Straw Bale/Timberframe Hybrid Monitor Barn

Butterfly Bait.

2011-11-01T23:46:00.000-05:00

Butterfly Bait. This is a type of milk weed that has infested our pasture. I missed getting a picture of the swarm of monarch butterflies that came in the week before I took this. I had gone out to mow, but Susan wouldn't let me mow this patch! Not gonna get a good crop of hay yer after year with farming practices like this, but the butterflies are happy!

Tumbling Composter

2011-11-01T23:38:00.000-05:00

My new composter. This thing is great. It turned our vegetable scraps into compost in three weeks! I'm gonna have a rich mix for the raised beds next spring! With food prices climbing, and big stores with their far flung supply chains, and the risks of large suppliers spreading pathogens, and the transport costs, we really enjoy gardening.

Image by suburbandollar via Flickr

2011-10-08T14:12:00.002-05:00

Here is the first of many loads of hay from our pasture. We can get one good cutting a year, the weeds take over too much after that! We enjoy being organic, but pay a price for that.

Susan Takes Honey for a walk

2011-10-08T12:54:00.000-05:00

It was a nice day, and Honey was kind of frisky. So out for walk they went.

Our 57 acres is divided into three basic segments. The lake sets in the center of the property, flanked by a sloping pasture on either side. North of the dam is a rocky, steep set of slopes cut in two by the creek flowing from our lake. It is thickly wooded, and almost impassable. We leave it wild, as a place for our deer and foxes and other wild-lings.

This Lob-lolly Pine sets across the lake to the left of the dam.

It is much broader than tall, and I should prune it a bit. It has it's own character though, and I'm reluctant to make any big changes. I may put a few more of these along this edge of the lake, but further back from the water.

Rooting around under the tree

Honey found something tasty under the pine tree. Susan couldn't tell me what it was, but Honey rooted there for a long time.

Susan was having trouble getting Honey to come along. Whatever she had dug up under the pine was just to good to leave behind.

This Stump is usually under water. Most of the time, only the small slivers of wood will show. I'm conflicted about taking out or not. The lake being low gives me a chance to get rid of an obstacle to the paddle boat, but it may serve as a fish gathering spot. What do you think?

Susan and Honey go for a walk

2011-09-07T19:20:00.000-05:00

Tyson

2011-08-01T21:52:00.001-05:00

Tyson has been growing, but I don't think he's going to be as big as his dad, Hickory. We got some bad news last week, when Hickory had a leash accident and died. We were so sad for his owner, he had Hickory for a long time, and loved him very much. Tyson's sad expression makes me think he knows, somehow.

The coming storm.

2011-08-01T21:46:00.000-05:00

This cloud had an unusual appearance to us. The under-surface seemed to roll. The storm passed to our north, and eventually produced a tornado in L'ville.

2011-08-01T21:40:00.000-05:00

I hate to admit this is in my front yard! It's a spot in the yard we have never been able to keep grass growing, due to the large trees that keep it in constant shade. The snake is a juvenile water moccasin. There was an even larger snake across the walk way, but it slithered off before we could get the camera. I am not fear-full of these snakes. They have a major role to play in ridding the farm of pests. We live between two chicken farmers, who have confinement houses with thousands of chickens. Field mice come running for the water in our lakes whenever the trucks come and the houses get emptied. I get a bit nervous, however, when they lay out on our sidewalk! This little guy isn't gonna be back.

Hay in the field.

2011-08-01T21:38:00.000-05:00

First cutting of hay this year went well. Better crop than expected.

Black Widow

2011-08-01T21:31:00.001-05:00

What a lovely creature. Wouln't you love to find this scampering around in your wood pile?

Dead Tree

2011-07-30T07:42:00.000-05:00

This is a tree along the path to snake lake. We had the brush cleared and the slag heap leveled out to reclaim that old strip mine and make it productive. The plan is to get some topsoil moved in there. This tree lost the fight for survival, it seems. the sun gets scotching hot reflecting off the shale slag left over from mining. This mine was done forty years ago, and nothing was required then to reclaim the property. We will have to rely on volunteer dirt haulers for now. Anyone local who needs to dump a load of just dirt, no trash, can feel free to donate. Check my profile for contact information.

