"In For a Penny, In For a Pound"

So one of the biggest aspects of the barn restoration has now begun. After a lot of consideration it has been decided that we will have to hire someone to do the foundation work that needs to be done. It is certainly not because Francis could not do it, he could, and would...... it is just that the project is massive and with him being a one man show, being posted in Ottawa and only home on weekends it is just too big a task. 

Therefore, although the cost is much more than we ever envisioned when starting out on this restoration journey, we have to decided to take the plunge and hire a contractor to do the foundation work. Also, once started it needs to be completed before the fall rains start.
The work will be done in phases to ensure we do not damage the old stone foundation further- it is collapsing and falling in at a couple of places already. 

The phases consist of:
1) making a new footing for the new cement foundation wall
2) pouring a new foundation wall to support the old stone foundation
3) pour 4 cement "buffer" walls that will be at a 90 degree angle to the new foundation to help keep it "pushed back"
4) excavate the outside of the foundation
5) waterproof the old foundation from the outside
6) build cement pilons into the ground to which steel cables will be connected. These cables will go underground to the foundation; passed through the foundation and attached on the inside of the new wall. This will help "hold" the foundation against the pressure of the earth bank.

Over the years,the floor has heaved upwards and cracked, and the whole wall is "bowed" inwards. Many years ago(hmm like 25yrs at least), Dave and I made some repairs to the wall to fix the loose stones. However, the wall has continued to bow inwards over the years as water and the "bank" of earth against the foundation has continued to put pressure on the foundation from the outside.Water has leaked into the stones; frost and heaving occurred and  over time it has become very damaged. We can't replace the whole foundation, so we are going to pour a new footing  on the inside, and pour a new cement foundation wall that will adjoin to the old stone one.


In the picture to the right you can see the current state of one section of foundation. On the left is a section that has fallen in; on the right is a section that Francis has restored/ repointed. The part he fixed only had a few ( ok, a lot) loose stones and some missing mortar. 

The foundation as it is now- note the mold on the walls where
water comes through...you can't see how crooked it is here, but
the top of the wall is leaning in several inches in compared to the
bottom of the wall ( kind of like the other outside wall was)

The second picture shows the foundation before commencement of the work. 

Excavating for the new footing

New footing poured--- rebar in place

We are now ready for the contractor to come back and start framing for the new foundation wall.... that was supposed to be last Friday but we are still waiting.....The delays are driving Francis to distraction..They are supposed to back tomorrow....

Bird's Eye View

Before the weather got super hot, Francis went up onto the barn roof to screw down the roof a bit more securely. The hope was that it would stop some of the leaks into the stalls we have :( 

While up there he took some lovely photos of the property- quite a unique and different perspective. Just for fun I am posting here. The property is 7.25 acres or 7.5(can't remember exactly), about 2.5 are what the house rest on, and the the remaining 5 are the barn and pasture etc. However, I am extremely lucky as the farm around and behind us belong to my ex-husband Dave, and he lets me have access to the 300 acres.......hence Marina and I enjoy amazing hacks! You can see that land in the background of the pictures.



Looking from front of barn toward house

Looking to the left-- Francis' workshop (that he renovated) and
horse pasture

View of the back-- round pen and horses grazing; 

Machinery shed/ run in shed for the horses

You'll note a few patches of yellow dead grass -- July and the first 2 weeks of August were extremely hot with no rain at all..temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius most days. The whole area surrounding the barn dried up and turned into "crispy crunch" ... it is starting to come back now since we've had two heavy rainfalls. Due to the weather Francis has not been able to do more work on the roof-- it gets far too hot!!

Childhood memories and nursery rhymes

Our barn is kind of like the nursery rhyme---

                             There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile.
                           He found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile.
                            He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse

                      And they all lived together in a little crooked house."

You see the barn is ever so crooked as you will see in this post, and Francis can walk a little crookedly at times ( especially after a hard day working on the barn" and instead of a house , put barn  and replace mouse with horse........okay it won't rhyme anymore but who knew when I was singing this as a child that it would come true (LOL).

This picture shows the outside barn wall before Francis started his holidays.........Please note the lower section is leaning outwards, windows are falling out etc....

The entire outside wall on the lower section of the barn had to be replaced... quite the challenge considering it was holding up the upper section. But no feat is beyond my magic man! He just seems to envision the end result, develop a plan to get there, and starts it-- he goes bit by bit until he is finished. I know several people who commented that it "couldn't be done", was " way too big an undertaking"," not possible". But low and behold in 10 days it was done! Sure it helps that we had put aside some money to reno the barn, but it is purely Francis' belief in himself, the love of challenges and his love for me, that brought it all to fruition. 

