Welcome.
By the way, we like pictures, and would like to see the shop, the old tractor, and the new one when you get it.
Be grateful you have lots of dealer choices on the east coast, as that isn't necessarily the case here in Colorado.
Gentlemen,
Thank you for the kind welcome and your input...
The barn project has been in high gear for the last month and the following pictures are grossly out of date, however, It will give you an idea of the barn. It is a pseudo pole barn built with full cut 8"x8"x20' Salt treated Poled and 5 rows of Salt 2x12"s. All of the 2x12" were let in and bolted with 1/2" galvanized marine bolts. The exterior is Select Cypress from Gate's Cypress just across the line in NC. Built in traditional board and batton construction and nailed with Stainless Steel Nails. The roof is heavy 24 gauge standing seem screwed into 2x6 pearling. The windows are Anderson 400 series in Green to match the Roof and door. The trusses are 2x10" bottom cord, sistered with 2x6" along their entire length, and anchored to the top cord with 3/16" web channel iron on both ends. Bolted twice to the top 2x12 and to the truss. Loft/Attic floor is 3/4" plywood which is going to receive another layer with tar paper run perpendicular to what is already screwed and glued down to the trusses. The floor is 6" pour 5000 PSI fiberglass reinforced concrete with six seperate sections seperated by expansion joints. The carpenters have had to shoot nails into the concrete 4 to 5 times with the Hilti gun before they reached the appropriate depth...
All of the Salt was double commercial treat/2.5# treatment by Atlantic Wood Industries as a favor to my father(RIP). Some are so green they look bizarre...
The door is a 16' x 10' CHI Commercial Door with a Commercial Jack Shaft Lift...
I was fortunate to buy 800 plus tons of ground asphalt delivered for $550 which has since been a trick to spread and level. The current pictures do not show it, however, the asphalt is 100% around the barn at 12-14" deep and I have a driveway directly to the road which runs 14' wide and varies in depth from 12" to 3' due to soft soil conditions. A buddy of mine did the work and I could not be happier. We've since cleared the lot in front of the barn, short of the good trees, and dug and drain ditch to the highway... I will update with photos shortly.
The first night when he finished I sat for two hours in my Super Duty with the Diesel idling admiring his work. Went home at 11 pm...(grin)
The next hurdles are electrical, finishing interior framing, insulation for climate controlled areas, sealing the concrete, and hooking up to city water. Like a dolt I borrowed a bucket to changed the oil on the tractor. The bucket had a leak and my floor shows the aftermath. Various concrete cleaners are slowly taking it up and out.
I want to get the 4720 and a basic land plane to level out some areas of the loose asphalt before the summer sun hardens it further. Well traveled areas are hard as the proverbial rock and nearly perfectly flat...
You did say you like a picture or two... Here is my Barn about a month ago. Much has been done, however, it'll be another month before I'm ready to reveal the work done. This has been a long project. We are coming up on two years.
Regards, Matt Garrett.
Chesapeake, Virginia
Btw, I lived in Colorado for 2 years while attending the Colorado School of Trades for Gunsmithing. Spent my first night in Kit Carson, back in July of 05', across the street from the John Deere Dealer. They have a steak house there called The Route. Best Steak I have had in many a day...fwiw
