Carpentry 101

Carpentry 101 is a class both my husband and I neglected to take. And it's showing. But not for lack of effort- that's just it. It's taking a LOT of effort to build a simple (ok, maybe it's not simple) pumphouse. Framers should be making 6 figure salaries. Do you know how hard it is to get posts in straight, flat sides flush with another post 12 feet away and also sunk to the same height? Well, that took a day in itself. And it didn't help that we changed the design twice after beginning construction. But anyway, my heroic husband heartily hammered away yesterday and completed (sorta) the first phase of construction. What you see before you is a walled in pump. Next we will put in a few cross beams over the pump, some hardware cloth or metal lath then linoleum which will be the floor to a day-range chicken house. The section beside it with the posts and 2"x4"s is the new livestock barn. It will have a good slanted shade roof and removable sides. Their present barn is a movable shed basically and gets HOT in the summer. I feel so bad for them when it rains in the summer. 4 goats (and some sheep too maybe) cram into that barn for shelter from the rain but practically melt in the process. The removable sides will give them adequate shelter from the elements in the summer but keep adequate air flow and keep them warm and cozy in the winter when they want to curl all up against each other and stay away from drafts. The chicken house will have traditional nest boxes for setting on eggs (should we try that again), a removable side for cleaning, a hinged section for gathering eggs, and a latchable door for night time protection should Copper allow a critter into his territory. I'm really looking forward to giving our animals a nicer home. Construction may be complete in another 2 months though. Just in time to put those sides on the barn.

And this is Doby, our ferocious attack goat. She'll suck every finger you've got.