It would be like taking out the second story floor. Since there aren't any calves in there any more, there's no need to throw straw bales down. Since we get really big bales now - both square and round - getting rid of the second floor would allow us to store bales and stack them up high.
Our builder came over to take a look and give us some quotes.
He showed Kris that the barn is starting to bow. The main supports are starting to pull away from the sides. If we don't do anything, eventually the roof will collapse.
Instead, we're going to brace it. That means we'll put a plate on either end and run a cable through the whole thing to hold it all together. This is new to me, but Kris said he's seen it done in other barns.
There's also a tree in our yard that's dead. It's split down the middle. The road commission called me and asked me if I wanted them to cut it down. (When it falls, it's going to fall in the road.)
I reluctantly said yes. It's going to fall sometime, yes, but that could be years from now. I also don't want it to fall while some car is sitting there at the stop sign.
He came and spray painted a big orange 'X' on it today, marking it for felling. After it's gone, I'm going to immediately plant another one in the same place.
This centennial farm needs constant maintenance! But hey - no one gets to 100 without some repair work.
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