Next up on this project we installed the original pole rafters. What a treat.
The visual affect of the added roof is striking. Suddenly our two little log cabins have now united and become a massive barn.
Originally posted 2015-03-17 12:51:04.
A barn in the mist.
The logs are now all in place. Next up is the roof and then the extensions. She is starting to come together.
But, I wanted to pause here for today and let everyone take in this photo. It was a moment in time that quickly passed. Thanks to photography I can once again revisit it.
It had rained hard the night before and everything was soaking wet. The sun was in the process of rising and burning off the morning fog. The masons always arrived first, it’s just who they are.
The site was always quieter without the noisy woodworkers around, with all their power tools. They would be arriving soon, and the stillness would vanish.
During the course of any given year here in Virginia there are maybe thirty “perfect weather” days. You know what I mean… 75 degrees, sunny, a few puffy clouds and a slight breeze. The trees are green, the flowers are in bloom, and somewhere is the smell of a freshly mowed lawn.
On those days it never fails that I will run into one or more people that spend their lives working inside who will tell me how much they envy me for “being out there”.
However on the remaining three-hundred-and-thirty-five days of the year someone will make the comment to me “I don’t know how you can stand working out in that… cold… or heat.. or snow… or rain… or sun… or mud… or whatever.
For certain there are many days where I walk out the door because I have to, because I did so yesterday and today’s weather isn’t much different. But, for the most part, once I am out there in it, and doing what I love, it’s the best thing there is.
I feel more alive when I’m out there.
Life, is out there.
I think we were designed to be “out there”, even when it’s not comfortable. I know it’s hard… our homes today are SO comfortable. I think that is the reason so many people have me build them small rustic places… it makes being outside easier.
On this particular day, the one seen in this photo, it was a miserable morning… everything was wet. Within just a few steps my shoes were wet and muddy. Gloves quickly became soaked. And then my hands without the gloves quickly became covered in dirt.
But the morning mist made it all worthwhile.
Those carpenters would miss it this morning. But the poor bank tellers, who only envied me on the perfect days, would never witness a moment like this.
Originally posted 2015-03-16 18:18:36.
One log “pen” is now complete.
And, the second one… is rising quickly.
Originally posted 2015-03-16 16:11:11.
And now one of the “pens” of this double pen log barn has reached one story tall in height.
There are a few things here that I’d like to point out…
First, that’s my oldest son in the foreground taking a photo of dad with his imaginary camera. (he, with the aid of his lovely wife, recently gave me my latest grandson). The days are long, the years are short.
Second, notice the square notching in the corners. It’s an easy notching technique to use and so it is most commonly found in barns built by farmers. Each course was pegged through these notches to secure the logs. (if you look close at the photo you can see pegs sticking up in each corner.
Finally, notice how disappointing a one story log structure it to the eye. All the horizontal lines found in a cabin only accentuate this problem. To me it looks like a cigar box.
A log cabin needs to be at least a story-and-a-half tall to be attractive.
Originally posted 2015-03-16 15:57:30.
The masons did a great job at building eight stone piers on which the two log pens would rest upon.
I would have preferred to have had a solid stone foundation, for the added strength, stability, and appearance, but that’s not what the barn originally had for a foundation… so, we stuck with the plan of “putting her back up as she had been”.
Originally posted 2015-03-16 15:23:00.
You know that you have picked the best site possible to build a barn when the road leading to that site looks like this. I do love a road with a grass center line… and a split rail fence on one side.
Originally posted 2015-03-16 14:53:42.
The double-pen barn had reached her new site and it was time to rebuild.
Has anyone else ever played a game called “pick up sticks’?
How about tinker toys?… or Lincoln logs? … you know… the toys where you dumped out all those pieces and then it was time to put something together?
Well, that’s how I felt when I gazed at this pile.
It’s a good feeling to know that you can still play even after you have reached adulthood.
Originally posted 2015-03-15 18:32:08.
It was a double-pen log barn…
Which meant that she was composed of two separate log structures… one little log cabin built close to another, and then, both were covered with a single roof. The space in between the two pens became a breezeway where farm vehicles could easily enter and exit.
It’s a genius method of construction that enabled as few as two men to build a large barn. Country folks “back then” were a lot smarter than most people give them credit for having.
I read recently where a poll revealed that one in four Americans today don’t know that the Earth orbits the Sun… now that is just sad. (It scares me for the future of democracy)
But anyway… back on topic…
All the logs in this barn are chestnut.
Most structures that are made out of chestnut were built in the 1930’s right after the chestnut blight wiped out all of those precious trees. All this newly dead wood flooded the market and became the building material of choice… it was abundant, easy to work, long lasting, and cheap.
Another benefit of chestnut is that it is light in weight, two men can lift any log found in this barn. If they had used oak, four men would have been required.
Today chestnut is very rare and highly sought after. It is only available through salvage and it is no longer cheap in price. It was a thrill for me to be surrounded by so much of it.
A final note with regard to this photo… notice our tags that are attached to each log. The individual logs were numbered carefully so that we could put this barn back up, just as she was.
Originally posted 2015-03-15 17:48:31.
Step one on our journey to disassemble this barn was to remove the old barn siding… we do this very carefully… it’s always handy lumber to have around so we don’t want to waste it.
And then we remove the metal roofing. It is an easier process than you might imagine and one that we always find it quite “invigorating”.
We start at one of the top corners of the barn roof and with a digging bar we start to “unroll” the roofing. It’s the same sort of process as opening a can of sardines.
About the time that we are a third of the way across the roof of the barn the metal that we have rolled up has gained enough mass that it will unroll the rest of the roof on it’s own momentum and leave us with one big pile of metal on the ground.
It’s quite a thrilling moment when it happens, especially for the man on the roof. There is a lot of noise, and tremendous shaking, and all kinds of things flying in different directions. lol
It’s the same thrill as you get when you are on a roller coaster. You have committed yourself to something and then find you are no longer in control. And once it’s over, you want to do it again.
A track loader then rolls over the metal pile, folds it a couple of times, and then the recycler generally pays us enough for the old metal to buy everyone some refreshments at the end of the day.
Originally posted 2015-03-15 16:19:44.
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.
