Starting our Barn Expansion

We didn't exactly plan out the location of our barn in wise fashion when we built it ten years ago.  We didn't consider elevation and as you might imagine, we happened to build it on the lowest part of the property.  When it rains (and it rains a lot here), the mud is ankle deep and it is an absolute pain to walk out to the barn.  You can tell the cows are not happy about it either.  Goats don't like to get their feet wet, so you can be sure they hate all the mud around the barn. 

We are going to attack this problem in two ways.  First, we are going to build a 12 foot roof extension off of each side of our barn.  This will give 12 additional feet on either side of the barn for the cows, goats and chickens to get out of the weather.  We milk IN our barn and like to keep it clean.  We don't like to leave animals inside the barn after milking as they are NOT good housekeepers.

We are going to put four 4 x 4's exactly 10 feet out to allow for a 2 foot overhang.  The first thing you want to do is ensure that your building will be square.  We verified this by using the 3, 4, 5 method.  This method is used to find a 90 degree angle and is based off of the Pythagorean Theorem.  This simply states that if you create a triangle by measuring 3 feet out and 4 feet down, when you connect the long side of the triangle and is measures exactly 5 feet, you have a right angle.  ( I should have paid better attention in Geometry class!)

Therefore, we got stakes, string, and a tape measure and staked out where the posts are going to go.  Tricia helped me (as my strong point is NOT math) and we got things squared up and marked.  We marked where the corner posts will go as well as the ones in the middle.

Although I am not a math whiz, I am a PhD. In this case that stands for "post hole digger."  I began digging with the post hole digger until they were buried 2 feet deep in the ground.  My neighbor showed me once how to use a Sharpie and tape measure to put markings on the post hole digger so that you don't have to stop and put your tape measure down the hole to see how deep you are.  This a a good 'hack' that saves lots of time.

It didn't take long.  Once the posts were in the ground, I used a level to make sure it was true and then put cement in the hole to anchor it.  One by one, we got them done.

The real tricky part is keeping the posts true until the cement dries.  Cows love to scratch on posts and I didn't want them to scratch against the posts and knock them all out of whack.  We remedied this by locking the corral and leading the cows in one at a time.  By baby-sitting them like this, they don't have an opportunity to get into mischief.

Now that the posts are in on both sides of the barn, it is time to move forward to the next step.  That step is fastening a header to the barn.  That header will support the rafters.  We may be on hold, though, as more rain is forecast for tomorrow.    We will keep you posted on progress.