We have been sitting on this announcement for months, waiting until the pieces were in place to share it with you. Although, we did drop a hint or two on our Facebook page last fall.
WE ARE OPENING A FARM STORE!
Yes, we’re yelling in excitement!
Since we moved to the farm 9 years ago, we’ve talked about having a store of some sort for people to come and shop, meet neighbors and make connections. It seemed like a far-off dream that may never become reality.
Then, through a set of circumstances, we discovered we would have to tear down the well house (the building covering our well). Our 100-year-old well pump needed to be replaced, and it couldn’t be done with the building there.
Suddenly we wondered if this was the perfect solution: could we move the well house and remake it into a store? After brainstorming, planning, measuring and dreaming, we hatched a plan we weren’t sure we could execute.
You see, the well house building is also over 100 years old, perhaps as old as 1890. It had been resided and reroofed at some point, but it basically stood as it had been built all those years ago.
Our first task was easy: choose a site for the new store. The front of the farm is packed with buildings and trees. There was only one workable solution - right in the middle of our tear-shaped driveway. Unfortunately, that meant removing a large evergreen tree.
Timber! Making way for the new farm store.
So, Bernard got to work trimming the lower branches then felling the tree. We moved the trunk to our firewood area to dry, where it will be used to heat our home in the coming winter. Then, we mulched the branches, which was a family effort. The mulch is used in the vegetable garden paths, so nothing went to waste.
Mulching was a family effort. (Well house in the background)
Getting that tree stump out was a Herculean effort. First, we tried to dig it out. Then, a neighbor came over with his skid steer and tried to push, pull, or dig it out. It wouldn’t budge. Next, the same neighbor drove his large tractor over, hooked up a large chain and pulled. The chain snapped. Another neighbor offered to grind the stump for us and that did it!
Trying to remove that stump was an unexpected challenge!
Throughout the tree excavation process, we found many, many pieces of old life here at the farm – pieces of pottery, tools, cutlery, and even an old bone pipe. Pretty cool! (You will be able to view some of them in a display case inside the store.)
Treasures hiding in the dirt kept our kids busy for days.
One load of soil later and a few minutes with the skid steer, and we had a level surface.
Level ground in new store location.
Next step, concrete. We had the help of a good, knowledgeable friend for this process, which made it go smoothly.
Teamwork. So thankful for friends!
While the new foundation cured and hardened, it was time to work on the well house itself. The roof desperately needed to be replaced, so Bernard went ahead and removed the asphalt and cedar shingles to lighten the building’s weight before moving it.
Working around the fall vegetables to remove the roof of the well house.
The well house had to be braced in as many places as possible, since it was never made to be moved. We also had to figure out how to move it either around or over the existing well pump. After throwing around many ideas, we chose to cut a hole in the back wall just a hair bigger than the size of the pump.
Hundred-year-old well pump (on the right) inside the well house.
We thought the best way to move the building was to take a tip from the ancient Egyptians and make a roller system. So, we moved debris and used jacks to raise the building. It was actually just sitting on a bit of cement, no bolts to keep it secured or anything. Some of the sill plates had rotted away, so those had to be replaced and the wall shored up.
It didn’t look too bad for a 100-year-old farm building and foundation.
Thankfully, we had hundreds of feet of pipe we had saved from replacing the well pipes several years ago. It certainly came in handy!
Placing pipes and starting the rolling process.
Once the entire building was up off the ground, several adults got on one side, and pushed with all their might. The building inched forward, and then rocked back. We tried again and again, adjusting, moving pipes, making leverage points. Those couple hundred feet to the new foundation seemed miles away.
So close yet so out of reach!
Simply put, century-old buildings built with old growth oak are HEAVY. Thankfully, once again, our neighbor came to the rescue with mechanical muscle. Three men and a couple hours later, just as night fell, the well house landed on its new foundation.
We are so very thankful for family, friends and neighbors helping us with this project!
Nearly there - they finished in the rain on a chilly fall night.
You may ask – why not just tear that old building down and put up a new one? There are several reasons. First, we are unable to put up any new “indoor” square footage on our acreage as we already exceed the current standards. However, relocating and repurposing a current building seemed the perfect solution. Second, we despise waste, whether that’s an old building, saved pipes, or excess produce. We will find a use for as much as we possibly can before we consider the trash heap. Third, we’re suckers for old, historical things. What could be more amazing than saving a part of this farm that has been worked since post-Civil War days?
Stay tuned to the next posts for more on our well house turned farm store.