Butterfly

2011-07-30T07:33:00.000-05:00

Allison took this photo. I love the color. I need to send her out on photo taking trips more often! My work has kept me so busy these past few years, I am relying on Susan and the kids to keep up with the farm chores. Our plans for building a timber-frame barn have been put on hold due to my stiff work schedule. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, however. Help is on the way at work!

Lilly Pads

2011-07-19T21:46:00.000-05:00

17 Years

2011-07-19T21:19:00.000-05:00

Sunset 19 July 2011

Our seventeenth anniversary.

2011-07-19T21:17:00.001-05:00

More of the floods. The Ohio is north of our farm, but the ground to our south is lower, and runs first to the green river. Flooding has the potential to leave us on a kind of island.

2011-07-19T21:13:00.002-05:00

This is from the spring flooding. Trees that were down from the big ice storm were washed and floated out of the ditches into the road.

Longest Day of Play

2011-07-19T21:11:00.000-05:00

Here Matt and Bridget show their form.

Gates

2010-12-12T22:23:00.000-06:00

I like the Wiki photo, but the fence looks like a lot of up-keep. The gates shown below are what Susan has chosen for the front entrance. I like the small pattern, should keep our small animals in, and small predators at bay. She has intalled the two long gates, and fence post, but the fencing is still rolled up on the ground.

Image via Wikipedia

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The fencing is just the right size for goats and sheep, to keep them from getting through when small.

These are the gates Susan wants to use at the driveway entrance.

Honey, the pig.

2010-12-12T22:13:00.000-06:00

Image via Wikipedia

Honey the pig. Look at how much she has grown. She loves tomatoes. Between our garden, and the neighbors, we had so much she got a treat most every week.

Spring Floods

2010-12-12T22:05:00.001-06:00

Drury Rd

Remember

If you can't see the pavement

Don't drive through it!

Honey

2010-05-21T07:53:00.000-05:00

This is sister Honey. She is smaller, lighter, a bit sweeter tempered. She has two notches on the right ear, and one on the left.

Straw Bale/Timberframe Hybrid Monitor Barn

2010-05-21T07:49:00.000-05:00

Here is Babe. She is a bit darker, heaver, and bit more aggressive than her sister. She has two notches in each ear.

Snow

2010-03-03T01:18:00.000-06:00

Matt, stockpiles his amunition for the great snow ball fight!

Jon makes his supply ready!

Bailey works on her defense strategy.

Jon lets the first one rip!

Milled Wood

2009-12-13T12:26:00.000-06:00

This is some of the milled wood for our project. David L. has been very busy collecting trees and helping the sawyer. Cold, and wet weather aside, they have put a major effort in trying to get it ready by the end of the year. Susan gave them a Christmas deadline, as a gift to me for the holiday. Now I have to meet the same deadline for finalizing the plans for the permit! Getting the cart ahead of the horse, I guess. But a barn permit won't be too hard, I hope!

You can see mud. So slick I couldn't get close with the truck, and had to slog through it on foot for these shots. I think the deadline may have to be a bit more flexible, but they are close to complete on the take off list, as it exists so far.

You may have noticed a big lapse in posts. Weather, work, school, family matters all have a part to play. Hopefully, we will get back on track as the new year starts. No big plans for the Christmas break here, we'll be together, and that's all that matters.

Bridget meets the pigs

2009-11-16T11:33:00.000-06:00

Bridget was at space camp when the pigs arrived, so she didn't get to meet them 'till the next day. She Seems a bit shy of them, as they were of her.

Pigs

2009-11-15T06:45:00.002-06:00

Here's our newest additon to the family! Two of the four pigs we picked up from Winchester, KY this weekend. They are Tamworth-Red Wattle mix, two gilts, and two barrows. I haven't ever raised pigs myself, just been around them from my various uncles' farms when I was little. So this will be an adventure! Will keep y'all posted!

Frost Protected Shallow Foundation

2009-11-12T07:50:00.000-06:00

I've been spending many man-hours working on the plan. We spoke with a concrete contractor regarding the footers, and he had some interesting facts to share with us. The first fact was the two foot [24 inch] frost depth required for footers here. I had been thinking about the amount of concrete we'd need to adequately support those big posts, and had settled on 12 inch depth, 36 inch square footers, but to avoid using excess concrete, we were planning on laying each footer on a bed of ruble 12 inches thick. The local code, however, requires a depth of 24 inches for a footer. No matter, we can accommodate that. But I recalled something I had come across before regarding shallow foundations, and frost protection I'd like to share.

