Here is the link to “Part One” of Sweet little goat barn comes to the farm.
if you would like to read it first:
https://sweetteayankeefarm.com/?p=4552
Pretty things...
Having a hobby farm is HARD work! A gal needs some pretty things in her life!
I’m not one for jewelry, designer purses, or a closet full of shoes, lol!
The things that give me joy can be as simple as “the perfect red paint”…hahahaha
The functional aspects of a farm, keeping things organized, clean and well stocked, help make chores and everyday life run smoother.
But we are a HOBBY FARM…and I want it to be really cute too!
The first thing I painted when we moved to our farm…was the shed/garage, that you could see from my kitchen window.
Here it is, in the original color, but I could visualize it painted red, with shutters and little window boxes.
Once I found the “perfect” red paint color, I knew that would set the color scheme for the entire farm.
If you would like to read the post about “my she shed” restoration…here is the link.
https://sweetteayankeefarm.com/?p=2613
So when we started planning the restoration of our new little goat barn…I knew exactly what color it was going to be painted.
Cart before the horse...
Of course like any building or home remodeling restoration…the pretty stuff comes LAST, lol!
This is how the little barn looked the day they took it off the flat bed trailer.
Getting the barn off the trailer was a feat in itself! My husband Ken, used chains that were looped through holes in 6 x 6 skids.(timbers that were pointed at one end, like a ski}
They had used the skids as the foundation of the barn. Using skids the barn could be movable…kind of.
He hooked the chains to the tractor, and pulled the barn down the trailer onto a car ramp!
When that barn landed, the whole ground shook, lol!
Location, Location, Location...
We had the barn in the general location that was planned. But I wanted to be able to see it from my kitchen window…it only needed to be moved about 10 feet, lol!
Moving a solid wood beam barn 10 feet…”No problem says farmer Peter…we’ll use the poles.
The delivery guy had a few huge metal poles…old school “COOL” farmer tools.
Ken used the bucket on the tractor to lift the front of the barn up…just enough to get the poles rolled under it.
Then just like log rolling, they rolled that barn to the perfect location…the site line from my kitchen window, lol!
Demo Day...
The inside of the barn had old wall board covering the walls and ceiling. The wiring was the old cloth covered kind.
It all had to be pulled out…what a dirty job.
The grandkids took hammers and small crowbars to remove the paper like wall board. It came off in huge chunks..leaving behind hundreds of nails still stuck in the wood beams, later having to pulled out, one at a time!
Fall Carnival...
It was time for hosting our bi-annual Family Halloween Carnival, so the restoration of the barn would have to wait until spring.
But it was so fun to use the building as a prop for our spooky hay ride.
We let the big grandkids (third grade) put a scary ghost guy, half hanging out the door and bought some battery strobe lights to go inside.
They said “It was lame and wasn’t scary at all.” lol!
After the big barn had all the tables set up and the decorating finished it was dark outside.
I told the grandkids to go out to the goat barn and turn off the battery light….
They looked at each other and said to me “We’re not going out there in the DARK” ….hahaha, I quess it wasn’t all that “lame” after all, lol!
Top down...
On every country drive, you will always see an old barn, half fallen down…no roof.
When the roof goes, the barn is not far behind. So we knew the roof had to be fixed first.
Our daughter, Abbie, happened to be friends with our neighbors at the end of the field, Cassie and Jason.
She told us he was quite handy and had lost his job due to Covid.
He agreed to do the job and quoted us a “neighbor” discount price, for both the little barn and my garden shed.
We wanted a simple corrugated metal roof on both of them. As he worked on the roof, we planned the inside.
Interior...
Since we had torn out all of the old paper wall board and removed the ceiling, we had a clean slate.
The rafters were so beautiful, I didn’t want to cover them up!
The decision was made to leave them open. It was very cozy in there since we had the new roof.
On fb marketplace, there was an ad for used 12 inch wide cedar boards that had been removed from a house just one neighborhood over.
We bought the whole lot to use as interior walls.
By the time all the walls were done, it was so DARK in there.
Doing some research, I learned that the old custom of “barn liming” was still used today and had many benefits, such as pest control, and was safe for animals.
Mixing construction grade powdered lime with water…I made a natural “white wash”.
It went on clear, almost like milk. But as it dried, it turned white and set up like a light plaster type wash.
It took two coats…but I loved the results! (Lots of recipes online)
Openings...
The barn had window openings on three sides and a door on the fourth side.
After much “negotiating” I talked my husband into taking out the back window, and replacing it with a small cellar door that I had previously purchased and stock piled in the garage, lol
The front door to the barn was low. Having a second exit would be handy for cleaning and animal care.
This new little door, fit perfectly between the stud opening, on the back wall.
Of course I had to paint it on the inside and outside….the future goats needed something pretty to look at too, lol!
Windows...
There was a window frame on the West side of the barn. I found another old barn window and had glass put in both of them.
After painting the window frames inside and out, Ken hung them so the open windows could be secured from the ceiling rafters.
He stapled hardware cloth (a type of heavy duty screening) over the outside window openings so we could open the windows in the hot summer months.
Pretty as a picture...
And here SHE is!
The new back door, in fresh green to match the Red Shed door.
High gloss red with crisp white trim.
The front vent was covered with an old piece of plywood, we thought the vent was gone…nope! Perfectly intact!
Living Doll...
I made the shutters from 6 inch fence pickets, copying the ones our neighbor made for the backyard “she shed”.
A couple of patched up boards on the outside…a few coats of “the perfect” red paint, and she looks like a little doll house!
View from my window...
So now when I stand in my kitchen and look out the window into the back of the property, this is what I see.
Even on a cold, rainy, spring day, taking the picture, right through the window glass….
Oh my heart…
See you next time…for more adventures from a “wanna be farmer”
Fondly, Sandy
Lovely before and after! Love the recap view too! Really puts it all into perspective. It’s going to be adorable in the wintertime around Christmas too 🙂
Thank you so much Judith!
Fondly, Sandy
It looks great and your view is perfect! God is so good! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you and Amen!
Fondly, sandy