Gold Rush Era Barn • The Cattle Doorway

I wanted to add a ledge & step at the Cattle Doorway on the backside of the Barn. Winter is approaching and so is the snow and heavy rain. When the weather gets wet, the Lumber side of the Barn tends to lightly flood and create puddles. I’m hoping that building a brick ledge and filling it in with dirt & gravel will prevent this from happening in the future and keep the Lumber side of the Barn nice and dry during winter.
#diy #nature #carpentry #electrical #brick #wood

AI summary

Michael, the Barn DIY Guy, builds a brick ledge and step at the cattle doorway of his barn to prevent flooding and keep the lumber side dry during winter (0:49).

Here's a breakdown of the project:
• Initial Problem: The lumber entrance of the barn, which has a dirt floor, tends to lightly flood and create puddles during wet weather (1:09-1:20).
• Planning the Ledge: Michael decides to install a ledge using a steel beam as a base (1:30-1:45).
• Laying the Foundation: He starts by laying down gravel to create a base for the ledge (1:47-2:35).
• Building the Brick Wall: To prevent rocks from pushing through, he lays bricks to create a wall (4:04-4:18).
• Repurposing Bricks: Michael sources old, buried bricks from near a large oak tree on his property, highlighting the beauty of repurposing old materials (5:18-6:04).
• Compacting the Dirt: After filling in with dirt, he waters it down to compact it (11:54-11:59).
• Laying the Top Bricks: He adds more bricks, laying some horizontally and some vertically, to create a stable and level surface for the step, dealing with bricks that have old concrete stuck to them (13:23-14:21).
• Final Result and Testing: Michael completes the ledge and is pleased with the straight edges. He then tests the new ledge in the rain to see how it withstands the weather (14:45-16:41).