So in case you are wondering how on earth he did it, process went something like this:

• outside barn boards removed and stored in the "workshop" ( another old building he rescued a couple of years ago)

 

• build a new supporting structure  on the inside of the foundation wall inside the barn; this could only be done section by section as we only had so much wood to work with. So he would build his supporting frame, build the inside wall; knock out the old leaning wall, build a new outside wall; take down the supporting structure on the inside, rebuild it again for the next section (rinse and repeat). Apart from not having enough lumber, I am sure he was also thinking the  old girl may not like having all her stuffing knocked out at once. She groaned the odd time or to when he jacked up the frame in places. As for me, I couldn't watch it-- I just kept coming back up to make sure he was still alive........He could only do about 16 feet at a time so it was tedious work. It's hard to see here due to the lighting but you will get the idea of the how big a task it was-- there was I every minute afraid the whole thing would tumble down on top of him! NOthing holding it up except  few boards ( ok more than a few) that he strategically screwed together. But I talked to the lovely old girl( yes,I think my barn is a girl and has a spirit of her own), and told her that she must stay standing as we are trying to restore her to her former glory ( and then some I think). I do so love this barn!!

 

•   then he had to build a new wall on top off the "inside" part of the foundation wall; after which he tore out all the old leaning wall supports and built another wall to replace it. So we ended up with a "double" wall sitting on the foundation

the new "inside wall"

The new outer wall complete with
new window

note the overhang above the new wall- this is how far the barn has "shifted" over the years and how far out the old wall was leaning- what we thought was only 8 inches turned out to be a move of 19 inches!!!

it looks like its being held up by toothpicks!!

next step was putting new plywood sheeting on the exterior

The first sheet of plywood

Plywood completed!

Cutting out the holes for new windows!!

• next came putting on the waterproof membrane ( or house wrap)-- and yes, I actually helped with this!

• and then the finished product. This is what it looks like now. It still needs the old barn boards put back on to make it look like it did in the beginning... but that is basically cosmetic so can wait for now.

Summer Holidays ????

Well it has been several weeks since I last posted to the blog, but that does not mean that nothing has been happening....far from it. In fact so much has transpired that I hardly know where to begin! 

The barn work kind of ground to a halt during the month of July as the tenant's at Francis' house moved out and he had a lot of work to do to get it returned to its former beauty in order to rent again. He was very disheartened by the task as his quaint little "cottage" in town looked like a run-down slum tenement....however, true to "Francis magic" it is now looking spic and span and returned ( for the most part) to the way it was when he lived there. I did my part and weeded the front flower beds and planted new perennials. IN fact, testament to all his work is the fact that it has been re-rented within 7 days of being put back out on the rental market.  

I have so many pictures of the barn work that I think I will make several posts- one for each mini-project. My first comment lately when he shows me what he has done has been, "Did you take pictures?"--lol

Francis started his 3 weeks of  holidays the last week of July. The first week was mostly used to revitalize his house but the last two were spent totally immersed in the barn restoration. The weather cooperated mostly as we had no rain but it was extremely hot- average temp 33 degrees C and with humidex many days were 40+. Despite this he worked many days for 10 hrs in scorching sun in order to get big jobs finished. 

stall gate- finished product

One small project that was done in July was putting up stall gates for the horse stalls. These allow the horses to literally " hang out" while hanging out in the stalls. The stall gates were as usual designed by me , and Francis transformed the concept into reality... I wanted them to be in keeping with the overall feel of the barn but be sturdy enough to withstand curious horses that can be a bit pushy at times. So I started off with the idea of a board, which grew into the idea of a cedar post to be used as the "gate" aspect.

latch with hole and "thingy" in place!

Then the problem of how to attach??? Well true to the mastermind he is, Francis came up with the idea of installing gate latch pins on each side of the stall entry, with a corresponding "thing- a -ma- jig" in the cedar pole ( a screw with a round hole at the end). You can see how technical I am, I have no idea what it is called but it worked!). He then drilled little holes in the gate latch part so we could put another little "thingy" (can't remember the correct name- my Alzheimer's acting up again) through the hole so the horses couldn't decide to put their heads under the posts and try and lift the poles  off the latches ( and yes they really would try that!!). You see we have some very clever horses in the barn that have figured out how to open tack room doors, open freezer lids ( ps the freezer hold the horse feed and that know it).....so we had to preempt escapees!!

Francis sanding the posts- he
wouldn't want them to get s
splinters!

Francis giving Raphi instructions
on how to use the stall gate- ie hang
your head out........

Pippa - " Raphi, what is this thing?"  "  Did you get one too?"

Lessons learned from a storm

Okay so this is not really about the barn restoration but is still about my journey.......

