them. I don't want to be thought of as cheesy, after all.

Here are pictures of the plaques. I included my hand so you can kind of gauge their size. The plaques fit perfectly at the peak of the roof and I like the sentiment. What do you think? Should I use them or should I just leave the peaks alone? Or... should I wait and try to find the sun decoration that I want...,
(keeping in mind that after 5 years I never did find the arbor I wanted)? OR... does anyone have any other suggestions?

Let me know what you think :)

Just so you know...

I HATE DIAL UP!!!

Babies come... babies go

It was nice having the colt around for a little while but he is gone now. Carolyn sold the mare with the foal at her side. Sooo... since I had baby fever (thanks to the colt) I found me some more babies! Six chicks that are still very tiny.
I don't know what kind of chickens they are but they are pullets so there is a 99% chance that they will be hens. Some of my laying hens are getting old... 3 have stopped laying... so I thought I would start raising up some new egg layers. And you all know how much I just LOVE chickens.

Was my baby fever satisfied with the chicks? Not hardly! I wanted something a little more cuddly and interactive.

MEET THE GIRLS...

Tulip is on the left and Lilly is on the right. They are Alpine doelings.




They were both born in April, about three weeks apart, so I decided to name them after flowers, (because, as you know, April showers bring may flowers).


Lilly is named such because she has so much white on her and Tulip because of the little tulips on her knees, (which you can see better in the next picture). Lilly is the oldest, born April 4th. Tulip was born on April 24th.
I don't have a lot of pictures of them because it is hard to get far enough away from them to get a shot. I really have to be quick. They want to be right beside me when ever I am with them. When I try to back up to take a picture they come a running.
I can't begin to tell you how much fun we, (the dogs and I), have with the chicks and the doelings. Rusty can not get enough of the chicks. Every chance he gets he finds his way into the chicken coop an presses his nose up against the pen the chicks are in. When they move he about goes CRAZY! Max is the same way about the doelings. He lays out by their pen watching intently until he can't contain himself any more and begins barking and running back and forth. It doesn't seem to bother the girls though. Gabby watches the doelings from a distance until I take them out of their pen. Then she spends her time heeling them. GOOD TIMES!

TTFN :)