A frost-protected shallow foundation system was started in Scandinavia. They use rigid foam insulation set around the outside of the foundation to protect against frost heave. Such shallow foundations reduce costs several ways. First, you have less excavation and backfill. You can use significantly less concrete by not needing to pour footings below the frost line. Since we plan to use in-floor radiant hydronic heating,
it just makes sense to combine the insulation of the surrounding foundation with the slab insulation.

Katherine Bailey

2009-11-05T07:42:00.001-06:00

More of my Dark Angel.

My Dark Angel

2009-11-05T07:00:00.001-06:00

So hopeful of a good night collecting treats!

She was not disappointed.

Fall Color

2009-11-04T19:38:00.000-06:00

Here's a little taste of our fall color.

Sunrise

2009-11-04T17:07:00.000-06:00

3 Nov 2009 Sunrise.

Piggy's BBQ

2009-10-31T14:18:00.000-05:00

Located on East Bound Interstate 70 on the Left Side

at Mile Marker 199.6

Traveling through St Louis area this week, we see this bill board on I-70 East. We've eaten there before, and Allison wants us to pick up some sweet sauce for home. We had the best slab of pork ribs I've ever tasted! Check it out sometime, if you're in the O'Fallon, MO area. Check out their site. [see links]

or click...

Piggy's BBQ

Post Footings

2009-10-20T02:12:00.000-05:00

I have been working on finalizing the footing plans for the twenty posts we need to put up for our barn. I have a grave concern for rising damp. The antique wood we have, and the new posts we are making out of our felled poplar trees deserve to remain dry. I have seen the damage done to those components of the barn that were in contact with ground, and the amazing preservation afforded those posts held up off the ground by a simple rock footing. The rock, having been much denser than concrete, didn't exhibit the rising capillary action of water near as much.

This capture from SketchUp shows a compound footer made up of 12 inches of compacted stone and a 36"X36"X12" concrete filled FastBag from FabForm. We will dig out 20 holes, 12 inches deep, by 36 inches square, to hold the rock, [Thank goodness for the back hoe!], compact it with a hand tamper, and set the bags over the rock. That will give us effective 2 foot deep footers with half the concrete.The bag is waterproof, and will prevent ground moisture from entering the concrete. We will place a moisture barrier under each post, likely a square of EPDM, to serve as a backup.

New power lines

2009-10-13T21:14:00.000-05:00

Here's the first new pole, line threaded through the insulators, but waiting tension. The workmen reminded Susan not to mow over the power lines laying on the ground. I'm glad they mentioned that! Who knows what Susan may have done without that little warning.

2009-10-05T14:37:00.000-05:00

This is a great example of a corner support for timberframe. I have so many nice corner pieces from the Johnson's barn, we should be able to use them in the stall areas. Our horizontal beam will be two 2x12's, with the corner brace sandwitched between them. The post attatchment will be let in somewhat like this picture. The strawbale wall will be outside the timbers, as seen here. I'm getting so anxious to start!

Mom's Home Office

2009-09-25T09:19:00.000-05:00

Mom's Home Office:

Susan has decided to put me onto a smaller project, to do this first, and then get our skills up for the big job. I think that's a fine idea, but boy do I wish she'd had that brainstorm earlier! No matter, it will be a small project, and get our skills up, like she said!

The better reason to do it, is it will be next to my Wood Shop, that building to the right in the drawing. This view is from behind, where there will be a small area behind the shop like a secret garden. I'll pop a door out the back, and make a great spot for us, away from the constant eye of the kids.

Workin'

2009-09-18T07:07:00.000-05:00

Been working, mostly. Not much progress to report.

I've been working at the hospital, and Susan has been busy with kids and school activities. David L. has been here a few hours each day working on another project, we are reclaiming an old strip pit that was left here 40 years ago. The area we are working on lies on the southern border of our property, and includes a spill pile of tilings that forms a dam between two lakes. The southern most lake is a strip pit, and lies mostly on my neighbor's land. The fence between our properties actually runs through the shallow lake. The pile of tilings rises much higher than the water level, it is so devoid of organic matter, even weeds will not take hold on it. David has been scraping it down, pushing it north and south into a small ridge, and then adding some topsoil over it so it will grow something. It is tedious work, but he is doing such a nice job. I wish we could devote more time to the barn project, but with me stuck at work so much of the time, and Susan and the kids going strong with school work and activities, I'm afraid it is going to be slow movin' for a while.

