The barn began construction on June 6, 2023. My family (largely my dad and myself) made up the entirety of the construction labor.
Sustainably sourced trees from our land in rural North Carolina make up all of structural components.
The joke of this project is that my dad bought a tractor to build a barn with, and he built a barn to put the tractor in. The barn, of course, is now full of things other than the tractor.
In order to get those horizontal struts into position, I would stand on top of that little blue ladder, precariously perched on top of unfastened beams. My dad would strap center of the strut, then hoist it up into position using the tractor, where I would guide it into place.
It is a miracle I still have ten fingers.
Work was slow, hard and repetitive; full of sweat and splinters. In large part because of that, this is one of the most rewarding projects I have ever worked on.
Above is how the barn looked before I headed back to school in August.
Below is now.
Looks pretty good if you ask me.
