And Speaking of Walls, What to do with a Stone Wall

Hello Everyone!  My last post boasted about my 2 out of 4 lovely walls that are now gracing our new shed, but if I back up the photo from the shed a bit, you'll see the old stone foundation of the original barn that was lost in the storm.  I absolutely LOVE this stone wall, but I'm not so sure it should remain in the same place. Should we leave the wall where it's lies and fix it up as an homage to the original?, or should we try and move it and give it a new purpose in life?  I will never get rid of the stones because I see them as a permanent fixture to the property no matter where they are located, but they do look a bit messy in this state.  Just not sure which steps to take.

I've been searching pics of really great things to do with dry stacked stone walls and it's inspiring to think of the possibilities for these stones. I don't know if I like that question mark end to this wall. I think the stone mason may be trapped inside the circle, eeek!

landscape design by portland landscape architect Samuel H. Williamson Associates

Maybe an aged look?  This reminds me of a wall on the grounds of an English Castle!

Source: buzzfeed.com via Michael on Pinterest

Or we could fill the foundation in with dirt and plant beautiful ornamental grasses and other "maintenance free" plants? I love ornamental grass.

Source: houzz.com via JennyandTony on Pinterest

I also thought we could put a little picket fence on top of the wall and a gate like this maybe?
It could be a good garden area.

Source: thisoldhouse.com via Sheila on Pinterest

Here's a couple of pics showing how we could move and re-purpose the stone.
Maybe to surround a pergola like this closer to the house?
Or use the stones for a bench or barbeque or something? I don't know what do you think?!

Source: dswa.ca via Ed on Pinterest

Source: houzz.com via Kelli on Pinterest

I think I am kind of liking the idea of filling in the space with dirt and use the stray stones to make a lovely set of steps like this. If you have any other ideas, please tell me!

Source: Uploaded by user via Dawn on Pinterest

Have a great week!!
-Jess xo

Yes...We Have Walls!

Hello Everyone!  Let me refresh your memory a bit.  We had lost a good portion of our old barn in a major storm a few years ago.  Such a shame, but it was deteriorating and the storm just pushed it over the edge.  We tore the rest down and saved every piece we could find until we could eventually built a shed, a BIG shed, out of the salvage.  Flash forward to today and we finally have a roof and 2 walls!  Why all of the excitement over something that's not even finished you ask? 
It's called progress.  And that goes a long way at our house because time is short and so is patience sometimes, but there is definitely light at the end of this tunnel.  Let's check out this progress then.  Remember this picture from a previous post?

Cut to, right this second...

We had to lay out all of the barn board to see what was usable and what goes in the burn pile.  Some were split beyond repair.  Unfortunately there was not enough old wood to re-use that would have made suitable roof rafters, but everything that could be salvaged, will definitely be used.

Pretty maids all in a row.

If you have a keen eye, you will notice that the tractor never moves...Ever!  I'm not complaining though because all of this work has amounted to this... Yes, my fine peeps, we have walls!

2 walls out of 4!  Done.  Now that's progress.  Since the hubby is out there working on wall 3, maybe I should help the cause and get out there and pitch in huh?!
Happy Easter!

-Jess xo

Major Project 1...The new shed

A huge storm swept through in the summer of 2008

Leaving our, already vulnerable, historic barn in shambles 

The clean-up was a very slow process, but we saved what we could.

Let me just say that my husband has NEVER built anything like this.  A stud wall, yes.  A building, no, just learning along the way.  The goal was to salvage what we could since we desperately needed the storage and were on a serious budget.  Afterall, this was/IS! a piece of our property's history, so we decided to build a shed and found a design that fit our needs with what we had left to work with.  Board-wise it wasn't enough for the roof unfortunately.

So, here is where we are with the new "shed" which actually ended up being just a hair bigger. 

But after months in the making...

it's pretty much at a  standstill. Ha ha.

But, slow and steady is more our style I guess. 

Stay tuned for more pics as we progress.  Happy holidays!

If only we had extra barnboard...maybe we could just whip this up too (wink;)

http://www.riseoverrun.biz/the-backyard-house.html

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