Cedar Trunk

2009-09-10T23:12:00.000-05:00

This one isn't so big, but will make some nice T&G boards for a closet or for the kitchen. We've got a larger cedar in the area below the dam I may be willing to take down for some ceiling planking. I think that would be a good use of it.

Post & Beam outhouse

2009-09-07T20:12:00.000-05:00

This comes from another site, they used this little set up to make an outhouse. I'm thinking about a composting toilet, like the one on the British show "It's not easy being green". I like the looks of this, but I'm not to sure about the utility of those through tenons on the bottom.

Corner braces

2009-09-07T20:03:00.000-05:00

These are four by four knee braces from the antique barn. The will come in very handy in the stall sections of the timber frame. No matter how beefy the large timbers appear, we need resistance to racking at the corners.

SketchUp revised versions

2009-09-07T13:07:00.001-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

I have been getting more confident with SketchUp. I can't say enough about this program. As you can see, We plan an upper floor. Stairs are yet to be inserted. The loft doors on each end will be flanked by windows. I need to frame up supports for a bale lift, a beam extending out from above to hang a block and tackle from, above each end door. I also plan to put a pass-through from above each stall. And then comes the roof! The question is: trusses versus site-framed rafters, in the post and beam style.

The bottom view shows some features of the foundation. Each of the twenty upright posts will need a firm footer. I have planned for three foot square footers, 24 inches deep. The county building inspector will no doubt have a significant say here! My plan is to dig a trench for the outer perimeter footing, that will support the bale walls. It will be 24 inches deep, and 24 inches wide. The outer wall posts will set on the inner edge of this perimeter footing, with a bump-out three foot long and 20 inches wide, so a full footer will support each of those posts. I will ask the county inspector about rubble trench technology. We may be able to decrease the amount of concrete yardage by using compacted rock in the trenches. * Finally, the foundation will be insulated with EPS [expanded polystyrene] boards, and protected from rising damp with a good vapor barrier.

Pasture wild flowers

2009-09-03T14:00:00.001-05:00

The pasture is awash in yellow. Our pasture program has been "organic" to point that we grow almost everything but hay! I'm not sure what we can do to remedy this problem.

Another big tree falls.

2009-09-02T19:51:00.002-05:00

A very large poplar, mature, and leaning, will make several good beams.

Lakeview

2009-08-31T22:34:00.001-05:00

A hazy day view from the middle of the dam, facing south, across the lake to the peninsula the house sets on now. Someday, our dream home will set there.

Lake time fun

2009-08-31T22:22:00.001-05:00

The water is warm, the dogs want to play too, and there is nothing funner.

Smaller posts and Beams

2009-08-31T21:58:00.001-05:00

We have been slowly culling the smaller posts from the pile, and here's a picture of some of the resulting items. I am so pumped! These are in such good shape, and have hardly any cuts, or defects, or nails.

Wood braces

2009-08-31T21:55:00.006-05:00

These are 4X6 corner braces from the barn. There must be twice as many still in the pile at the site. They will come in handy when the time comes. The holes you see are from wood bees. Most of the wood is poplar, but some is walnut, few are oak.

A few pics

2009-08-23T23:45:00.001-05:00

Here are some pictures I've wanted to share.

David L. Spreading some seed on the barn site. We want something to hold the soil in place, and as things go, we are a slow moving crew. The several weeks it will take for fescue to grow will be used gathering more wood for the basic frame.

This will be the tree centered in our turn around at the end of the driveway. It's quite large, and despite having a little lean, it is very sturdy. Below is a photo of her leaves. Any good tree aficionados out there able to give me an I.D. ?

Susan, the prime mover.

2009-08-23T23:44:00.001-05:00

Susan has been the prime mover on this project. I may be the imagineer, but she makes it all come to life. That is a 30' trunk from an eastern ceder she is setting on. It came down after the Kentucky Ice storm in February this year. [That is a whole 'nother story!] I'm not sure what we'll use this wood for, probably mill it into boards for the bathroom walls, and for a small closet.

My little blue tractor is her second best friend. She manages to get it to do things I would never think to try. Somehow, I seem to get it stuck in a mud hole whenever I use it! Sometime when I know she isn't looking over my shoulder, I'll tell the story of how our first little blue tractor ended up!

