Barn Renovation Project--Stage One--Partial Demolition

This flat roof coop has been a chicken coop, a storage barn, a wood shop, a weaving studio, and maybe more.

Most Independence Days at dusk we pop popcorn, apply bug spray, prop a ladder against the barn, park our lawn chairs on the roof like bumpkins and watch the fireworks in all directions. It's a family tradition. Gotta be there to really appreciate it.

Over the last 6-9 months, we've tossed about the idea of updating and enlarging this barn. We discussed the possibility of an apartment for farm help, a bean storage room (climate-controlled), and an updated space for a small farm shop.

We finally decided to go for it, and over the summer have tried to squeeze in a major renovation project in our already-too-busy days. Fortunately, we have lots of family members who can think of nothing more fun than troweling, sawing, and hammering.

The flat roof had to come off. The addition is completely UP, as in a second story. As the roof came off, some of the boards were saved for later use, and some (the ones coated with roofing tar) were stacked carefully in a dumpster.

Make that two dumpsters. We stacked them so carefully (read: HEAVY) that the dumpster owner had to call in a bigger truck.

Eventually, the inside of the building began looking a lot like the outdoors. More to come...