Panoramic View from the South

A little while ago Rich asked if it would be possible to see a panoramic view of our farm. What I should really do is have a pictorial tour of the farm because even though it doesn't feel like it sometimes we have come quite a long ways and there is a lot going on at the farm these days. But, for now I'll just share this picture and give a little description of the farm as it stands now...

This picture is taken from the northern edge of the farm looking south and it gives a nice view of our house and new shed (darn ugly camper is in the way). As you can see we ended up making the colors on both buildings match. I kind of like the looks of that and will probably try to continue that trend as we add buildings to the farm ... and we will have to add more over time if we continue to expand (or even if we just stay at the same size we are now).

Basically the ground you see in the foreground of the picture now will be the winter lot for the cattle and the large opening on the lean-to of the shed will be their deep-bedding and feed area. This area of the farm drains a little bit more than other areas so I thought it would make a nice winter lot, plus this ended up being the best place for the shed.

There will be a 6 wire hi-tensile fence going from the front edge of the shed out to the road. On the right side of the shed (as you look at the picture) the 6-wire fence will come out from the back edge and then around to the front of the house and out to the road. We will have a gate both in front of the house and behind the house for pasture access.

I'll try to take some pictures of other parts of the farm as I'm out working in the next few days so that I can share more of our progress.

Front Porch Farming...

**Today's post is extremely late today because of a little computing mix-up on my end. But, hopefully you'll get a preview today and then an update tomorrow.**

It seems like our list of projects is never ending and it is always difficult for me to figure out what to do next, but something needs to be next on the list. So, this weekend we are going to begin tackling the front porch. This is a project that we have been looking forward to since we put up the building because the view from the porch is amazing and it will be wonderful to sit out there and enjoy the evening. Plus, we have the added benefit of some extra hands this weekend so it seemed like as good as anytime to get it started.

We picked up the materials on Tuesday, but we have already run into a few snags. Things aren't going to work out exactly as I had planned (do they ever), but I think we have "plan b" figured out and should be able to get going tomorrow as long as the weather cooperates. The one thing that may hold us back is water in the post holes. That could keep us from concreting them in and getting the front of the porch ready.

Ideally I would love to make it to Sunday evening with all my toes and fingers and everything framed up. If that happens then we should be set because I think the decking will go on fairly quickly and without too many cuts. That is one nice thing about a porch that is only 6 feet by 45 feet. I'll keep you updated on the progress and hopefully some relaxing front porch farming pictures soon!

Making the Shed a Reality

Later this morning I'm meeting up with the builder that put up the shell of our house to discuss the location and size of our new multi-use shed. If you have been around the blog for awhile you may recognize the little diagram I made when I was trying to figure out where to put the shed. When I put that picture together I was pretty set on location number three because of it was close to both water and electricity, but now that we have lived here through the end of winter and the beginning of spring I think I am changing my mind ... plus I found out that it would cost much more than I wanted to level out the spot (it wasn't super bad, but would make stacking hay a little tricky).

What I realized is that location number three wouldn't work as well as I had hoped because of a few reasons. First of all, in order for it to be easy to back things into all three bays of the building I would really have to move it over to the east a bit so that I could clear the electrical transformer box. That move took me to ground that slooped to the northeast. Secondly, If I wanted to build in that general location it would mean that I had to move the building forward and thus kind of wipe out the garden spot. I really want the garden there for many reasons, so that just didn't work.

But, probably the biggest reason was because I plan on having deep bedding for the cattle on the east side of the building with an lot running out on that side. And in wet times (winter thaws and spring) that slope towards the ditch is very muddy. It just wouldn't be a good area to keep our livestock in the winter.

After seeing all of that and living here for a while I think we are going to go with a slightly modified location number one. I think I will back it up a little from that spot and move it so the right edge of the shed pretty much lines up with the left edge of the house (but probably not exactly). This gives us a flat spot for the building and the top of the hill for our winter lot (not as muddy). Plus it is really only about 25-30 feet further from the water and electricity than where I would have had to put the building if we went with location number three.

Our busy schedule paid off for once. It made us drag our feet on the shed because there were other more pressing matters and then we had the opportunity to see our land at work and get a better idea of where things belonged. I can't wait to see it up though!

Work Begins...

