It’s no secret that I like building stuff. A lot. I’m not very good at it, but I have a great time and nothing has fallen apart…yet.
I started this summer knowing the VERY FIRST project I wanted to tackle was to insulate the goat shed. But that’s so boring. “Look at the wall with insulation behind it!” usually doesn’t get a lot of high fives. It’s like putting a new roof on a house. Necessary, but a total snoozer.
Needless to say, the goat shed is still uninsulated.
However, in the middle of last winter, after a huge snow/thaw/deep freeze…I came inside after wrestling WAY too long with the tarp that was frozen solid over the hay and said, “There has got to be a better way.”
So I built a hay shed.
Before…
After!
It’s built into the fence that separates the backyard from the driveway. I used old fencing from a friend to make it look nice. (Thanks, Julie!) The unwieldy tarp I wrestled with all winter was chopped up (felt so good!) to line the wood, and soon I’ll install the pieces to hang over the opening.
A definite improvement.
It will store about twenty-four bales, which will get me through most of the winter. (I’m hoping Farmer Dwayne, my hay guy, will hold a few bales for me if I run out.)
A loving shout-out to my excellent husband who had the sign specially made for me 🙂
Next, I was helping out my friend Andrea down at Broken Shovels Farm. She makes the best goat cheese in all the world, and is one of the most wonderful human beings I know. Nice combination, yes? Anyway, I was doing odd jobs around the farm and after about a million times of going in and out of the entry gate to her barnyard that was the wrong size (it was too big and a pain to latch), I asked if I could make her a new one.
So I built a gate.
I loved painting the sign 🙂
I’m keeping my eye on it. Reinforcements may be needed. There was an over/under on making it light enough to swing easily plus sturdy enough to stand up to the goats. Incorporating the metal conduit pipes for slats helped keep it light. Hopefully lots of screws and the L brackets will keep it together. Bonus—I got everything but the hardware at our local building salvage yard for about $10.
Back to our house. When I walked out to the barnyard last week I took a good look at the “flower bed” on the south side of our house and was horrified. Last fall, I asked Very Excellent Husband Don to cut down the two overgrown bushes that were there. He did, and we’ve been walking past nothing but dirt, rocks, half a bush and a bit of mulch for months. Good grief.
So I build a couple of raised beds.
The raw materials. I don’t know why I liked them so much, but I’m glad I bought them.
I’d picked up a few old fence panels at the same salvage yard a couple of years ago because I thought they were cool. One hot sweaty afternoon of work later…
There. Much better. Built, filled and ready for planting!
I left the ends untouched. My favorite detail, I think.
We have a old compost pile in the back corner of the yard. We’ve been throwing just about everything on it for 25 years, but have never used the resulting compost/soil. Yesterday, Don and I moved wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of beautiful dirt from that pile into the new beds. As he loaded and I unloaded the wheelbarrow, we found weird bits and pieces, things we had accidentally thrown on the pile over the years.
Insignificant artifacts. But they made me smile.
So there you have it. Three good projects so far this summer. Now, if I could only get excited about that insulation… 🙂
**Shared at Homestead Hop, Simple Saturdays, Our Simple Homestead, (mis)Adventures Monday, Clever Chick Hop, From The Farm**
Wow…..wish you could provide instructionals, you do wonderful work! I’d buy the ebook. 🙂
Thanks! I kinda make it up as I go along, though. Especially when I use recycled materials. I don’t think I could ever make the same thing twice!
LOVE your sign! Cheers from Tucson.
New puppy Carly…keeping us in chuckles.
I want photos of that puppy, please 🙂 Hope the new house is wonderful!
Nice projects! Well done.
Nice jobs! Love the gate paint job and sign. I’m glad we built a raised bed where our tree stump used to be. It’s mostly shade but is great for cool weather veggies….
This is shady in the heat of the summer, but will be sunny when the leave drop. Hoping for early and late crops here!
Joan Hobbs recently posted…Stuff I Built This Summer
I love your projects! I’m planning a new chicken run, but also need to accomodate the ducks and their super-pond….I need a grown-up DIY playday! Give Jesse kisses from me!
I love the idea! And I want to meet your ducks 🙂
Love the hay store and just love the sign. The silhouettes of pig, goat, chicken are soooo cute.
Carol Caldwell recently posted…A splash of colour
Painting the sign was my favorite project!
I love it! I found out that I like building stuff too! (though I don’t think I am very good either). The last few days, building plans have been floating around in my head about a place to store my hay. I hate! hate! hate! messing with tarps. I’m claustrophobic and I always get trapped under the tarp and freak out. I have to store over 5 ton of hay so mine won’t be as cute as yours 🙁 but it is on the to-do list in the next week. I also need to finish new nesting boxes, my cat/garden shed, and a place to store all the wood I bring home. My kids laugh because I stop to ask people if they are going to use their old piles of wood, but I’ve scored some fun finds that way!
Jennifer recently posted…Stuff I Built This Summer
Good luck! That is gonna be a big shed—I now have shed envy 🙂 I must admit, I am a wood hoarder. Good weathered wood is hard to come by around here so I get it when I can!
Well, haven’t YOU been productive. You must be making up for me, as I have zero ambition this summer. All of your projects are brilliant! I especially love the rustic look of the raised beds. Phenomenal!
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
daisy recently posted…Seed to Table Series-Lemongrass
Those beds now have tiny seedlings popping up! I’m loving them 🙂
I love the goat gate! Gives me some ideas of things to do around here. You must have an awesome sense of accomplishment from all of that work.
Jamie @ Medium Sized Family recently posted…Planning to Live in the Moment
I do love keeping busy 🙂
Um impressive. I’m kind of hoping you would provide instructions too.
Hugs from Oklahoma,
Valerie
Cottage Making Mommy
Hi Valerie! I sorta make things up as I go along. Sometimes by the time I’m finished I don’t even know what I did 🙂
Love your projects! Thank you for sharing your post on Our Simple Homestead Blog Hop Hope to see you again tomorrow! – Nancy
Nancy On The Home Front
Great list of completed projects. Maybe you will get to the insulation.
Thanks for sharing this with us on the Homestead Blog Hop.
Gregg @ The Rural Economist recently posted…Homestead Blog Hop #44