Barn Door

Our goal this fall was to get the new barn door installed before winter hits. To say the least, this has been a work in progress. But thanks be to God, with His grace and the gifts of creativity and hard work, we achieved our goal.

We've been working in the barn yard since 2021. Once we got the corrals done, our plan was to change the barn loft into a living quarters. Now that's my kind of fun!

With a couple good days back home, we didn't waste any daylight.

Earlier this fall we built the steps up to the loft. Since then, we have set them in concrete and began to clean up the deck railing. 

Next up was the walk-in door into the loft, replacing the 4'x4' hatch.

A 36" metal exterior door was our unit of choice. 

So we took down the old hatch door. 

There was quite a bit of rotted lumber behind it. 

Then we removed the old header. 

And set some new studs and cut the opening for the new door. 

Then we replaced the header. This really isn't a weight-bearing wall. Each rafter in this barn acts as the roof and the wall. Regardless, we need a good header.  

Working with the siding was going to be the biggest challenge. We decided to recess the brick molding on the door and allow the siding to butt up against it. 

Should work.

Sure enough.

Fitting the door just right was a chore. Though in the end, it fit nicely. 

So we called it a day and had some homemade goodness. Thanks, Ma. 

Next day we tackled the siding. We had some leftover panels from the house that we cut down to size. Worked well .

Then caulked it all up good.

Later that afternoon we put a coat of paint on it, just so it doesn't stand out. The entire barn will get painted in the next few years, God willing. 

Giddy up. 

With a few hours to spare, we decided to dung out the loft itself. Not a real friendly dust to breathe. 

The loft is cool. Grandpa used it mostly for a grain bin. The barn itself was built in about 1975. The rafters Grandpa designed and built himself. For the last 30 years, it's been mostly used for storage. 

These old saddles and harness are about the only antiques up here. Neat, nevertheless. 

Giddy up.

So much potential up here. We'll be taking the next steps next year. 

All for the greater glory of God!

So fun. This barn speaks of my heart. The logs the loft sets on came off an old cabin in Tensleep Canyon that belonged to Fr. Cyril Hmelovsky. Fr. Hmelovsky was the forever priest in Worland. He baptized and married Mom, and he baptized me. Solid. We'll see what the years bring. Part of the fun in a project like this is the work itself. No need to get in a hurry, then. I've got a long time before I'll be living in here for any length of time. In the meantime, however, it gives me something to dream about. Let's ranch.