The barn is really coming together. Structurally the barn is complete and we can now begin the cosmetic work. Last weekend my husband installed the final door, center of the barn. The birds that nested in the barn have now left. And now we can safely store our trash without fear of the bear. Unless the thing about his opposable thumbs is true. I guess my favorite part is the cuppola and the weather vane.
The next step on the barn will be painting. We are planning to paint the barn the same color as our house, a greyish green and ultimately paint our house roof to match the barn red. Now if we could only get the grass to grow.
The final doors are getting installed. Three roll-up doors were ordered and custom made for the openings. They took about 8 weeks to receive, from the order date, but finally arrived. The doors that lead into the central barn area are insulated. The one on the front and to the right is not insulated. We're hoping to finish the installation of the final door this weekend. It'll be great to get the birds out of the barn and also to protect us from the bear (see previous article).
In order to heat and cool the office section of the barn we opted for a mini-split. These are seen in many European buildings and are pretty efficient. The unit is actually installed on the back wall of the barn above the doors. Hopefully the workshop will be cool enough to work in the summer and warm enough to work on the coldest winter days.
One of the things that I've been talking about lately is that farmers are great recyclers. That being said, when we needed interior doors for our barn, my husband turned to a restaurant supply company that sold used equipment and furniture. He came home with two, gently used restaurant doors that have been installed inside, leading into the workshop that will be heated.
Quick update - the brick around the barn foundation has been added to match the brick on the house. Siding will begin this week and the tin roof is scheduled for installation next week. A cement slab was poured about 2 weeks ago in front of the barn.
After the steel was set in place, framing for the sides was completed, and the second floor was added. 
Barn construction began this week with framing. The tip-up construction process uses 6x6 beams with brackets. Before the cement floor was poured, 36" holes were dug for cement piers that would later have brackets attached to them. The brackets were set in the wet cement for later attachment to the 6x6 beams.
Once the frames were set in place, 2x4's were nailed to the beams as temporary braces, until the side wall construction begins. The entire process occurs relatively quickly, and with the work of 3 men.
We have broken ground and are preparing for the construction of our first barn. While we are doing most of the work with help from friends, there are a few aspects where the professionals will take over.
