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So far Noah Bradley has created 1221 blog entries.
29 06, 2019

A double pen log barn… part 1

2019-06-29T10:11:49+00:00

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I have visited, and explored, hundreds of old barns over the years.

I really have… hundreds of them.

And, I have loved them all.

There is nothing else quite like an old barn.

They are magical places. Full of sights and sounds, and yes, smells, that you simply won’t find anywhere else. Maybe it’s just me, or the fact that I have so many fond memories of exploring my grandparent’s barn as a child. I just feel more “connected” when a barn is near.

If you haven’t been in an old barn in a while (or heaven forbid, you have never been in one)… make it a priority to go visit one. You won’t regret it.

It is sad that these antique structures are disappearing so fast from our landscapes. They just aren’t needed like they used to be… the large round bales of hay, which are so common today, turned out to be the swan song of these relics.

I watched a tv show the other night where a young man called a barn a “cow house”. I guess we are heading into a future where even the word “barn” will only garner confused looks.

I have restored a few barns over the years… a couple of them now serve as locations for wedding receptions, another one offers square dance opportunities, and yet another serves as a museum for a modern art collection. Not a single one provides a roof over the head of a cow though.

I have also rebuilt quite a few old barns as homes or cabins for clients…some of them were timber frame, some were log… they do make mighty fine homes… no doubt about it.

But only once did I salvage a barn and have the privilege of putting it back up as a barn. It was incredible. I had a great time. I learned a few things too.

I look forward to sharing it all with you this coming week.

So, let’s build a barn!

Originally posted 2015-03-15 15:13:02.

A double pen log barn… part 12019-06-29T10:11:49+00:00
29 06, 2019

Log kitchen

2019-06-29T10:11:48+00:00

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“I want a log cabin…

with a porch of course…

but mainly I want a huge cooking fireplace…

and I mean HUGE…

just like the ones found in kitchens that were located out back of colonial homes…

you know…

the ones you could almost get inside of and do your cooking.”

Originally posted 2015-03-14 18:41:58.

Log kitchen2019-06-29T10:11:48+00:00
29 06, 2019

Lost treasure

2019-06-29T10:11:47+00:00

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Years ago I received a call from someone who told me that they had an old farmhouse that had been the victim of a fire and he asked me if I’d be interested in salvaging the home.

The caller said that part of the home was an old log cabin.

He had my interest.

I made my usual mistake of asking some follow up questions… how old was the cabin? what species of wood was it made out of?

No one ever seems to know these answers… but almost everyone will respond with… “I heard it was built in the 1700’s… out of chestnut”. (For the record… I’ve never seen a log cabin from the 1700’s built out of chestnut, and I doubt if there is one)

The reason I ask for more information when someone calls is that 9 out of 10 times that I go look at a old building it turns out to be a wasted trip. As much as I love a good road trip, I’d rather spend my time building… or just hanging out with my family.

Driving to the other side of the state to look at a house or a barn can easily take my entire day.

I heard long ago that every successful door-to-door salesman rejoices with every rejection knowing that it’s all about the odds and that with each failure he is getting a little closer to that eventual prize. And, that is the attitude that I adopted with my adventures.

Even if the building I’m going to see doesn’t work out, I try my best to enjoy meeting this new person that is put in front of me, and savoring this new part of the state that I get to visit. I have seen more of the back roads of the old dominion than most, from the cotton fields of the southeast to the stone walls of the northwest… I do love Virginia… and the people that live here.

The first impression of this house (other than the charring visible outside of a second story window) was that she appeared to be a house out of 1920’s… “John Boy’s era”… “the greatest generation”… but certainly not the greatest period of Virginia architecture.

She was… a plain Jane.

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A journey around to the side of the house was a real treat though. The property’s owner had pulled away some of the siding to reveal a breathtakingly beautiful log cabin. Large logs, with full-dovetail notches, all heartpine. OMG

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Heartpine log cabins are the most attractive cabins that you will ever see, but they are very rare. Most weren’t cared for and either rotted away or the bugs ate them up.

Full dovetail notching is also very rare. Mostly found in books and not in real life practice. They are overly complicated to produce and their very nature, of bringing moisture into a joint and causing it to rot out, kept most people from using them in the building of their home.

I wanted this cabin.

Until I walked inside.

The cabin only comprised one end of the entire home, clearly built during a much earlier period. This section of the home was where the fire had raged. The entire cabin’s interior had been charred… not just blackened… but burned away.