My posts will be a bit more sporadic this because we are in the final push to finish the house on the inside. It wasn't exactly our idea or go on a big "finish the house" kick this week because it isn't exactly the right timing (soccer practice begins) or weather (it is absolutely pouring right now), but the bank that bought our loan from Wells Fargo decided they wanted it done because we were living in it. In fact they wanted it done by the 30th of March. So... today we begin the big push.

Honestly there is not a lot to do, but with the dead-line looming and the promise of lots of rain it is a bit overwhelming. Our project list includes finishing the wiring in the mudroom, putting plywood on the ceiling and walls of the mudroom, tiling the bathtub, and putting up just a couple pieces of trim. Besides that there are a few other wiring projects that need to be finished up and we need to put in the air conditioner.

Thankfully my wife's parents are coming to help because with chores, soccer practice, and work at the church I don't think I could even come close to getting it all done! There is one thing that I know though ... I will be glad when it is done. For whatever reason I feel less overwhelmed by the mountain of things to do outside. Maybe it is because the outside things don't take as much craftsmanship?

The Skinny on Hoop Buildings?

After listening to and watching a few virtual farm tours of various swine operations here in Iowa over the past three weeks I have have seen and heard quite a bit about hoop buildings. These particular farms were using them for winter farrowing in huts, bred gilts, and finishing pigs for market. In most cases bedding was used (sometimes deep bedding) and there was even one farm featured that had in floor heating running under the concrete where he placed the huts for winter farrowing. Everybody seemed to have a slightly different design within the basic hoop framework, but I would say that everyone was pretty well pleased with the hoops.

All of this led me to think, "What is the skinny on hoop buildings?" I assume there is some initial cost savings involved because there is less steel and wood involved and maybe there is something to the design that makes it work well. But, why else are so many hoop buildings popping up ... especially for livestock feeding? Is money the main issue here?

I tried doing a little google research, but I didn't come up with a lot in the way of price differences. I did find this .pdf file about the cost of putting up a hoop building for cattle feeding, and this article about the cost comparison of a conventional confinement hog building and a hoop building. In the case of the cattle feeding hoop it was really big and seemed really expensive to me, and when it came to the confinement building vs. the hoop building the research used concluded it was almost a wash.

The reason I ask all these questions is because we are looking at building a livestock feeding building (as you probably know). Should a hoop building be on the research list? I'm not so sure because I don't know how it would work out as a multi-use building, but I want to make sure I cover all of my bases.

I would love to hear any thoughts...

Can We Revisit the Barn/Shed Thing...

Okay, I realize that I spent two days already discussing this, but I have to admit that it is what has been consuming much of my farm thought lately. Each day as I'm out doing chores and uncovering things under tarps all over the farm I am reminded of how nice it would be to have a place of storage for some small square bales, pig feed, the tractor, tools, and so much more. In fact I'm also reminded of how nice it would be when I'm in the house also because right before we started building we decided to add a room and that room ate into the storage area.

So, earlier I mentioned what the buildings were that I was considering (check the link to refresh yourself) and then after that I talked about location (again, take the link). I think that I have settled on spot number three for our location because it is good proximity to the house, the garden, the water hydrant/line, and the electrical box. Also, it is a relatively flat area with a nice flat area behind it that would be a good place to have the cattle when the rest of the farm is fairly wet.

What I can't figure out is what kind of building to build and how big to make it. The building above is what the "carport" style barn would look like and it does have its pluses. First of all I could get a 34x26x12 building for just over $6,000 and it would be installed fairly quickly. Also, this building would have three bays with all of them being 12 feet wide. That would be nice for running equipment in, and I could then live the middle bay for hay which I could stack up to the highest point of the building. I guess the down side is that it is basically a carport...

On the other had for that same amount of money I could only build a pole building with steel siding about half that size. That would mean that I would also out grow it more quickly. On the plus side I feel like it could be a bit more sturdy and it may be better if I wanted to do some additions on my own.

Lastly, I have heard the idea of a hoop building thrown around. I don't really know much about these or their costs and would love to hear some thoughts. If you have any more opinions I would love to hear them ... if not, well now you know what is going through the mind of a beginning farmer!

