Old Wood

To some degree I know that thinking about finishing details on the inside of our house before we have things like 1.) walls, or 2.) siding may be jumping the gun a bit.

Although believe me when I tell you that the moments I spend sitting in our half-finished house, picturing what it will look like when its done are the moments that keep me somewhat sane.

Let me tell you a little bit about why we bought this charming bit of property. It was cheap, yes, and it’s also next to MysteryMan’s family. His grandpa’s corn fields border our yard, and next to us is the house that his grandfather raised three children in… complete with one very old barn.

old_barn

That house now belongs to MysteryMan’s aunt, and we’ve signed on to help her take down the old barn next year since we fear it won’t be long until it collapses.

barn_ceiling

Although I have to say, with supports like these, it’s hard to imagine the whole thing giving way…

barn_beams

After a day of using 6″ finish screws and stainless steel ring-shank nails, I’m awed by what people did with just as saw, and some really thick timbers.

notch

This weekend we spent a little time checking out some of the old barn wood to see if any of it would be suitable for use in the house.

barn_wood

Specifically for the large wall that runs down the stairs in the mudroom, which I would love to cover with old barn siding. Because I love the way this siding looks, but also as a testament to the old barn that’s been in MysteryMan’s family for years.

barn_siding

We’ll see if she makes it through winter with enough siding intact for us to use. MysteryMan’s grandpa said, if the winds we had Friday didn’t take her down, the winter won’t either. Hopefully the same holds true for our place.

old_oil_can

7 Responses

  1. Ever thought of using it for flooring……put together and sanded….it could be really nice. Beside flooring is more expensive then sheet rock.

  2. That barn is a beauty. I’m glad you’ll be salvaging the wood. If you don’t use them, I’m sure someone else would be delighted to have those beams and posts — they appear to be in good shape.

  3. My house is built like that: wood mortise and tenon. It’s nice… except when… they pull away from each other… yeah. Then, I like the honking big lag bolts. Nothing like modern technology. And a roof over one’s head.

  4. I love old wood. It has a character you just can replicate. I’m glad you’re trying to use some of it. The rest you may be able to donate to places like ReStore or freecycle it.

  5. Woodworkers pay big bucks for old barn timbers. I myself have been lucky enough to use old falling down buildings on the farm for furniture making. It gives the old fashioned look if you are making replica furniture. Just think of The New Yankee Workshop.

    Everything is looking nice and thanks to your man bathroom I think I have my husband convinced for mosaic glass tile.

    Janet

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