The only salvage value here would be to take the logs to a sawmill and see what lumber could be obtained by slicing her up. I didn’t have the heart for that. So, I gave the fellow a couple phone numbers of people that do that type of salvaging and walked away with these three photos and the lost dream of what could have been one mighty fine cabin.

Originally posted 2015-03-14 17:02:43.

Lost treasure2019-06-29T10:11:47+00:00
29 06, 2019

This home broke my heart

2019-06-29T10:11:46+00:00

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I’ve attached three photos… the first two are of the house the day we met. The other was taken during her “finer days”.

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The house didn’t look all that bad as I approached from a distance but once I entered and began to explore, the more I realized that almost every piece of this incredible home, from the basement… to the rafters, was rotten or termite ridden.

She was still standing, but a complete loss.

🙁

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Originally posted 2015-03-13 16:04:08.

This home broke my heart2019-06-29T10:11:46+00:00
29 06, 2019

The smallest log cabin I ever built

2019-06-29T10:11:45+00:00

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The greatest joy in my life has been my three children.

When you are known as “the log cabin man” and it’s time to build your children a play house, what else do you build them other than a log cabin?

I’ve lost track of the number of times that I have moved this little cabin… but she still stands proud today, visible from my office chair. Her little logs are over two hundred years old. She has a copper roof to keep her dry and a stone foundation to hold her up.

It’s been a long time since any of my children have been able to fit inside, but I now have four grandchildren (so far) who one day will discover this magic little place.

Originally posted 2015-03-13 15:39:00.

The smallest log cabin I ever built2019-06-29T10:11:45+00:00
29 06, 2019

Michie Tavern

2019-06-29T10:11:44+00:00

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That’s pronounced “Mickey Tavern” for all those out-of-towners out there. 😉

Michie Tavern is a great place to visit, open to the public just about everyday and located about a half mile before you reach the entrance of Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson.

The Tavern offers tours of this historic structure, and from their kitchen they serve up some of the best fried chicken that you have ever tasted. It’s well worth the visit.

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The folks there have always been very kind to me and they will occasionally call up me for assistance with the upkeep of some of their historic structures. Sometimes they will offer me a piece of chicken or a slice of pie as extra incentive. It works… trust me. lol

The most interesting restoration work that I ever did there was replacing the treads on the Taverns staircase. The original treads had reached the point of structural failure, where they either needed to be replaced, or the public would be denied access to the second floor.

It was a very challenging undertaking.

Every tread was a different length and width, none were what I would refer to as a rectangle, and each was somehow wedged in place. The staircase was not designed for repair… it was designed to last forever… and if for some reason, centuries later, it did need repair… well… unlucky is the chap that gets that job!

And that, would be me.

I like a challenge, I like fussy things. But there was an added twist, this was a museum that was open to the public and they didn’t want to close it for repair. So, they asked if I could come in at night, after closing, and replace the stair treads.

OK… fine.

I came in that first night carrying my tools, as the staff, dressed in their 18th century clothing, came filing out. One of the owners of the Tavern was there to ensure that all was well and to show me how to lock up when I was done.

It was then that she felt compelled to tell me that she had on multiple occasions heard and seen ghosts within the house. She went into great detail about each encounter, and then I found that other staff members would join in and share their experiences. All assured me that these “guests” were friendly. Swell.

It took me almost two weeks of working a few hours each night to replace all the treads. I needed to be so careful not to damage anything as I struggled to remove the old treads that refused to give up the ghost, and then to create exact replacements, and then install them.

I never saw a ghost or a spirit there while I was working. I sure heard many pops and groans from the old tavern, each giving me a surge of adrenaline. My mind kept me plenty alert to my unusual environment… for sure. Sometimes I would turn my radio on just so I could focus on my work. After all, everyone knows that classic rock will protect you from ghosts.

I must say it was a rare treasured moment working there. Not many people have the opportunity to spend time alone in a historic museum. Not only is the house old, and decorated to be old, and furnished with antiques to recreate colonial America… as it was… down to the smallest detail… even the lighting felt like it was from another time.

If you ever get a chance to take a candlelight tour of a historic home, seize the opportunity. You will witness a different world. I did just that, for two weeks at Michie Tavern.

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Originally posted 2015-03-13 15:00:03.

Michie Tavern2019-06-29T10:11:44+00:00
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