Getting organized in the barn

It's been 5 months since I moved here now, and it was time to get the rest of my stuff in place. It's been standing in the middle of the barn, since I didn't know where to put it, and have taken up a lot of space. I decided to do something about it. Your really don't feel finished with moving in, when some of your things still are in boxes, ready to get sorted. Of course this is a long process, it takes time to settle in, but I wanted to cross that off my to-do list. 

Furniture I don't have use for in the house is now storage space in the barn. I will probably have tools in them. Most of the garden stuff will be put in the garden shed later. But I'm using it for other purposes for the time being. The second floor in the barn has a lot of room, it has been used for hay storage in the past, but since the entry is missing a bridge outside, the only access point is a ladder. Not easy getting stuff up there. But anything small enough to get up the ladder, is moved up.

This was taking up a lot of space. Most is going to the garden shed, so it's just temporary. At least it's not in the way. The furniture is for tools storage, and will be used in the barn.

This space was freed up, and I now have som workspace. I discovered after getting the stuff away, that there is a drainage problem to the left. Water has freezed inside the wall. It will need to be dealt with when the snow has melted.

There are still days with work left, to get more organized here. I found old kitchen cabinets and shelves in the old part of the barn. I will put them up on the walls, and use them to store animal equiptment and anything else that need a place to be. A real spring cleaning is clearly due here!

This is where they kept animals before, and is where there will be sheep eventually. It needs new flooring, higher roof, and a new door. There is a lot to do here!

I decided to try to make a new barn door. It certainly would make the barn look a little better too, not having a big gap in the wall standing out and reminding me of that flooring every time I'm in the barn.

Done, only need to put on hinges. I studied how the other doors here was built, to get an idea on how to make it.

I have never tried to make a barn door before, but I think it went pretty well. The materials have been stored, probably for a long time, and are from the trees in the forest here. It's impressive how self sufficient they were in the old days, and the amount of effort they had to put in, for whatever they needed. It was very enjoyable making something almost entirely off the land. This was a good thing to learn too, as I need to make another one. The garden shed door is rotten, and big holes are showing up. I have enough materials left.

Not perfect, but a wast improvment. The whole room and door opening is crooked, so it was a new experience trying to make it fit. Not sure if the hinges are big enough, but they seem to do the job well. 

I have also started gathering used materials for the two rooms in the barn that will house chickens and my angora rabbits. Anything that will help save some money is worth doing. I got hold of two used doors and a window from kind neighbours yesterday! I'm still missing one window, but I got hold of one that I will pick up next week. New materials are so expensive these days.

Way too much ice to get the truck any closer to the barn, it just slips downward following the hillside.  Well, another opportunity to get those muscles exersized! I'm saving my gravel for the driveway. 

I wanted a few chickens to have this spring. There will be some time before the new chicken room is finished, so I'm building one using pallets and anything I find in the barn. I didn't want to buy materials for something that is just temporary. So of course it wont be pretty when you use what you got, but it will do the job. The openings in the pallets will be filled with insualtion that I found the other day. I think it will do nicely. They will be able to go freely in a big room, and go inside the little, warm house at night, or when laying eggs.

The internet was very helpful in getting ideas to make a chicken coop from pallets. A lot of inspiration to be found. And you really learn to think differently when trying to build with anything usable you find laying around.

There is certainly no need to go to the gym when living like this! Doing things yourself is a big money saver, so it makes you feel good about what you are doing too. No matter if it doesn't look perfect the first time, as long as it works, and the experience you get is well worth the try. 

Wishing you a lovely weekend!

Heidi