Can You Remodel A Barn?

We have only owned the Lazy OD Ranch and the barn since December 2014, but we are "remodeling" already.😁

For new readers, you may wonder what I am talking about when I say the Lazy OD Ranch. Well, I named this property the Lazy OD Ranch with my tongue planted firmly in my cheek. This property consists of two parcels that are .861 acres each for a grand total of less than 2 acres. Hardly a ranch, but it works in our life.😍

One of the very first things that I did after taking possession of the barn was to build a workbench in the northwest corner of the barn out of scrap lumber that my brother Steve brought to me. 

Can you see the electrical panel to the left of us in the pictures above? Dad told me that I would regret building the bench in front of the electrical panel, but I thought it was fine.

It was fine for the first few years until it was not fine anymore. The last year or so, I have dreaded working in the panel, because I had to reach over the bench. It took me some time to consider how to do it, but the plan finally fell into place. 

I removed the workbench section on the north wall, but I kept the piece I removed intact. 

Then I cut the section directly in front of the panel and put in bracing so that piece is removable. 

Then I put the section from the north wall on the opposite side. I still have an L shaped bench, but the electrical panel is accessible in moments.

Once that was completed, I redid several circuits in the panel and added the new breakers that were needed.

Having the panel buttoned up, put me in position for the work that was completed Saturday. I will tell you about that work on Thursday by God's grace. 

Thank you for praying for me. I am trying to be active, but I am working in short stretches and taking more breaks than are probably allowable by law.

I appreciate you joining us today.

Davy

Getting Ready For A New Barn Door

OK, I have been hinting at a barn project and I told you I would fill you in soon. It is not completed and will not be for a while, but phase one is almost done. 

Working with an oxygen machine on my shoulder is a bear, but we worked very slow and deliberately. The pictures and descriptions below cover several days and gloss over frequent long breaks gazing toward what needed to be completed.😊

When we purchased the Lazy OD Ranch in December 2014, the only structure was a pole barn built around 1982. The very first thing on my agenda was removing the sliding doors on the front of the barn and having an overhead door installed. It is now April 2021 and we still have sliding doors on the front of the barn.

😎

Time and circumstance got in the way, that is for sure.

The sliding doors work fine, but when they are frozen to the ground in the wintertime, there is no getting them open quick. When there was a massive amount of snow on the ground in February and I was sick, we could not get them open.

I had an overhead door company look at the project while we were home for Christmas in 2014. The original employee that looked at the opening said the door would be less than 12' wide when they were finished. 

Ouch! 12' is the absolute minimum I would want and I much prefer it wider. They were supposed to send their head guy to look it over and then work up an estimate. Two appointments were made, but he never showed OR called to explain.

I did not push the issue, because, during that time at home, I discovered that we had a more pressing issue. The 32 year old shingle roof leaked like crazy and it leaked in different places every time it rained.

The roof became top priority. That next summer, Bro. Mitch Boggs Jr. and Bro. Jason Fellers transformed the barn with a beautiful metal roof.

They not only added the roof, but also added trim and dressed up the sliding doors. 

In 2017 we started on the house and the barn naturally went to the back burner. The installer that put the garage door on the house was supposed to give us a price on the barn door, but that fell through the cracks several times and we were too busy to pursue it.

The first company in 2014 was going to build out both sides and reduce the door opening to 12' or less. That was a no starter from the beginning, but at the time, I did not know what to do to maintain the width.

I could get by with a 12' door, but it would be tight. Most guys with buses I know that put in a 12' door regret not making it wider. Through the years, I have studied the opening and the posts and figured out what would have to be done to retain the space for a wide door. 

The door will have to be off-centered a few inches on the front of the barn, but it is the only way to preserve a wide opening and we are willing to deal with it.

Recently, my father in law gave me the name of a reputable company and I contacted them. They sent a guy out the next week and he confirmed what I would need to do, framing wise, to get it ready.

The right side post needed about six inches added to it, making the opening narrower. The left side needed the upright post moved outward to make the opening wider. 

The first thing was making the platform on the left side of the barn smaller. We did that a month ago, remember?

The platform previously extended over to the post that I have marked in red. The post was removed and a new post is now between where the old post was and the new edge of the platform.

The first day we built the right side out about six inches. That post had to clear things on that side that could not be moved.

Then we widened the left side several inches over toward the recently moved platform. We built a new post on that side and then removed the old beam. We had an opening of 13' 8" before and we have an opening of almost 14' now. 

We had some metal trim pieces left over from the house and we used it to cover the new door posts. It is ready for the door, but that will be down the road a bit. After the door is installed and the sliding doors are removed, we have some more trim to add on the outside.

The old door post is buried in the ground and concrete. The part that is still in the ground will be exposed to the outside once the new door is up. I am drilling it out a few inches down and I will cover it with concrete.

The concrete where the edge of the door will rest was a bit higher and needed to be ground off. David Butler came by last week and ground it off in a few minutes. I sure appreciate his help.

Gary Coffman came up one morning and ran the wires to the receptacle for the future opener and then down to the future switch location. That was a big help. I can certainly do that type of work, but the least amount of time that I spend 17' in the air right now the better.

That brings you up to date on the barn door project. I will give you more news once the door is up and operational down the road.

Thank you for joining us today.

Davy

The Weekend Write Up 4/12/21

Our weekend was more of the same with a little activity each day and then rest coupled with trying to get stronger. There is no doubt in my mind that I am gaining stamina in my body. I am very thankful for that. I would say that my breathing is about that same and at times a little improved. We are still praying about improvement in that.

I felt noticeably more strength by Friday. My legs felt much better. We did not ever work really hard, but I probably did too much both Friday and Saturday. By the time Sunday rolled around, I was pretty beat up. I am hoping that my strength has returned today.

Odie snapped a few pictures from some of our activities earlier in the week.

We went to our home church Sunday morning and heard our Pastor teach and our Assistant Pastor preach. We really enjoyed the services. We are hoping to go more and more as I continue to improve by God's grace.

Today begins with taking the Jeep into the shop. It has a little paint bubbling along the edge of the hood and the dealership is finally getting around to the repair. It is supposed to be in the shop most of the week and we should be driving a loaner.

Thank you for stopping by today. We are always glad to have you on Mile Markers.

Davy