Long ago, this land was part of a larger dairy farm - the Wynooche Home Farm. The barn that still sits on our property is one of the originals from back then. The building was made simply, sitting on a stem wall without proper footing. There was also only the basic structure, with no sheer walls, no rebar, no cross-bracing.
Photo of the original dairy from Pick-Rite in Montesano, WA
After years of rain sending water down the hillside to pool behind the barn, it finally started to sink. When the SE corner cracked and sunk into the mud, it took the walls with it. By the time we bought the property, the previous owner had already protected against further deterioration by installing industrial sized cables across the barn to hold the walls together.
Now that we’ve got plans to add some livestock and poultry, we wanted to remove the cables and use lumber to reinforce the structure. Later on, we’ll pour additional concrete and add rebar to create a strong base.
Earlier this month, Greg’s friends spent a few days to help us speed up our project. This video shows just some of the work they did. What a whirlwind weekend it was! But now we have a straight wall, new beams and joists above the stalls and work areas, and a sense of security knowing it won’t all fall down around us!
Check out the video and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel. We’ll be adding lots of videos in the future, and I plan to get better at filming/editing. :)