Yard Remodel - phase two

Lining the trailer up

Barn Moving Day!

We bought the barn from Hill View Mini Barns.  When we discussed moving the barn one option was to roll it on large logs by ourselves.  We had to move it 400 feet or so and across that stone bridge we have.  Somehow that seemed daunting.  Another idea was to hire a tow truck.  They could drag it up on a ramp truck and move it.  $300 bucks or so.  I was soooo nervous about that--it would be so high we'd have to cut limbs on the trees at the bridge.  They were not insured for damages...etc.  So we called Hill View to see what it would cost to move it.  $450.  AND WORTH EVERY PENNY.  This truck and trailer is so specialized to the job.  We were floored.  The single man who arrived moved the barn in under an hour and without a hitch at all.  The barn moved easily and we were all impressed with how it has been aging.  The sill was in excellent condition.  

And up we go!

Crossing the bridge

The trailer on that truck could move side to side (as seen in the video) with this extra axle that dropped down and faced the opposite direction.  The driver didn't have to actually drive the truck to line up where he wanted it...he could move the barn side to side with his remote control until it was in the perfect spot.  Amazing.  The barn settled into it's new spot nicely.  I dare say the horse was thrilled.  He preferred to hang out in the barn when he had the choice of the 2 buildings for the next couple of weeks.  I think he missed his barn when he lived out back.

Here comes the barn, King!

My first morning feeding with all the horse "things" in one location!  Life is good.  

With the barn in it's new spot we decided to park the horse trailer back there too.  How nice it was for me to think, "I need a brush today to get that mud off him" and voila! there was a brush nearby to use.  In the last 2 years that usually meant a 400 foot trek back to the barn or to the trailer and then back again to the shelter...that is if the horse was still hanging out at the shelter, instead of running off into the next couple of acres...
I feel so grateful for the closeness of the buildings.

Leveling the floor

New counter and shelves.

One of our friends has hired 2 of our older sons in the past as farm sitters.  They both came home talking about the "apothecary" that she had.  I have one now too!  Another friend of mine wrote an article for Horse Illustrated and it had some barn ideas.  Well, we used several of them in the barn now.  I have a counter to do things at.  I have a magnetic strip on the wall for my tools to stick to.  I have a cabinet for dust free storage of some items.  It's all so awesome.  :)  And of course the actual tack is right there in the trailer nearby.  I love it.  I love it so much that I even spent one whole thunderstorm out there with the horse.  I sat in a chair in the barn and watched the rain and light show while I was knitting and listening to King munch on his hay.  Soooo relaxing.  I love this space.  Thank you John!