Restoring the Corn Crib

Here’s the corn crib as it looked when we arrived at Bakie. There was a substantial hay pack on the floor from its time as a goat pen.

This lovely old building sits on top of the hill behind the big barn. It originally was a corn crib where corn for the silo was dried. I’m told the silo was knocked down by a storm in the early 1950’s and I’m guessing it was Hurricane Carol (1954). The crib subsequently served many purposes, including, most recently, a pen for goats or sheep, and, judging from the number of eggs in the loft, a roost for renegade chickens. The four corner posts supporting the structure had rotted out and the building sank into the ground. Over the years, people jammed boards and other things under the floor to support it, but all that did was lift the floor joists out of the sills as the building sank deeper. We started by ripping out the floors (there were two) and the foot or more of hay pack. That revealed the free-floating joists. By jacking the building up, a corner at a time, we were able to reset the joists and clear out all the stuff under the building. We then poured footings, leveled the building, reset it, and installed new flooring. We opened up the east and south facing walls, installing five windows. The building is now ready for siding, and a new roof. Then we can work on finishing the interior. Perhaps by winter the corn crib will be reborn as a place for quiet contemplation. Here are some pictures of the work we’ve done. More to come as the project evolves.