Building a Barn: Building the Rafters

I have decided that I really hate rafters. I hate them. Why do we need to put a roof on the barn anyway? Stupid question, I know. But building the rafters was annoying enough that I wandered off to the creek for a good portion of the afternoon. Good thing my kids can build rafters without too much supervision.

In hindsight, it wasn't really that bad. The pieces in the shed kit came pre-cut. We just really had to screw the rafters together. Except it wasn't that easy. First, you have to put the rafters together. Here's where you just hope and pray that your walls are straight and true, because if they're not, if they're leaning at all, the rafters are just not going to fit. An inch matters.

So we put the first rafter together. Then we realized I had done it backwards and we had to take it apart again. I was already irritated so off I went to the creek. By the time I got back, Tristan and Rowan, all of 14 and 12 years old, had put together all 6 rafters. And they'd done it correctly. They're really better at this whole thing than I am. 6 rafters assembled and all I'd done was walk to the creek and back. So I felt bad about that and made them their favorite lunch. Tacos. I made tacos, we ate a late lunch, and then we had to get the rafters up onto the barn.

This was going to suck. I am not very strong. Rowan, my younger son, is pretty short and also not strong. So how exactly were we going to get those rafters up there? Tristan. Tristan was how we were going to get those rafters up there. All of 14 years old, but he's stronger than most adult men I know. Tristan directed us and his method was simple. He set up two ladders, one for me, one for Rowan. We would be outside the barn across from each other. Tristan would lift the rafter into place, we would hold it, he would get his drill and screw it down.

Placing them worried me. What if they weren't exactly where they needed to be? But Tristan anticipated that problem. He got out his tape measure and marked exactly where each rafter would go. No more stalling, I guess. Rowan and I took up our positions. Tristan lifted the first rafter with ease. The side walls are 6 feet high, but somehow he managed to get that rafter up there. We held it in place, he screwed it in, and that was that. The first rafter was in place.

Five left. I really couldn't believe that Tristan just hoisted them up there. I really couldn't. But he did. All rafters were suddenly in place. It helped that the wind wasn't blowing. We briefly discussed putting the plywood up on the roof just in case the wind picked up, but frankly, I was tired. I know, I hadn't done much of anything. Held a few rafters in place. But...well, the forecast didn't say anything about wind.

The plywood could wait for the next day. Right at that moment we had to round up the chickens and figure out where the dog had wandered off to.

Building a Barn: Raising the Walls

The barn saga was seemingly never ending, but really it was only 2 days after getting started that my son was ready to erect the walls. We had bought a shed package from the hardware store and it came with great directions. The directions were clear. Build walls, erect on base. How hard could it be?

Ahhh, famous last words. Those walls are HEAVY. I'm not kidding. So many 2x4s. So much siding. And they're 10-foot walls. It's insane. Also, I can't lift. I'm really, really terrible at it. I can't even lift a jug of water without wrenching my back. So...well, thsi was promising to be a barrel of monkeys. Frustrating and messy.

But we couldn't just leave the walls laying there with chickens strutting all over them. We actually had to get them up. This involved way more effort than I was willing or able to put in. Luckily, I have 2 determined boys. At the time they were only 14 and 12 years old, but they're outstanding kids and they're problem solvers. They are also incredibly strong. They get it from my father. My oldest, Tristan, is particularly strong.

So it was time to lift the walls. First, at least according to the instructions, was the back wall. Which happened to be the heaviest because it had no wall or door openings to make it lighter. It was solid wall. Now there's some fun for you. Did I say they were heavy? They are.

At first, the three of us tried to move the wall together. Tristan soon realized I wasn't as much help as he'd hoped, so I was told to go stand to the side until he called for me. So now I got to watch as the two boys hauled that wall up and over to the base. It was a rather amazing feat of strength for two kids. They never cease to amaze me.

So the wall was standing. Well, it was being held up. So Tristan called me over, made sure the wall was perfect, and told me to hold it up with my younger son Rowan until he got back with the drill. I make it sound like he would be gone several minutes, but the drill was literally 2 feet away. Still, I almost dropped the stupid wall. I wasn't even bearing any weight. I was just supposed to keep it upright. Rowan saved the day and we tried to pretend it hadn't happened. Tristan wasn't fooled.

But he let it go because he needed to screw the wall into the base. He did give me a dirty look, which made me laugh and almost drop the wall again. He rolled his eyes, we all laughed, and then we got back to the task at hand. Tristan took his monster 4-inch screws and screwed that wall down into the cedar base. It was impressive.