Yesterday a wicked storm came through the area after a few days of high heat and humidity it was bound to happen. I was at work and came home to find some of my wonderful trees torn to shreds, patio furniture blown all over the grounds, my barn flooded and essentially the rain waters pouring in through the doors and down the alley way taking mud and silt with it. However, I learned or rather several things were once again reinforce for me because of it so for that I am thankful and feeling blessed. A part of the barn roof is now loose as well, but I remember several years ago I lost one whole side of the barn roof to a storm like the one last night- so I( we) am/are lucky indeed.

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1) Savour the things you enjoy- whether it be a person or even a simple tree......for life can change in an instant and suddenly they are gone and things are never the same

2) There is joy in spontaneity- joy can be found in simple things- such as sharing an ice cream with friends or eating french fries( chips) after the ice cream--- just because you can!

3) Don't dwell on the negative- instead find the positive-- ie yes I lost some beautiful trees and the barn flooded, but the roofs are still on, no one was injured( either man nor beast), and even the patio furniture which was tossed around was not broken. Even the glass table top got that got tossed and was still in one piece. I am still missing one chair cushion and will have to hunt the surrounding area to see if I can locate it.

4) Good neighbours are to be appreciated- although one of the big trees in the front garden bordering the road was blown over (into the road apparently) my new neighbour who we don't know very well, was out there with his little garden tractor pulling it off to the side and into my ditch. I went over to thank him and he said if I needed any other help just to let him know. You see he knows Francis is away during the week in Ottawa.

5) Good friends help you find joy- Serge and Marina came to see if I needed help with the barn or putting horses in for the evening- then they invited me for ice cream ( see # 2 above) ( I think they really came to provide moral support). So thoughtful and very much appreciated.

6) Not being able to help someone in need is hard for people who care- poor Francis was so upset about not being here to help me with clean up and provide support. I had called him to tell him about the damage - not to make him feel bad but just to share. I told him it could be so much worse and that it was fine as was I-- sure I had a little cry but that is just the way I am wired. Emotional release is good for the soul - I wasn't really sad just disappointed that the tree we planted a few years ago to block the sun from the bedroom is now gone......I love trees you see......and of course the 3 stupid pine trees I want to cut down to make room for that lovely maple tree are still standing.....uuurgh. This applies to when you are too far away to help, or whether you have to watch people go through something that only they can solve for themselves or when people don't want your help.

My darling maple tree outside the bedroom- snapped off like a toothpick!

So now I am off outside to take Miss Piggy ( the ATV) and garden trailer to clean up debris. The barn is already put to rights and the patio furniture back in place ( Serge and Marina helped with that last evening)..............The big trees will have to wait for my knight in shining armour( Francis)..how to ruin his weekend.... but he is my hero as I know he will not whine or complain but set about doing what needs to be done without complaint despite him having to give up his few days he gets at home each week.

Major construction,finishing touches, lost loves , dreams and "where's Waldo?"

new support wall

I don't have a lot to post this week. The weather was cold and miserable and rainy. Francis continued to work on the barn. It was our 12th anniversary on June 11- I took the day off from work so we could spend it together. Our plans were to go to our trailer (RV)on the Ottawa River ( Leblanc Island to be precise) and get things ready for the new summer season. The trailer is our summer escape- Francis' get-a-way and favourite place! It is an idyllic spot- ( I will try and find a picture to post). Well, the weather did not cooperate as I have mentioned so instead we went around to nurseries looking for flowers to plant at the trailer and to finish in some holes in my containers at the house. I am an avid gardener you see, and I rarely get Francis to come with me, but as it was our anniversary he had to spend time with me (LOL). However, that works both ways, and he made me spend time with him in the barn.......I sat in a chair and observed him continue his work from last week building the new barn walls. It is quite a job-- he has to build a new supporting structure ( wall) from floor to ceiling to support the barn floors above. The he has to remove the old support posts on the cement foundation wall ( original supports for the barn) and then rebuild a new wall on the cement foundation wall. We ( he) are putting in new windows ( 10 of them) down that long side of the barn so he also has to build new window frames. I decided they are going every 10 feet...


Francis is so amusing... my birthday is this week and he just could not wait to give me a present that he had for me. While I went into the house to change into riding clothes ( I decided to go riding once the rain quit), he went and brought a gift to the barn and covered it with a blanket... he then unveiled it for me with glee and delight. His eyes light up like a child at Christmas when he is excited about something... anyway his gift caused me to get what he endearingly calls "shiny eyes" ( an old joke between us as I am a mushball and cry with any deep emotion- whether love, laughter, sadness, joy). His gift was a print of a painting that a lady had commissioned for herself of my old horse Romy. I had previously ordered a plaque to hang in the barn to acknowledge his memory and all he meant to me and my life. Romy was the horse I had from the time he was 6 until age of 33 when he was put to sleep. He was a part of our family and I lost him ( ie had to rehome him)at he same time other huge losses and changes occurred in my life. He died the same year as my father and I have learned that it matters not if family is near or far, or has not been as active in our lives for several years, the love does not change, nor the pain off loss when they die. So I have a endearing photo of my Dad on my cupboard in the bedroom ( my favorite picture of him- how I remember him from when I was a little girl) which my Mum gave to me the Christmas after my Dad died.  And now I have an amazing picture of Romy- it has been hung in the barn on the wall of the tack room. All this hard work and me wanting a horse again has been because of my love for my old horse Romy. He was the reason for my passion for horses- I never thought I would find another but just as I have found another dog to love ( Phoebe)when I lost my special Grrl, I have found another horse which is also going to be special- different, not my Romy, but still loveable and special. The heart is an amazing thing--- it has an infinite supply of love to give - it never runs out. So despite losing loves, whether to death, divorce or just from distance.... the heart remembers and seeks out new loves.......new dreams...

