When Mick got a salary job this year, we knew we wanted to use the extra income for our big-ticket purchases. (And for Christmas present splurging, but we got that out of our system by, well, Christmas.) We have a wish list of big and small items, and Mick thought we should choose what of all the purchases would make the biggest difference in our life -- "shoot the close targets first" kind of thing. We decided that the closest target was a barn. As we discussed this during a windy, snowy winter which destroyed our temporary fabric shelter so that we found ourselves stretching and tying tarps to try to keep the hay dry, we looked forward to a shelter for hay, tools, and equipment that would not get shredded in the wind or collapse under the snow. Mick was also looking forward to a space to construct and to putter (less mess in the house! no complaints from me), and an area set up specifically for bucking, splitting, and storing firewood that would also allow him to more easily save the sawdust for compost cover material.
Mick did a great deal of research and settled on a run-in shed with an overhang from Wood-Tex Products in Himrod, New York. He was impressed by the quality of their construction, and felt that the price was very reasonable for the materials used (including white oak framing) and a hassle-free, delivered, ready-to-go structure. So in January we submitted our plans, received our quote, and tightened our belts to meet our budget for the Barn savings account.
We opted to have a poured cement pad for a foundation. This would allow us to easily move heavy objects between the barn and the overhang by rolling or tugging.
So this is what the area looked like in 2011:
And this is what it looked like last week: (The wheelbarrow is in a similar-ish location to the rain barrel in the above picture.)
And then moving day finally came! My first view of our barn as they maneuvered it onto the driveway (I thought it looked huge! certainly taller than I was expecting):
Yarrow wasn't so sure about it.
Maynar seemed to enjoy watching.
It took a bit of finagling to get it around the corner, although they reassured me that they have gotten structures into much less convenient spaces than ours.
The trailer could be operated by remote control completely independently of the truck, which was amazing to watch.
They then slid the barn off the trailer.
They set it onto rollers so that they could then push it into position.
They did the fine-tuning positioning with a mule.
It was amazing to watch such a large structure be moved around so easily and precisely.
They did a great job lining it up on the pad!
They then constructed the overhang, which only took a couple of hours.
And now we're in the barn business!
One of our favorite things about the barn is how it has changed the view out the window, from...
...to...
Huzzah!
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