The sad remains of a shattered.....awning

Photo:  The casualty of our latest snow/more snow/thaw/freeze/thaw/more snow cycle.  Before, when a normal amount of snow was on the walkway roof.  And after,  when the last bit of snow slid off the metal barn roof yesterday and ripped the walkway roof right off of the side of the barn.

About 3 days ago, I noticed a LOT of snow had built up on the flat-roofed awning that sheltered our walkway to the front door of the barn.  The roof there was simply one or two sheets of metal roofing, laid flat on a pergola-style framework of 2x2 and 2x6 wood with a couple of nice-looking black pillars to dress it up a bit.  

Earlier in the summer, we'd noticed that it really wasn't attached to the side of the barn anymore.  The wood had rotted, the rain splashing and snow sitting against the siding of the barn had caused a problem with the framework in that area (rotten wood).

We had been given a pole/joist support (not sure what it's called---an adjustable metal pole used to support a roof) when friends Jane and Myles had been cleaning out Jane's Mom's house and garage.  That came in handy to hold up the worst corner, where the roof was starting to tip downward and had no attachment left to the barn at all.  The other corner was still holding on by a few rusty nails.

So, when I saw how much snow was on top of that flat roof, and when we started noticing that the middle of the 2x6 support-boards was potentially bending under the weight, I started being a little apprehensive about using that particular doorway to get into the barn.  

Not wanting to be crushed flat, I chose to go all the way around the back of the barn instead, through a gate, through the cow's area, to avoid the potential death-trap.

It could have been saved, but we were already wondering how we would reattach it to any solid part of the barn.  

Jeff has had a very busy week of not getting home until well after dinner, and we've been in the last crazy week of basketball season for both boys.  Michael offered to shovel it clean the night before last, but by then it was looking so dangerous that I didn't want him near it.

Like I said, it "could" have been saved, but the repairs were waiting even if we HAD saved it.

It WAS nice to have cover for hauling in bags of feed, or to shelter from drips coming off the main roof of the barn, or to keep snow and icicles from sliding off the new metal roof right onto the walkway (or down the back of my jacket, something that DID happen 3 days back on the other side of the barn!)

But having that walkway where it was kept us from using a hay elevator to get hay easily up to the second floor.  Every bale of hay went in the first-floor door (carried by hand), got stacked in the first floor area (by hand), was hoisted one-by-one up to the second floor (by hand and pulley power) and was then stacked and organized on the second floor (again, one-by-one, by hand).  Most of this difficult and sweaty job fell to our strapping teenage son, who doesn't really seem to mind.....but it does take a L-O-N-G time and lots of muscle-power.

A friend had offered to bring his hay elevator over for us to use, but we would have needed to cut another hole in the siding of our barn.  I know that real farmers do this, but it just didn't seem right when there was a doorway that should have worked for the purpose.  Now it CAN be used for that purpose.

One day of heavy rainfall followed by another 3 inches of snow finally took it's toll on the roof that was barely hanging on as it was.  

Snow was sliding off of the gleaming new roof that was installed on the barn just this past summer.  Big channels of snow at a time, in one heavy sheet per section of metal roofing, sliding suddenly off the barn to land with a "whump" that I could hear inside the house.   

Not too long after that started, a "whump" was immediately followed by a crash, and I knew what had happened without even looking.

It's one more step towards re-working what made sense for the woodworker who lived here 15 years ago, and moving towards what makes sense for the tiny farm operation we're trying to set up now.  

Not a set-back, just a time to re-group, take a look at what we have to work with, and examine the new possibilities.

First step:  clean up the rubble!

Second step:  Decide how to build a sturdier, better designed roof with a pitch to it, but that will still protect those entering the barn from anything sliding or dripping down from the huge expanse of roof up above.

Laura