The Granary Project

When we first moved to this place 3 1/2 years ago (is that right?!?) the barns and house were in such a state of disrepair the only thing we could do was find the emptiest spot we could and pile our stuff on top of the mess that was already there.  The Granary was the big dumping ground for barn stuff, storage stuff and house stuff that didn't have a place yet because it was the emptiest (relatively speaking, of course.)

We cleaned up the house, we cleaned up the barns and slowly the stuff began to trickle where it was to live.

But the Granary still looked like this:

A teeny little pathway to walk through and mountains of junk.

Underneath the surface skimming of our own junk, there laid decades worth of undergrowth garbage lying around.  Some of it cool- like an antique oxen contraption.  Most of it...junk.  Old doors, broken glass, a million boards with a million rusty nails.  Bailing twine, broken tools, heavier than sin old beams, rusty old license plates (but you can see where I got with getting rid of those in that first picture...)

And underneath THAT, two inches (or more in spots) of leftover bits of oats, decades-old dust and rat poo (with a smattering of broken glass for good measure) in the feed bins.

It was bad.

I have always loved the shell of the Granary.  But I HATED to open the door.

So I made a deal with Matt.   If I cleaned it out all by myself...could it be MINE?

I don't know if he didn't believe I would actually do it or if he was just distracted enough to not know what he had just agreed to...but agree he did.

So cleaning out the Granary became this summers' goal for me.  By the end of the summer, it needs to be done.

It still isn't done- but I have to show you the progress!

I didn't do it entirely by myself though.  Matt was gracious enough to help me with the heaviest things.

But I have spent a lot of time out there.  I've inhaled a lot of years' worth of dust.  I've hauled a lot of junk.  Swept a lot of boards.  Become black with dirt countless times. Touched more rat poo than I care to think about.  Fallen into bed exhausted because of this Granary.

I am pretty excited to say...the lower level is very close to being done!  A few spots here and there need attention, but it is in good enough condition to show you.

Obviously, the building is not ONLY to be used by me.  We have no attic or basement storage options so all of our storage must be here.  But instead of being UPSTAIRS in the granary, it is now DOWNSTAIRS.

This makes a huge difference to a person (me!) who must haul bins down stairs in a house, across the road, up the stairs in the granary, back down, back across the road and back up the house stairs for a family of six each and every time the clothes must be switched for the seasons or Christmas decorations need to be pulled out.

A huge difference.

I even made a little 'potting nook' until my official potting shed can be/will be built some day.  (I hope!)

 

The pictures need to be updated to be sure. (Remember them?)

But that isn't really my priority right now.  :-)

"Take a picture of the tractor you found me, Mama!"

And from the other side:

BEFORE AND AFTER:

I still have to finish the upstairs in the granary to be completely done this summer project but that will be MUCH easier since all those bins (above) were brought down already.

And next summer's project is going to be going through all those bins and downsizing.  I am thinking I probably don't need all those baby clothes anymore.  Or that many all-sized clothes for that matter.

So, that's what I have been excited about this week.  All of us have, really.

It feels really good to tackle a huge project and get it (even just a part of it) done.

If you have a huge project that you have been dreading/avoiding/trying to wish away...try taking a before picture.  It never ceases to inspire me to get a move on it- and it is always very, very rewarding to see in plain color all the work that was accomplished.  By you.