Hobby Farm Honeymoon

Barn Renovation (2011) by Larry

I took vacation and went to the farm alone for eight days to help renovate the barn. Thanks to Todd's ingenuity, he, Josh and I were able to take the sag out of the barn roof this summer. Now begins the roof repair; there are holes and rotted areas of wood. We began on the north section, approximately 14' x 36'. Some of the rafters were weakened, so 2x4's were added for additional support. We soon realized the building was leaning 2 inches to one side which would cause our roofing to be mis-aligned. Again, Todd to the rescue. He attached a winch using some high tensile wire which we had on hand and pulled the barn back to square, and the finished roof will hold it there. First the wood shingles and 1 inch boards came off, and the 4' x 8' sheets of plywood went on. Next, the tar paper. We finished by screwing the metal to the roof. The south section is next, which is larger and in worse condition, but now we have a feel for what we are doing.

Note the holes in the roof. When a roof goes, so does the rest of the building.

Before starting on the roof, we needed to remove a small tree stump and a 20 foot steel tower that had originally been used for power to the barn. This was quite a job in itself.

The cedar shingles went straight into the bucket. Some were burned and some were saved for fireplace kindling.

2x4's were added for additional support.

We were surprised that under the shingles there was no tar paper or plywood - only four to eight inch wide boards with gaps be- tween them. Obviously, they didn't have plywood then, but we didn't understand why they left gaps, as there were places with only shingles and nothing under them. Our roof will be far more sturdy. (Later, I learned from a carpenter friend at work that the roof was built that way intentionally to prevent moisture build-up and rot.)

Tar paper.

The north section is finished.

barn continued