Okay so this post has not been so much about barn construction, but it is still about my journey that has come about because of the barn reconstruction.......it is about reconstructing lives and love ....building new from the vestiges of old..........so yes still appropriate I think. 

PS..... other finishing touches were done on Sunday and I came home from work to have to play "where's Waldo?" , but in this case it was "what has Francis done today?"- so he 1) added a bigger solar panel for the lights 2) put the restored door knob on the tack room door 3) cut a hole in the rubber mats near the door for a drain hole 

PPS....  so HONOUR THE PAST, LIVE FOR TODAY AND DREAM FOR THE FUTURE......( Sue's new wise words for today)

Ugly duckling becomes a swan and "let there be light!"

door- BEFORE- blue paint and peeling

Well the weather was super hot and humid this past weekend- Francis got to work in the "airconditioning" all weekend. Okay, its not air conditioned really but because the stable is in the undercroft of the barn and has a lovely stone foundation, it always much cooler in the stable than outside. 

Door -AFTER- absolutely love the finish - this is au naturel-
no stain, or any other produce on it

This weekend had some finishing touches done to the tack room. The door was hung after being lovingly restored to its former glory. The door was repurposed/recycled. Years ago this old wooden door was the door into the garage. This is an antique door I had painted it blue ( you know how it was in the 80's??). Anyway, Francis painstakingly removed all the old paint with stripper and heat gun to  reveal all the wood and its wonderful engravings. Its has crenellations around the glass. He decided that as it took him two full days to get one side done, he would leave the other side as it was. "You can paint it as it is on the inside of the tack room". "Yes", I said-- little does he know that I am not going to paint it but rather will ask him to restore that side as well, but at a later date ( maybe next year?); for now "it will do". Francis says these are my famous words....lol when I am working on something and am fed up with it.Anyway, he bought wheels for it so now we have also repurposed one of the old stall door sliders so the door can slide open/closed. You see, sliding doors are much more user friendly in the barn- can be opened with your foot when your arms are full of tack; don't take up valuable space in the tack room; don't bang into the horses when they are tied in the alleyway.....PS don't look at the dirty glass-- I still have to clean that

The final job was to have lighting put in.... you see I (um , we) don't have electrical service to the barn. But "Francis fix tout "( for those of you non- French people "tout" means all" or everything").This is an ongoing joke between us- you see all week I break things, cant' get things to work etc and he comes home on the weekend and fixes everything so I can find more things that need fixing for the next week ( No seriously, he likes to be kept busy  lol) . We joke around that I keep finding things for him to renovate/fix so he won't leave me... he is too much of a gentleman to leave a damsel in distress......In fact, that is how we started going out together. We met at a motorcycle club, and he and friends dropped by as we were supposed to go biking. Unfortunately, I was trying to get my pool open for the season for the first time on my own. He sacrificed the bike ride and stayed behind to help me deal with the winter cover and get it going etc. and the rest as they say is history. He is always whining about the pool and how much work it is ( grrhhhh)..........but you see I know he really doesn't mean it  as without the pool we would not have met ( hehe). Francis has been renovating/fixing things for the last 12 years!! In fact our "anniversary" is soon approaching- 12 years on June 11 ( and no I won't tell you why we picked that date but I'll leave to  guess). Oops, sorry went off on a tangent there for a sec.. so back to the barn..........anyway I came home from work on Saturday evening at 1115pm to find Francis waiting outside. He wanted me to go  and check out his accomplishments of the day.......and hey presto we went into the barn and he flipped a switch and the place lit up! So exciting!! He has installed LED 12Volt lights hooked up to a solar panel... ingenious I say. What a difference they make when trying to muck out stalls on a dreary rainy day. I can even bring the horses in from outside after sunset-!! ( OK it may not seem like a big deal to non- horsey people but do you know how hard it is to get them in by flashlight??).

the barn at night-- lights, glorious lights

Hard to believe this is possible from a tiny solar panel that is

14" x 4" long and some 12 Volt LED lights