I feel ya. I'm a mild introvert (need occasional social interaction but in small doses) and wife is an extreme introvert. She could literally never talk to other people and be OK with it, I think. That's a strain on us sometimes; can't imagine what it'd be like to have complete opposite ends of the spectrum cohabitating.

Best of luck on the move.

All of a sudden, things are moving fast. Work is beginning on the new barn right on schedule. They dropped off a stack of trusses Monday, some doors and windows Tuesday, a BIG stack of lumber yesterday.
This morning, I woke up to the sound of a diesel idling in my driveway. It was the construction crew, waiting for it to get light enough for them to start work.

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The sun hadn't cleared the trees yet when they started laying out the foundation.

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By 8:00 AM they were ready to start boring holes for the poles.

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It started to rain about 1:00, so they knocked off for the day. They say they'll be setting the trusses and roofing on tomorrow, weather permitting, and filling the post holes with concrete on Monday. It should be substantially finished by the end of next week, except for the floor. Final concrete is scheduled for 10 days out.

Meanwhile, I've been wading through boxes of tools and hardware, trying to get some sort of shop set up in the basement of the house. This will make a decent winter shop when I get it finished, but trying to work when your tools are all in buckets and boxes is a beeotch.

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I got some pegboard up and primed it. This "shop" is nightmare-inducing for a guy who can't stand chaos. I had to take the workbench apart nearly down to the last nut and bolt to get it through the doors and into the basement.

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I unpacked some boxes of hardware and put up a few shelves to put them on. This helps. I can at least find SOMETHING.


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I was forced to buy a new tool. ;) I looked at used bush hogs and everything available either needed work or was too close to the price of a new one. I got this Land Pride because it's a well-respected brand, it's sold and backed by Kubota dealers, and it matched the color of my tractor. Went out to hog some bush with the Kubota, because my Ford isn't running right yet and I had to clear the space around the new barn construction area. The little Kubota handled the bush hog well enough, but I don't want to use it on a regular basis. I just need time to finish the Ford.

Barn construction day 2.


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I took the first 3 pictures at about 8:00 AM on day 2.


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I had to leave for a few hours. When I got home at 5 the trusses were up, the roof was on, and the crew was gone for the weekend. They expect to have it finished by Wednesday.

Barn build Day 3: Trusses are up, roof is on, and the girts, are all on, and they have some of the siding on. They would have had all the siding on, but the pieces for the north side were cut 2" too short. It took 2 days to get the right siding pieces cut.


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Barn build Day 4:

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The barn is nearly finished. All that's left is gutters, concrete, and doors. They should all be finished by next week. The solar installers have been alerted, I'm just waiting for a call to see when they can start.

Nice work. I wish my guys could build that fast!

So you have an opportunity to get a bigger shop, I hope you took it.

Luv this thread .... kudos to Willie .... and Patrick!

Awesome progress :)...

Beauty.

What did you size your barn for?

I sized the barn based on the space I have at the old place, plus the requirements of the solar panels. They require 1700 square feet of roof. It comes in at a little over my current footage. The cost played into it, too.

Ha! I’m terrible at remembering names. I have a name tag I used to wear at meetings that said, “Hi! I don’t remember your name either.”

That has the makings of a barndominium!

Is there a connection between the two structures other than just the man door?

It's been quiet here for the last few days. The barn builders are finished and we're waiting on concrete and garage doors. Gravel should be delivered today, and concrete tomorrow if the weather holds out.
Since July 23 I've been driving back to the old place on alternate days. The house needed cleaning, I need to get the engine back in the Speedster and so some brake work while it's still on the lift. I bring back a trailer full of barn and garage "stuff" on every trip. The new place is now packed, so I'm taking a few days to put up shelves and get things put away so I have room to bring even more stuff over.

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This is the inside of the new barn looking east. The garage door should be installed this week. The lift will go in the corner on the right.

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Inside of the new barn looking West. That big panel in the corner is the sliding door. This end of the barn will have a gravel floor.


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This is the old part of the barn. There is just room to get the Kubota and bush hog inside. I'm going to spend the next couple of days getting things off the floor and on to shelves.

Concrete day!




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A small crew began showing up at dawn, with a big skid steer and 20 yards of gravel.

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The rest of the crew, 10 in all, trickled in until about 11:00 when the concrete showed up.

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I was surprised the used a buggy instead of a long chute. The distance from the door is only 30 feet.

Concrete is finished and garage door is installed. I'm starting to move in.

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I doesn't look like anyone reads this thread, but I'll post progress anyway - for posterity. :D

I drive back to the old place every other day or so to get the old house ready to sell and haul back a trailer full of my garage/barn stuff. This has been going on for nearly 3 months. I've put over 3000 miles on my truck, dragging trailers back and forth (round trip is 100 miles). It's a bit frustrating because while I'm rushing headlong to get the move over with, Vicki is already painting the kitchen, as if the move was complete and all we needed was a housewarming party.

I read it!

Looking forward to the future installments; lighting, lifts, shelves and benches....

I'm following too, with more than a little envy!

why did you do the concrete after building the barn addition?

I'm reading every post, Patrick. The new concrete looks great. I was surprised at how quickly you were able to get that done. Back in my days at the Garage Journal (they dumped me because of a rant, the owner is pretty narrow minded) guys had more trouble with concrete than any other single item.

They seem to whine a lot though. Every garage is some kind of trophy to them. I guess if you use the place, get it dirty and unorganized once in a while, you just weren't with the program. Especially if you didn't get it in order for your next round of bragging pics.

Your new barn is terrific. I think you built it to use.