This is how the original cow barn looked before the makeover.

Wood delivery.

Installing the main posts.

Making progress.

The structure is essentially a 75 foot lean-to with some areas enclosed and others left open.

Ceiling joists in place.

View from the trough side and main pasture gate.

Removing the existing gutters for transplanting to the new addition.

Installing the barn walls, leaving room for a window above, high enough to provide light safe from curious cow noses.

Making progress!

Framing up the side of the new barn.

So much more room now!

Almost ready for the new barn door.

New side door.

Almost finished!

The addition more than doubled the previous space.

We transplanted the 8 foot sliding doors from the original barn to the outside of the addition. There is also a single sliding door on each end to give us more options based on partitions and the weather.

View of their “sun porch” area.

In all the excitement of finishing the structure, I didn’t realize that the builders had sloppily used very long screws for every board that protruded through to the inside of the structure where the cows would be living and rubbing against. There were hundreds of these screws throughout the structure. I knew I had to cover them all with a second layer of wood on the entire interior of the barn to keep the cows safe.

The first of three trips to a mill about an hour away from the farm to pick up boards.

All of the boards had to be cut to fit.

Covering up the sharps.

I covered all of the posts later, as well.

I could hear the cows getting restless outside, but I still had at least another week of work to finish.

Carey and Patrick helped fill the new area with sand.

The new gate and straw are finally in place!

We finished the barn only five days before Forrest was born.

Working on the final boards around the main posts and around the windows.

We left ourselves with a few options for separating Jolene from Jeanette and the baby just in case we needed to intervene safely. The boards on the right were installed termporarily and have since been removed so it is again one large space.

Check out Jolene’s round belly in the background! : ) It’s funny that when given the choice to stretch out in their new addition, they still chose to lounge in the old space.