It might not seem like much, but the diagrams below represent significant progress on my project. Namely, they're the barn diagrams I've just approved in order to get excavation underway. I added the color - trees, etc - so you guys could more easily get a feel for the lay of the land.
Because of the hill, the barn will have a tiered footprint, with the single-story upper tier being for animals and the two-story lower tier being storage, a bathroom and the garage.
There will still be some changes. Small windows will be added for the animals. Larger windows that can open and allow for fans will be put on both ends. The animal door will be repositioned so that it is closer to the right side than the left.
A lean-to will be added on the animals' side - so that I'll have a protected area outside for chicken coops, ATVs, snowmobiles, etc.
The big advantage of this two-tiered approach is that it dramatically reduces the amount of earth that must be moved. You can see, I think, that the hill is significant. Flattening an area 30 feet wide would have been difficult, and the earth would probably have needed a year to settle before any construction could begin. Flattening a 20 foot width won't be as bad.
Ground will be broken in August and I'm optimistic that the foundation will be poured this year. That's really good news.
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