More on the Farm Layout

Yesterday I asked for some advice and thoughts on building types. We are looking at the possibility of putting up a shed this fall and I'm having a tough time wading through the available options. So, I thought that today I would confuse the matter all the more and discuss farm layout ... in particular our farm layout and our thoughts behind what we are doing. With that in mind I put together this wonderful (just kidding) layout with the powerful tools included in Microsoft Word. First let me give you a quick run down of everything and then I share some of my thoughts.

Most things in the picture are pretty self-explanatory, but here are some specifics. The house faces the south and has a large sliding door that opens to a small storage area on the west side (there is actually a mudroom on the east side I forgot). The garden is positioned so that it can have some good morning sun and still be close to the house (the window above the sink looks out over it.) Just to the south of the "proposed fence" the land starts to slope away to the south and the carries on to the "future house?" location (we would have a walkout basement). The electric transformer is an immovable object, but there is enough room to drive around it. With the proposed spots the buildings would be open to the south.

Spot #1: This location is relatively flat and probably would require any grading before building. The upsides would be that it is close to our "future house" and that it would be a bit further from the road. The downsides are that it is a long ways from water at the moment and it would be difficult and expensive to build a drive to it at the moment. Ideally if we built there we would put a drive behind the house to get to it because we would like to leave the front of the house open for a yard. Going behind the house would me quite a bit of gravel and if we ever did build the "future house" would basically become obsolete because we would then just continue our current drive to the "future house".

Spot #2: This location has a bit of a slop to the north and slightly east. It isn't really steep at this point, but it would require some grading ... especially if we went with a carport or carport barn style structure. The slope along with the fact that it would be quite a distance from the "future house" are probably the biggest downsides to this location. The upsides would be that it wouldn't take very much rock to have a drive to it making it easier to get things in and out in mucky conditions and it is close to the water.

Spot #3: This one is kind of a compromise between the two (and it is literally between the two). While it is a bit further from water that #2 it is closer than #1. Plus, it is about as close as you can get to our electrical stuff (any idea of which would be less expensive to run, water line or power line underground?). The land here is relatively flat and wouldn't require much grading, but it might need a slight amount of leveling on the east side. The good things would be that it compacts our farm the most so we have a close walk to everything, it would take just a short drive extension, and if we did go with the "future house" it would be relatively close considering the fact we would turn our current house into some sort of storage/store/whatever.

There are a few factors that we realistically have to think about, but one big factor. The biggest thing is that "future house". That is something that would be way ... way ... way down the road. I'm talking 20 years or more most likely so at that point we might have had the time to build other buildings in different places for different reasons.

Finally, here are some of my thoughts on farm layout. I would love to hear your thoughts and comments and of course your opinion on which spot you like for a building.

• There is something to be said about having your out buildings close to the house. The closer they are to the house the less you have to travel to do chores. Also, the proximity to an existing water hydrant is a good thing.
• Arranging buildings with weather in mind is always import, especially on the top of the hill. We are looking at open front buildings (all three of our options) and it just makes sense to have them open to the south if you are going to have an opening.
• We have 26 acres of pasture ground on our farm. The more we spread our buildings out, the less land we have for livestock. I want to be very intentional about our layout so that we don't waste land. Whichever location we choose for this building we will be utilizing the other area for grazing ... not for yard!

What to Do ... What to Do ...

For a little while now we have been debating shelters. Of course there is still plenty of work to do with our own house, but we are also beginning to think about some sort of barn or shed. With that in mind I have been doing a bit of research about what is out there and what prices may be. Basically we have come up with three options (building our own from materials on the farm is a fourth option, but not feasible this year). Option number one is to have another post frame building built. Option two is to have a three-bay barn built that is made from the same materials that you see the steel carports made from. And, option three is to just build a carport.

I think it is fairly obvious that the post-frame building would be the most substantial. But, that also means that it would be the most expensive. If we were to go this route we wouldn't be able to get as many square feet under roof for the amount of money we are able to spend this year, but it might be better for us in the long run. Our design for a post frame building would just be a plain three-sided shed open to the south. We could use it for hay, equipment, and to run animals in if there is one that needs some attention.

The second option is a three-bay carport barn. This is basically a free-standing building anchored to the ground with mobile home anchors that twist in. These buildings are built from 16 gauge steel for the frame and 29 gauge steel for the siding and roof (this is the same as our house). The building we are looking at would have a 14 foot wide bay in the middle flanked by 10 foot bays on either side. Also, the wall height in the middle bay would be 12 foot high. For about 6,000 dollars we could get 1,000 feet or so under roof.

