Project “Complete the Barn” is Underway

Friends and family have been invited to help finish off the barn interior on Saturday Sept 30. I just sent the invites out yesterday and already we have some people signed up – even my friend Kathryn and her husband from Maryland are coming! I think we are really going to have a blast and I am looking forward to it with great relish.

Between now and then I need to buy all the raw materials and Dawn and I hope to have some of the electrical, some of the tack room framing, and stall mats already installed. That should help everything else proceed a little better. No matter how much or how little gets done I think it will really be fun for everyone.

My plan to to have teams, each hopefully with a leader who has a little experience. But it could be that we just all learn together. The number of tasks we will try to complete depends on how many people can come, but here is the list:

High Priority
• Putting in the four stalls and periphery walls for the two storage areas. We'll have tongue and grooved 2 x 6 boards and the door and stall fronts have metal channels that the boards go into. I am planning on getting kits from classic-equine. I hope to have the first course run and the stall mats already in place. These are meant for Do it Yourself-ers and so hopefully they will not be too much of a pain.
• Installing the automatic waterers (happens afer the stall fronts have been installed). I am using Nelson waterers for four stalls. The electric and water feeds are already roughed out. Still, this job is a little tricky and requires some patience, attention to detail  and expertise.
• Putting in the wiring/lights/outlets/baseboard heater(s) – The circuit box is installed and has a feed to the power company. Nothing else is there though. A few of us are pretty good at electricity so this should be straightforward. I hope.
• Installing the hot water heater, utility sink – requires rudimentary plumbing skills and the ability to keep the curse words to a low volume.

Medium Priority (more carpentry)
• Finishing off the tack room and wash room, with "roof" over tack room
• Putting in a 12 x 12 loft

Low Priority
• Digging post holes and putting in some posts (I would rent a Bobcat for the post holes)
• Taking down some high tensile wire fencing and replacing it with electric tape fencing.
• Putting in a small retaining wall beside the barn
• A little planting and mulching on the hill by the barn

As I get the raw materials and things lined up, I'll be updating this blog. I am really excited. This is great!