Barn Storming

HH came over and we officially re-started the work on the barn. There are several storylines to this project, all of which are sources of drama and consternation. Then again, a day without drama is like a day without sunshine over here.

First off, there has been an inordinate amount of moisture on the floor of the barn. This worried me to no end because water is your worst enemy when it comes to houses. The question was, where the heck was that water coming from? Concrete is porous, and my first thought was that it was soaking up from the ground. After consulting with my Mentor, who for the record is a fountain of wisdom, he said it was possible that the water was soaking from the ground, but he said if the water table was that high, there would be moisture in the basement of the main house, which there isn’t (thankfully). The second point was that the moisture was not constant, only happening after a heavy rain or cooler weather. When it was dry and sunny, the moisture dried up.

With this in mind, he said it was more than likely precipitation, an idea seconded by my friend GS, who also knows a lot about building. They both said the situation should be amended once the building is insulated, which relieved me to no end.

Our plumber also seems to be blowing us off, but why does this surprise me? It was us that first dropped the ball. He was waiting for us all Winter, and we never called him, so once we re-established contact in the Spring, we couldn’t expect him to drop everything and come over. Either way, it would be nice to know if he was still interested, because we sure as heck are.

Finally, there was the big question of whether HH wanted to work with us in the first place. As I’ve mentioned, she’s a former professional contractor who is in transition in life. Not only is she looking for work in her new profession (which I believe she’s found), but we weren’t sure if it was even worth her time. When we asked her, she hedged a bit, which seemed to indicate that she wasn’t interested, but then out of nowhere, she mentioned that she said let’s begin. We were glad, but also surprised.

Now we’re moving ahead. With better planning, things will work out more smoothly, but for now, we’re still working out the timing. We managed to cut the soffit pieces out, using our fabulous new table saw for the first time (HH thought it was nice, if only for the fact that it has wheels, and she's a pro). We also cut out the blocking pieces, and will work out how to install the soffit once the blocking is all in.

The biggest thing is that we’ve started, and that’s often the hardest part. HH will only be coming two days a week, so that gives me ample opportunity to tie up loose ends until the next time she comes, or at least think about them and not necessarily doing them, which is sometimes as good as it gets around here. Also, HH brought along her new puppy, and the kids got to take him for a walk in the woods, so everyone was happy.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.