Alpaca barn building

Brent and I worked yesterday on the barn for the alpacas.

The last time I posted, I had installed the skirt boards to define the floor of the barn. In doing so, we discovered exactly how much fill we still needed to make the floor level. At that point, I worked with our builder, Rick Robson, to schedule the dirt and gravel work. We also wanted to put as much structure in to support the poles as possible to avoid having the poles shift.

The dirt work was scheduled for last week, but will be done tomorrow (Tuesday) due to rain delays. Brent has finished his work on the flooring in the house and decided to help me yesterday. We also got a hand from my step-dad, Pete. Things go a lot faster with those guys around! We did a lot to prepare the barn for its new floor.

I particularly needed help with cutting the poles to the right heights so that the truss carriers could be installed. It was not a job for me. Not only do power saws scare me in general, but the thought of running a power saw on a ladder seemed way beyond my ability. Being ready to install the truss carriers (and perhaps the roof trusses) next weekend is a very significant step. I was really thankful that Brent found the task relatively simple.

Pete and Brent cutting the tops of poles.

Most of my time was spent getting the wall girts put up. Pete helped a lot with that job. The girts are the boards that will support the metal for the walls. They run horizontally between the poles on 3 sides of the structure. They also are a lot easier and more stable to climb than a ladder - especially since the ground is still uneven.

Here's a shot near the end of the day.

Our worksite.

Brent cutting the last pole and using the wall girts as a ladder.

I finished the last row of wall girts right after Brent finished cutting the last pole. The wall girts make the three sides really stable. But the rest of the structure needed temporary bracing to keep things in place. That bracing also creates support for the larger 2X10 truss carriers we will attach at the tops of the poles. Brent also used them to level everything at the top.

Rick and his wife Kelly showed up at the very end of the day and we had an opportunity to chat with them before we cleaned everything up. Brent and Rick exchanged details on the flooring. Rick will be using the same plywood floor planks to make our stair landings.

Rick and Dave will be working on the stairs and trim in the house this week - and the kitchen cabinets are scheduled to be installed this week, too. The garage is full of knotty pine trim, closet doors and wood for shelving.

I can't wait to see what this week brings: a floor for the barn, a kitchen and some trim. It should really start looking like a home. So look for more pictures mid-week.