Finally, we could go basic and just have a carport put up (something like 18x21). Of course this wouldn't be able to hold very much, but it would go up quickly (the same as the barn) and not cost quite as much. If we went this route then we would probably need to build something next summer. Of course we could always use this somewhere else because it would be portable I think.

So, what do you think? Go with option one that will give us a smaller building, but it will probably be pretty sound. Do option number two that will give us room to grow into and take away the need to build right away next year (I'm not sure about the durability of this ... it could be great). Or, just do the third option and go with the carport. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Learning A Lot

I know one thing for sure, I am learning a lot while we are building this house! Even though we have some plumbers, electricians, and other "know-how" guys working on the job I am still learning plenty of good stuff. Hopefully this is stuff that will stick with me and I can use it to be helpful to other people.

As you can see from the picture above I spent most of the afternoon high up in the storage area above the closets. It was tight work and I will admit that my arm is a little sore from holding the screw drill at weird angles, but three of the four closets are done now. We have made some major progress this week and I think we will have a lot done by the time we need to move in.

That is all I have time for today ... I need to go pick up some pig feed and then get out to work. Hopefully I'll keep the updates coming, and thanks for all of your encouragement.

The Thing About Bare Land...

The thing about bare land is that it is ... well ... it is bare, empty, and void of buildings! That is the case with the 40 acres that we are in the process of buying, so we will have to build everything that we are going to need. A house, storage, shelters, and fences will all have to be built because we are starting with a blank slate. On one had that can be a bad thing because of all the work that it will take to get things up and running, but on the other hand it gives us the opportunity to do exactly what we want exactly how we want to do it. I'm going to try and be the optimist and run with the latter of those two options!

Let me start with the easy stuff first ... One of the reasons that I brought up the fencing questions a little while ago on the blog is because I knew this land might be a possibility. You can get an idea of the land we are working with from the image at the top of the post. Initially I think we are going to fence along the road and the along the wooded area. I think with a little work the fence on the West side of the property could be usable, but we may end up putting up fence just inside of that and going with high tensile electric all the way around. Yep, right now I believe we will be going with high tensile electric. I'm not sure how many wires yet, now that I'm looking for it I am beginning to see it around quite a bit. In fact there is a PowerFlex dealer not to far away so I think we are going to check them out pretty soon. Once the boundary fences are established we will use all portable fencing inside and then eventually make a few more permanent fences if needed.

As far as storage buildings or livestock shelters go ... we will probably tackle those this fall or as needed. We may make some basic portable shade for the cows and beef up the chicken pen a little, but other than that the fence and the house are much more important building projects.

Which leads me to the house. This is the thing that is probably going to be the most stressful because we don't have a ton of budget to work with. We knew going in that we were going to have to choose between a larger chunk of land or a nicer house. As a family we decided that we wanted the land because we could always upgrade the house!

Right now we are looking at a 36 x 45 x 12 post frame barn (like the image on the right) that would be roughly 1600 square feet. Then we would build our living area inside that barn ... err ... house in an area around 1200 square feet leaving the rest for storage. Of course it would have a slab concrete floor and we would probably build a very small lean-to off the side with a cellar because we live in Iowa (tornadoes). Our house will have no air-conditioning and we will heat with wood in order to save money. We will install some electric base-board heaters for backup though.

We are still going through the plans and talking to builders about putting up the barn for us. Once it is up we plan on doing all of the interior work ourselves and building a bare bones home that will be full of love ... but not much else! This is were living simply and making sacrifices for what we believe we are supposed to be doing becomes real, and we are excited about the possibilities.

A few more details ... there is no electric, water, or septic on the farm, but the power and rural water lines are on our side of the road so it is not that big of a deal. Also, it is important to realize that right now we are looking at bare bones and no frills. In fact we see this as a temporary house or one that we can "fancy" up as we desire. Hopefully we will live in this barn for a while and then turn it "back" into a barn and a on farm store.

I would like to open up everything for discussion and suggestions though. I would especially appreciate and thoughts, links, or book recommendations that would help in the building of the barn/house. Do you have any great economical ideas on insulating a post frame/pole building? Let the discussion begin! :)