Barn work has begun!

This is the backside of the barn.  You can see it is sinking on the left hand side.

Today was the big day, I started work on the barn.  Unfortunately, not the kind of work I wanted.  After removing the panels covering up the pillars I realized that I needed to dig out under the barn.  Two feet of sheep shit!  There is nothing like sitting on your butt bent over digging under a building.  A real upper body and back workout.  I fired up the tractor and slanted the dirt so the water would run away from the building and not back under the barn.  I did manage to scoop out about two feet of dirt with the tractor but that was it.  So I started digging by hand, the old fashioned way.  My progress is measured by how many pillars are unburied.  There are 9 pillars and I managed to uncover three but only dig out two spaces between the pillars so only 25% completed.  I only dug back under the barn to the next set of supports.  I need to buttress up that beam, as it is twisted and low on the low end of the barn.  Hence having to dig it out.  

First day of digging completed.

This is going to create far more dirt so I will be attempting to spread that all out on the barn lot side to cover all the rocks and get a nice level area ready for pasture seed.  I went and purchased some dry pasture seed (doesn't need to be irrigated) a 50# bag costs $60.  Once it is all dug out, roof repaired and windows installed I will plant the seed.  I may just leave a 10 foot section near the barn unplanted so I can get the rest of the pasture planted.

Two sections all dug out, see the row of supports back under the barn.

The wind has been howling and it ripped our wood shed door hinge screws right out of the wood.  I am going to have to purchase some 8 inch long bolts to bolt the door back in place. 

The chicken door worked!  The chickens came out this morning without any difficulties.   They ran around in the rain all day.  Digging under the barn made me immune to the rain.
All the beams are sitting on rocks under the barn.  No concrete and no precast anything, just good old fashioned flat rocks.