As predicted....

I didn't think it would happen this fast.

I was on the phone in my office when I saw and heard another huge chunk of the roof fall.

That final section looks pretty solid still.  Guessing it will last a while longer yet.

First snow, beauty and sadness.

Well, we got our first snow of the year, and like most early season snows it was very wet and heavy.  It's beautiful to see the farm with a covering of white.  The beauty is touched with a hint of sadness as another large section of the roof of the barn succumbed to the weight of the snow.

While I know it has to get worse before it gets better and it's safer to let nature do the work, it still hurts.

This shot is the back side of the remaining section - and I'd say it won't make it through winter either.

Land Hurricane

The barn did sustain some damage in the wind storm last week.  Shingles were spread all over the yard and a another section of roof sagged in a bit.


I also got the safety rope hung up in the silo to make it safer to climb up for various jobs.

Optimistic for the future but it's going to get worse before it gets better.

Wood

Open for discussion.

I was thinking of trying to find reclaimed lumber for the sidewalls but now was thinking that I should use all new wood to replace rotted.

What do you think.

I am going to start removing the siding soon.  I think it's in good enough shape that a lot of it can be reused.

Our barn

Our barn is 70 feet across.  With a silo that is about 45 feet from first floor to the roof.  Foundation is stone from the farm.  Wall and roof structure are 2x6s.  Walls are 16' tall.  I don't know the roof area yet.

Basement is filled with remnants of the dairy operations.  There are stanchions and a very interesting gravity fed watering system that ran off a cistern.

Lean-to on the side wasn't original to the building.  There was a milking shed that has been removed.

Cupola on the top was lost in a 1980 wind storm.

 

Why a round barn

Why were round barns built?  Mostly, it seems, they were built for dairy farms and were built almost exclusively during the 1890s to 1930s.  The University of Illinois Experimental Agricultural Station literally wrote the book on round barns in 1910, and they say the advantages of the round barn over the traditional rectangular barn were convenience, strength and material thrift.

Convenience.  In dairy farming the barn is used twice a day every day of the year for milking.  When you consider a lifetime of walking up and down rows with varying distances from the feed storage or other chores related to the cattle, the round form saves an enormous amount.  Also, consider the hay mow and how much labor that saved by not having building structure to move the hay around.

Strength. Round structures are generally stronger than square.  Think barrels and eggs.  It is also most wind pressure resistant - there isn't any spot the wind can get a hold on a round structure.

Thrift.  According to the U. of Illinois study the round barn used 34 to 58 percent less material.  Check out this chart:

Next up:  Our barns structure.

A surprise

About two weeks ago, I went to the mail box and found a hand addressed envelope waiting for me.  I opened it and it started:

I am writing regarding the round barn.

My name is Chuck Nelson.  I was raised on the farm where you live.  My great grandfather Hans and grandfather Arthur built the barn with the help of local contractors.

It breaks my heart to see the terrible condition of the barn.  My dad lives in town and if you were interested in some history of the farm I'm sure he would be glad to share.

Chuck and his dad, Bobby, came out last week.  Bobby was very quiet and reserved, I'm guessing pained by the state of the barn.  I tried to reassure him that we planned to rebuild and restore the barn.

Bobby told me the paint recipe 5 gal of red paint to 5 gal of linseed oil.  He said it took him a week to paint the barn.  Can't wait to get to the point where I get to use it.

Welcome to the adventure

When we first looked at the listing for the farm in Beldenville, WI on the MLS there were beautiful pictures of the house, land, pole shed and converted studio.  There was even a 360 degree view of the property.  It looked very interesting despite being higher than we wanted to spend.  We decided to do a drive-by to check it out.

When we were coming closer we saw a dilapidated round barn up on the hill.  I pointed it out to Michelle and both of us commented on how cool it was.  Then we realized it was on the property we came to look at!  I think I instantly fell in love at that point.

Fast forward a few months and we have finalized purchase of the property and settled in to focus on the goals of that we have.  One is to begin having some animals and living closer to the food we eat.  The second is to rebuild one of the most interesting structures in the area.

This blog will be used to help facilitate the rebuilding of the barn.  It is a daunting journey at this point with a very clear end point.  We are ready to start but will need some guides along the way.