The silo was originally connected to a large dairy barn… both built about the same time, likely late 1920’s or somewhere in the 30’s.

The farmer would raise corn and then use a conveyor to fill the silo through the window opening in the roof. The corn would then be shoveled through one of five openings located on the barn side, to feed the milk cows throughout the year.

Corn went in one end of this structure… milk came out the other. Pretty cool huh? And there I thought milk came from the grocery store. 😉

This barn was ready to collapse at an moment. We did not salvage any material from it, and frankly, we were relieved that it did not fall while we were there salvaging this silo.

Originally posted 2015-05-03 15:35:29.

Here are a few photos taken the day we started our process of dismantling this silo.

She, and the barn she was connected to, were destined to be burned down. If we had not taken her down then, all that would be left of this structure today would be these photos.

Originally posted 2015-05-03 15:15:35.

A while back I shared with everyone the re-construction of an eleven-sided silo, and the process of building an “undecagon” stone base for it to rest on.

Well, I just found a packet of old photos that I took of the silo as she originally stood, and of our salvage operation of it. I think you will find it of interest (if not, just sort of tune me out for a couple of days ;).

I apologize that this is out of order… I feel a bit like George Lucas in that now I am releasing the prequel… lol. I promise there is no Jarr Jarr Binks characters.

So, to start, here are three of photos of the reconstruction to remind you of the finished product.

Originally posted 2015-05-03 14:15:07.

I found an old barn door that fit just perfectly on this cabin.

It was a very old door, with a wooden lock, hand forged hinges, and two horizontal battens on the inside holding it together.

The quickest way to date a barn is to look at it’s doors.

Originally posted 2015-05-02 14:37:35.

Originally posted 2015-04-29 13:23:36.

Just about everyone knows that Thomas Jefferson built Monticello.

Well, everyone that lives in Virgina that is.

For everyone else, just look at the back of a nickle… that’s Monticello.

But what about the guys that actually built it? You know, the guys with the saws and the hammers? (The tour guides there never seem to mention the carpenters). Did they go on to build something after Monticello?

The answer to that question… Yes, yes they did.

Their next project was this private home in Western Albemarle.

I spent more than a year of my life restoring this massive home. It was quite an experience… but I must confess that by the time it ended I was aching to build a small cabin on some mountaintop.

Originally posted 2015-04-29 13:17:06.

This is a Virginia “foursquare” house.

This style of farmhouse was quite popular in the last couple decades of the 19th century.

Almost always white in color, they had four main rooms downstairs, and four matching ones upstairs, with each room offering a fireplace and ten foot ceilings. There was also a grand hallway in the center with a highly detailed large staircase.

Originally posted 2015-04-29 12:45:48.

“Aren’t you afraid?”

I’ve been in hundreds of old houses and various other farm buildings over the years.

In fact, I believe that the actual number may be well over a thousand.

I consider myself to be a blessed man to have seen and touched so many.

Most of these antique structures that I have visited were in various stages of disrepair.

Some, were near collapse.

Many had “bad spots” where a person could “disappear through the floor” if a wrong step was taken.

Some of these houses were rumored to have been occupied with ghosts. (I’ve never seen or heard a single one)

I’ve been in a few houses that had signs of human vagrant occupation… perhaps an old tattered sleeping bag rolled out in a corner with a few cans of food nearby. So sad.

Almost all of these abandoned structures had some form of wildlife living within, such as mice, rats, snakes, owls, raccoons, squirrels, feral cats, etc.

Some were so full of “stuff” from previous homeowners that were hoarders that I would have to crawl above it all with my back rubbing against the ceiling. Trust me, I’ve seen it all.

I’ve been asked to sign release documents before entering a home to free the owners from liability should I get injured or die in looking the house over. That’s always comforting.

It seems that I’ve always been warned of the dangers ahead.

And, I’m often asked… “aren’t you afraid?”

The truth is that I’ve never been injured in any way from looking at an old house. Old houses are my friends, and I’m always excited to meet a new one.

But, there is one thing that I am afraid of… baby buzzards. Nothing will increase my heart-rate faster, nothing will put goosebumps on me with greater intensity, than even the thought of an encounter with baby buzzards.

Buzzards will often nest in the attic of an old abandoned home… if they can find a way in, they will be there.

I use the term “nest” loosely. They don’t build an actual nest, they just lay their eggs on the floor in the middle of the attic.

If I arrive at an abandoned house and buzzards live there, the adults will quickly fly away before I enter the house… I am now aware that there might be young in the attic… I don’t know for sure… but it is ever present in the back of my mind.

If the young are there I will eventually find out at some point in my tour of the home. They make an other worldly noise that will freak me out, every time. Their warning call is sort of a combination between a ghostly moan and a big cat growl… and it is loud enough to be heard throughout the home.

In order to give a house a thorough inspection I have to see the attic. Trust me, it is mighty uncomfortable to stick my head up into the attic with sounds of Marley’s ghost moaning away up there. But attic flooring can be the most valuable material in the entire home, this is not an area to skip over.

Baby buzzards have got to be the only ugly babies in the world. They are in the same league as those creatures that pop out of eggs in the movie “Alien”.

And, it gets worse.

Baby buzzards have a defense weapon. (I guess that’s because mom and dad buzzard abandon them at the first sign of danger).

These infants can hurl their eaten breakfast accurately up to twenty feet away.

When you consider that their breakfast was previously their parent’s breakfast, which was regurgitated for their eating pleasure, which was originally some long dead animal alongside the road, you can only imagine how nasty this projectile is, and how much you want to avoid being hit by it.

So, yes, I am afraid when I enter an old home, just not for the reason most people would think of.

All other fears pale in comparison.

Originally posted 2015-04-28 13:59:15.

I have two questions for you…

Why did they build an outside closet on this early 1800’s cabin? (it’s full of shelves)

And, why did they place the window where they did… off center?

I don’t know the answers… but I sure am curious.

Originally posted 2015-04-26 13:30:27.

I believe that there is no timber-frame more attractive than that of an ancient rural Mill.

Originally posted 2015-04-24 12:33:59.