Saturday, July 18, 2015

We've got Holes and Poles!!! July 2015

Here we are, over half way through the year and we are finally getting our pole barn completed!! We just got back from a long weekend down in Port Orford where we completed our first camping trip staying up on our plot - it was brilliant, what a spot, all I could hear was the sea! AND the real excitement occurred when they started on the barn!

So lets spin back a few weeks, when I last "blogged" I mentioned that we were going to sell the campervan and buy a travel trailer so we would have something to live in whilst Mr M was converting the garage.  Well selling the campervan happened a lot quicker than we thought it would, we washed, polished and cleaned it all one Friday, advertised it at about 5.30pm and within an hour we had had 15-20 people email interested.  SOLD within 24 hours! should've asked for more $$$!

SO then we purchased a 1966 Airstream, that although it had already had plenty of upgrade work completed on it, still was all time consuming for the next month or so! because we needed another project to keep us out of mischief! however it was SO worth it, we love it and it is so spacious compared to the campervan, and will be perfect for a few months living in it *laughs manically* it will be fine!!

 
 
And now back to the present! Off we popped down to Port Orford, on a Gorgeous Sunny Day! which is proving to be pretty standard for the summer of 2015.  We got there and set up camp up at our property, we hooked up to the electric and finally used some units!! We aren't yet able to drag the water out of the well, so we carried enough and filled up the tanks whilst we were there.  We also went prepared for some level of comfort, we took a table and chairs for outside dining, an awning to provide some shade, some fencing so the doglets could come and go from the van as they pleased and fairy lights - lots and lots of fairy lights :)
 
 

The main purpose of the trip was because the pole barn was starting, the guys turned up bright and early on Monday morning and dug/drilled all the corner and post holes, they then put concrete in the holes to form a pad, the poles then get placed on the pads and packed in with gravel, they aren't actually fixed in the concrete, pretty clever, it is a self supporting structure.  When we left on Tuesday they were waiting for the Inspector to inspect, which he did and then they were carrying on!  We are going back down 2 weeks today to see the doors get put on and sign off on the build!! woohooo!!!!
 



 

 
 
Mr M worked on the well pad whilst he was down there, small scale build next to the barn, but he enjoyed himself, and now we are home he has all his well pump and tank etc. and is now busy building a well house that will sit over the top of the well etc. 
 


 
My chickens are also sorted for the big move! they have a new house.... I found a guy who builds chicken coops and runs, for a very reasonable price.  I know Mr M could have built me one but I also know it isn't top of his list of things to take care of, so I took the worry away from him and brought the ladies a new house! It's unassembled and just needs transporting and putting together!
 
 


 
 
So what's next.... we are back down to Port Orford in 2 weeks time, to sign off on the building.  We are going to be taking the well pumps etc. and the well house and the chicken coop and anything else we can squeeze in for the trip, the more stuff we can take now the less we have to move! 
 
When we are back home we are then going to be listing our house for sale!! WOW that is quite a milestone, we have had our photos taken of the house and I have packed quite a number of boxes and we have a plan for moving, it is always better to have a plan than not I think :)