build-a-barn ~ a months progress

It has never been more apparent then in recent weeks, how many times you have to dig the same piece of ground in the building process. You dig it, fill it in, re-dig, re-fill - just to dig it up again!! 

My last barn update was over a month ago. The guys dug a trench, and poured a support "wall" for our room. More (re) digging was required for services to go inside the barn. Brad rented a mini-excavator to get that part of the job done...

front room is dug up for services
from house to be connected

stall side wall gets dug up for water to run off outside

stall wall pvc pipe is secured

outside gets re-dug for pipe extension

We did a lot more then dig this past month. Brad & I hung up insulation, and covered it with plastic. What an itchy mess that was, altho we were well protected. Our daughter came out to help us hang tongue & groove board. Things go much faster with an extra pair of hands!

long outside lower half of wall is done

Brad and I set the second half of the wall using two ladders. The boards are super heavy, especially the ones that aren't completely dry. Wish I had the upper body strength and nerves to climb an even higher ladder, to finish the top row. Sigh. 

so much done, and yet so much wall left to do
including the end walls, and trimming

The horse side required a lot of work done for sections of concrete (not the stalls) to be poured. Last weekend Brad needed "fines" (ground up rock, that compacts) scooped from a pile outside the barn, brought inside, dumped in strategic locations, and spread. Our son was too busy to help, so he asked me to run the bobcat for him :)

Nothing like coordinating 2 feet and 2 hands to raise,
 lower, move and spin ~ including inside the barn!
 Yikes, thank goodness I didn't hit anything!!

It was tight (for me) near the floor drain that was already set

while I hauled, Brad compacted

and compacted

and shoveled
(my view from inside the bobcat,
waiting to finish dumping the load of fines)

I got better and faster with the bobcat as the day progressed, except I kept hitting the horn accidentally. It is strategically placed on the back side of one handle. Scared the crap out of me every time. We had us some good laughs!! 

front room has gone through multiple phases
to get to this stage

more digging happened to connect key areas
Brad also framed the other room(s) floor

plumbers did some work (and of course digging!)
the pressure tester is temporary

The last photo was taken yesterday. That pretty much sums up a months progress on the barn. Whew, didn't think I would ever get this post written! Thanks for reading and scrolling along. Hope everyone is having a great weekend, and enjoying better weather then we are ~ brrr!!

.......................................................................

View other Build-a-Barn posts to date.