She's a beauty! [I refer to the upper photo!]

Tulip poplar trunk

2009-08-22T14:23:00.000-05:00

This sucker is 60 feet long, and 22 inch diameter at the small end! It was standing in the wood below our dam, damaged by the winter ice storm. Most of the top had been broken out of it.

Pics from earlier in the summer.

2009-08-21T04:23:00.000-05:00

Jonathan, moving so fast, he's just a blur!

Matthew, doing what he does best!

Jonathan, showing disbelief as Matt lends a hand.

Jon helps take out the Sumac

2009-08-21T04:19:00.001-05:00

My boy Jonathan turned out to be a real trooper. It was like pulling teeth to get him started, but then once he got to going with that pole saw, he made quick work of that stand of sumac. I had knocked as much of it down as I could, with the tractor and bush hog, but the center of the stand had too many years to get established.

He was proud of himself, and I of him. I'm glad I've got him to lend a hand. We both got a rash from this stuff, but easily treated. I've got some pictures of the bonfire we had latter, I'll post them sometime.

My little buddy

2009-08-20T00:55:00.001-05:00

Katherine Bailey and I ride our Kawasaki Prairie 400 four wheeler for the first time in years! Just got it back from the shop, for the umpteenth time! And thank goodness, I got a hold of the keys before my boys did! We ride slowly, and safely, just take established trails and avoid any steep grades. Don't get the wrong idea here, I don't advocate breaking the safety rules!

Basic Tiberframe

2009-08-19T03:02:00.004-05:00

This is an early rendition of the frame I want to use for our monitor barn. I'm new to Google Sketchup, so it takes me quite a while to make a rendition. I still have a lot to learn. This should give you some idea about what we are thinking.

The road takes shape.

2009-08-19T02:55:00.003-05:00

David L. has been shaping the road. The east pasture slopes up from the lake at a pretty good angle, and continues uphill past our fence on to the next property. We just finished renovation of the fence on that property line, and now have been putting the driveway in. David L. is our land sculptor. It doesn't look like much in the photo, but the undulating hills and steep slope has been giving way to a nice, smooth, relatively flat, and happily well drained roadway. We have had the wettest summer this year! Despite all the rain, erosion while working the soil has been kept to a minimum by David's keen eye for level and true.

Timberframe Monitor Barn

2009-08-09T07:57:00.002-05:00

This is my inspiration. Beautiful, isn't it. I downloaded this so long ago, I have forgotten from where. If it is yours, and you want me to remove it, just make a comment below.

Fall color

2009-08-09T06:59:00.002-05:00

Jonathan took this closeup photo of the wild flowers overtaking our pasture.

Some of the smaller dimension boards.

2009-08-09T06:11:00.004-05:00

These are some of the smaller dimension boards. Less than ten percent of the haul is represented here. Will have more new wood to use also, as we have a few trees we had to take down for the building, and the road. Losing a great tree can be very sad, but then being able to use the tree to some other purpose helps lessen the blow. It supports greening the environment by sequestering the trees built up carbon content.

More wood arrives.

2009-08-09T06:04:00.003-05:00

More, and more each day! These posts are great. Some have a bit of dry rot, but will be able to save sections here and there. The work goes slow, but it's worth it. There are dozens of small dimension boards, like 3X3's, 2X4's, and 4X4's. I've got a magnetic metal detector to help find the nails, lots of work to come!
The road work has been progressing well. David has made quick work of the uneven trail we had been using, and now have a flat even roadway to the site. Soon will come leveling work on the pad.

20 feet 8 inches long!

2009-08-03T01:35:00.005-05:00

I love these large posts! Now we need nine more! I know we'll have to produce some new posts, from the timber we have on the farm, but I'm figuring how to use the antique wood where it will be seen, and any new wood will be somewhat hidden.

Suzie Johnson's Barn Wood

2009-08-02T23:38:00.002-05:00

These are some pictures of the wood from the old barn we are having torn down. There are eight 12X12 posts that are in good shape! I am so pumped about this project. I've been rethinking the basic plan of the barn, since we have made the switch to using the post and beam system. I am a decent self taught draftsmen, but I'm not interested in redrawing all the plans by hand, so I have been spending some time learning Google Sketchup. I had looked at the program some time ago, when it first came on-line. I didn't take to it very well, but now that they've ramped it up quite a bit, and I have a reason to take the time to learn it, and it is great! I suggest anyone who wants to draw look into Sketchup. I use a mac, and the combination is powerful! I'll need to post some example sketch-ups.