One wall down, 2 to go. The sides were actually easier, mostly because there was now a standing wall that we could use to brace the other walls. So the sides were on. They fit on the base perfectly. 10-feet long precisely. Excellent.

Now we were approaching the moment of truth. If Tristan had done his job the year before, the base would be perfectly square and we would have no trouble placing that front wall on the base. That was the theory.

Tristan didn't want help now. He was determined it would all be perfect. So Rowan and I stood back as a single 14-year-old hauled the front wall into place. It was the lightest wall, the one with the opening for the door, but it was still heavy enough. And he just lifted it into place. I held my breath, but I needn't have worried. Tristan is precise in all he does, and this had been no exception. the wall fit perfectly.

Tristan called us over and asked us to hold the wall in place. He screwed it down, attached it to the other two walls, and that was that. We were done. Because he likes to overdo things, he added a few more screws in all the corners.I could not believe all he had done, and with so very little help.

Of course, we weren't done yet. Next would be starting the roof. But we were getting there. The chickens would soon have a fancy new home.

Building a Barn: The Walls

We had nothing to keep chickens in, so we bought a small coop to hold the first couple. But that wasn't going to be enough. They needed space. They needed their own barn. Not a big barn, but a solid shelter to keep them safe and dry. We had settled on a 10x110 barn. We had to build it onsite, but that didn't mean we wanted to start entirely from scratch.


We ordered a small barn package from the hardware store. After 2 weeks, it was delivered. My sons, who at this point were 14 and 12, unloaded all the lumber and carried it back to our soon-to-be barnyard. Then construction could begin.

I'll freely admit that I'm not a lot of help. Oh, I can read directions and put small items together, but this was 2x4s and siding and windows and doors. A little beyond my scope. But my 14-year-old is a budding contractor. He took the lead. He grabbed those 2x4s and starting building the walls. He just threw them together. The walls were built on the ground to be erected later.


And yes, there are chickens inside the wall in the picture to the right. They're very attached to my son, who can barely be seen in the top right. So they follow him around no matter what he's doing.  There are always at least 4 chickens around Tristan at any given point.


Tristan spent a great deal of time measuring and marking to make sure his walls would be perfect. He was building them 24-inch on center, so the measuring was important. He took his time and he built the framing for the walls. He even added framing for the windows on 2 of the walls. This took more time as he measured and marked and carefully nailed in each board. But it was time well spent.


Next he had to attach panels of siding. He wanted his siding to run vertical, so that's what we did. Or that's what he did. Let's be honest here. I cut one panel, ended up not cutting on the line he drew, and was immediately banned from cutting any more panels. I could hold the panels in place while he cut them, but no more cutting for me. He even kept the saw battery with him so that I couldn't get a jump on cutting. I'm not great at cutting.

So he carefully marked and cut each panel, making sure to cut out the window sections. Then he nailed the panels in place. I helped by standing around with a hammer and handing him another bag of nails when his bag ran out. I also filled a chicken waterer. So I'm a ton of help. I did read the directions on installing the siding. Which was pretty straightforward. Measure, cut, nail. It wasn't hard. He didn't need my help.


But for the next step, Tristan would absolutely need my help. The next step would be erecting those walls.

At the Beginning

Everyone as to start somewhere, and we are no exception. Andersen Acres is the brainchild of my now 14-year-old son Tristan. He wanted chickens, goats, and a miniature horse. My younger son Rowan wanted rabbits. But we had nowhere to keep anything. No barns, no fences, no coops...nothing. So we needed something.


Back in 2019, Tristan had an idea. Two smaller barns and a coop to use as a nursery between them. Also a fence to keep everyone from wandering into the neighbour's yard. The very first thing he wanted was a barn (though we'd end up with a coop before the barn was erected). To build a barn, it would need a solid base.


The base of a barn is a tricky thing mostly because there are so many options. You can use concrete, wood, dirt, shavings, or literally anything else. After much discussion, Tristan decided he wanted a sand and limestone floor for his chickens. It would be easy to scoop clean and if he layered the sand over gravel and pea stone it would have excellent drainage.


Now to build it. It was the fall of 2019, so there wasn't much time before the first snow would hit First, he had to cut cedar beams to size. 6x6 cedar beams so they could support the weight of his barn. Then he had to cover those beams in liquid rubber. After that was the digging. To make them flush with the ground, he had to dig down several inches into the ground. It was hard work, especially when he was only 13 at the time. But he did it with a smile on his face.


Once the beam where anchored in place, he laid down landscape fabric and added some gravel. Then it was ready for barn, though that constructed wouldn't begin until the Spring of 2020...