Five years ago this month I finished renovation work on the barn and the old house at the back of the property. I was looking for a picture to post tonight and came across the ones I'd taken during the project.
The old structure which was almost a hundred years old had almost reached the point of no salvation. It was listing to starboard and much of the siding near the ground had rotted.
The carpenter we've used for years pulled a Camel cigarette from his plaid shirt pocket, sat on the tailgate of my truck and looked at the barn for a long time. I've known him long enough not to bother
him while he's "studying."
After a while, he said, "I think we can save that old barn." Pulling the tape measure from his pocket, we took meticulous measurements.
He gave me a material list and then called a cousin who owned a sawmill and ordered the siding. We started off by ripping off all the old siding up to where it was solid. Then we replaced the foundation and the seals with treated lumber and get it as level as we could before replacing the siding with rough-cut sawmill lumber.
The work was slow, but it was a mild spring and we kept slamming nails. When it was finished, I was very happy we'd saved the old barn.
The old structure which was almost a hundred years old had almost reached the point of no salvation. It was listing to starboard and much of the siding near the ground had rotted.
The carpenter we've used for years pulled a Camel cigarette from his plaid shirt pocket, sat on the tailgate of my truck and looked at the barn for a long time. I've known him long enough not to bother
him while he's "studying."
After a while, he said, "I think we can save that old barn." Pulling the tape measure from his pocket, we took meticulous measurements.
He gave me a material list and then called a cousin who owned a sawmill and ordered the siding. We started off by ripping off all the old siding up to where it was solid. Then we replaced the foundation and the seals with treated lumber and get it as level as we could before replacing the siding with rough-cut sawmill lumber.
The work was slow, but it was a mild spring and we kept slamming nails. When it was finished, I was very happy we'd saved the old barn.
Dang, that must have been a ton of work. Looks really good though. Good carpenters, plumbers, mechanics are like gold.
ReplyDeleteIt turns out great Rick... you persevered and it looks awesome ;-)
ReplyDeleteYou've probably given that old barn another hundred years of life.
ReplyDeleteYour a Fixer upper! The barn still looks great. Amazing what can come from a tailgate and a camel.
ReplyDeleteLisa
The barn looks great. Reminds me of the small garage I have. My hubby remade the whole thing and it's now his art studio
ReplyDeleteCan I come & live there?
ReplyDeleteIt looks like an entirely new building. Your carpenter is a miracle worker.
ReplyDeleteI love stories like that! (Now come work on my barn, please).
ReplyDeleteCherdo
Cherdo on the Flipside
"Favorite Characters, Favorite Lines" on the A-to-Z Challenge 2016
Ah man, every man worth his salt would love to have that, she is a beauty. Shucks she was probably a beauty when she was listing to starboard. Y'all did a bang up job. It is nice to know someone who knows how to match rough cut stuff. Good work my friend.
ReplyDeleteIt's remarkable that you were able to save that old barn. It looks good as new. I wish more were like you and preserved old buildings.
ReplyDeleteHe was the right guy for the job and the old barn was worth saving.
ReplyDeleteIt' looks good. I thing you already posted about this as it feels like a deja vue but I could be mistaken. At my age a lot of stuff is a deja vue, lol...
Have a great day.
JB
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