Jonathan rides Midnight

2009-07-24T21:40:00.001-05:00

We had adopted some Mustang colts a few years back. Four yearlings, two males, two females. The black male was special. He had a beautiful coat, and nice form. We had him geld, and had him trained by a horse whisperer to the point of accepting a saddle. He was young, and wasn't ready to have a rider at that point. The next spring, when it would have been time for a rider, my boy Jonathan called his mom from his cell. He was down in the corral, on Midnight, and wanted her to come see! She led them around a while, had a great time. Here's a picture.

Aerial View

2009-07-24T19:47:00.000-05:00

This is an aerial view of our lake and the Hovel. You can see the dam to the lower left area of the picture, and the entrance road to our property snaking down from the upper right. You can see from this photo why we want to keep the main house on the current site, it is ideal. Our problem is, there is no area to work unless we remove the current structure.

The beginning:

2009-07-24T07:23:00.001-05:00

Our little hovel of a home was intended to be a brief stop on the road to building our dream home. We made the purchase of our dream sixty acre farm understanding the house was less than satisfactory. Our kids were young, and the farm is beautiful, and we can do anything.... Nine years latter, the kids are bigger, the double wide trailer is smaller, and we have yet to start our dream home project!

Don't get me wrong, the last nine years have not been without significant changes and challenges. A new baby, the last of five for us together. A new years fire, a total rebuild of the first floor and roof mandated by insurance. [Can't just pay off the mortgage and build new! That might promote fraud.] Our oldest moving out, leaving two adults, five kids, several dogs and cats, to spread out in the spacious double wide on a basement in these western coal fields of Kentucky. The kids want more room, we want more privacy, but all express a certain nostalgia for the closeness of our current digs.

After many months of deliberation, hesitation over the current economic market, and years of changing plans, we have finally decided on a strategy to attain our ultimate goal. A family home, here on the best site among the 60 acres, the current site of our little hovel. Susan has decided on a house plan she likes, I have been reluctant to commit, as it is quite large... but with the prospects of our five younger kids having to stay past the high school years, or perhaps return to the nest latter in life, size may be important down the line. My prime concerns are for sustainability, and affordability.

We will need to tear this one down to do the build. The house sits on a peninsula that jutts out into our own three acre lake. We have toyed with renovation, or staged building and tear down, but the only feasable option is to start with a clean slate. To that end, we will need alternate housing for a prolonged time.

The answer... Build the barn we need, but fit it out for us to live in 'till the new house can be done. Now comes a whole new set of challenges. How to build this structure with as little debt as possible, saving the debt burden for the ultimate goal. How to satisfy my desire to build in a sustainable fashion. And how to get this project on the fast track, as we don't want to spend many more winters in this current box! Specifics to come latter.

Straw Bale/Timberframe Hybrid Monitor Barn

Butterfly Bait.

Tumbling Composter

Related articles

Related articles

Susan Takes Honey for a walk

Susan and Honey go for a walk

Tyson

The coming storm.

Hay in the field.

Black Widow

Dead Tree

Butterfly

Lilly Pads

17 Years

Longest Day of Play

Gates

Honey, the pig.

Spring Floods

Honey

Straw Bale/Timberframe Hybrid Monitor Barn

Snow

Milled Wood

Bridget meets the pigs

Pigs

Frost Protected Shallow Foundation

Katherine Bailey

My Dark Angel

Fall Color

Sunrise

Piggy's BBQ

Post Footings

New power lines

Mom's Home Office

Workin'

Cedar Trunk

Post & Beam outhouse

Corner braces

SketchUp revised versions

Pasture wild flowers

Another big tree falls.

Lakeview

Lake time fun

Smaller posts and Beams

Wood braces

A few pics

Susan, the prime mover.

Tulip poplar trunk

Pics from earlier in the summer.

Jon helps take out the Sumac

My little buddy

Basic Tiberframe

The road takes shape.

Timberframe Monitor Barn

Fall color

Some of the smaller dimension boards.

More wood arrives.

20 feet 8 inches long!

Suzie Johnson's Barn Wood

Jonathan rides Midnight

Aerial View

The beginning: