Finished the insulation, used a scrap piece of ply to cover the ladder jack for the front wall, spent my last pieces of usable wall OSB, and started scraping the extra spray foam on the ceiling to prepare for paint.
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The lumber and doors for the barn addition have arrived at my local hardware store.
Wood posts are getting pounded for the fence Monday/Tuesday.
Gears are about to shift, and the tack area is going to go to lowest priority. The whole “must have” to bring the horses home, versus “nice to have”.
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What is a ladder jack?
That wall runs parallel to the joists and was in between two joists, and I needed something at the top to secure it to. I put multiple boards of what looks like blocking to attach it to, perpendicular to the joists. I think you can see it in some of the other pictures maybe.
There is a high likelihood I am using an incorrect term, honestly!!
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Gotcha! Google only gave me the product that goes onto a ladder, lol.
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Me too. I don’t know what they’re called then! Wall toppy securey thingies.
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Jacks is correct for any that ties framing down tight.
We ordered extra jacks over the plans that came with our prefabricated large barn kit because in our continuous high winds in our region, you can’t have enough tying frame down:
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Trimmed some of our trees yesterday because it was sooooo nice out. Didn’t want to be trapped in the barn!
Today, making a list to try and quiet down the chatter in my brain and get me focused on the impending steps. I’ve got a tree I need to take out (several people are trying to figure out how to spade it out, but I think it’s too big. I don’t mind, as long as they fill in the hole that’s left! It was too expensive for me when I half-assed looked into it.)
Before starting:
Need: Chainsaw, scrap lumber and something for stake on jig
- Cut down or remove tree
- Make jig for wood posts – 5’4”
Before wood post pounding:
Need: Marking paint, tape measure, jet line (?), drawings
- Mark for corner posts
- Mark for gates – see drawing for distances
- Mark for brace posts – 96” gap between posts to fit 8’ horizontal post
- Mark for intermediate posts where needed (see drawing)
- 10’ spacing for most, adjust as needed
Once wood posts are pounded:
Need: long reel tape measure, jet line, level, t post driver socket, spline to sds max converter, generator, gas, a good sense of humor, aleve
- Cut jig to exactly 5’
- String line off inside of wood posts – all fencing w/ tposts pulled inside, no outside corners
- Mark 10’ spacing for T posts
- Load T posts and generator and hammer drill into truck, with gas cans etc.
- Pound t posts – hopefully not awful
- Pound ground rods for electric tape
- Return generator and hammer drill to rightful owners. Pray you never need these tools ever again in your whole entire life.
- Cap the tposts along east side only (for now) – neighbor’s horses are on pasture that touches, don’t want injury
After all posts are up, woven wire:
Need: come alongs, wire clips, staples, hammer, gloves, cable cutter, wire cutter, impact wrench (socket for fence stretcher), lots of patience and caffeine
- Make fence stretcher out of scrap 2x4
- Install horizontal posts for H braces
- Install brace wire for H braces
- Don’t forget tubing on cable
- Pull west run
- Pull south run
- Pull east run
- Pull both north runs – tricky, will probably have to turn to catch the front gates
After all woven wire is up – electric:
Need: I don’t even remember all the shit that I ordered. It’s all in HorseGuard or Gallagher boxes. I’m sure I’m missing stuff. Load it all into the truck in some coherent way.
Frankly I’m not ready to think this far down the line yet. There will be more to come once I’m closer and can erase some of the above list to make room for more.
Tree that needs to be removed. It’s right on the property line. It’s a pretty thing.
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I’d bet that would be fine to grab with a tree spade as long as it gets the ever-loving shit watered out of it in its new home.
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All the companies contacted said too big. Trunk is at least 12". 
Awwww… I hate to see trees cut down. Especially beautiful ones like that.
Does the fence HAVE to go there?
Surely moving the fence a few feet will make no significant difference to the size of your paddock/pasture or whatever you’re fencing in or out.
Put the fence in between those two trees?
If this is at a corner, just make a diagonal line to the next section and fence the tree out?
If the tree must come down than please donate it to a local wild life rescue. They’re always looking for trees for the critters to next/hide in.
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That tree is so pretty, are you sure you can’t just fence inside of it?
No big tree nurseries that might have a 120" tree spade in your area?
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I’m doing a straight line pull from one end of the property to the other. Trying to fence the tree out would make for a ton more work. Plus, the sacrifice area is a bit small as-is, I really can’t afford to cut it out.
@mmeqcenter all the centers around that were called said it’s too big. I didn’t call many, the price for just a small spade-out and move was out of my budget, let alone something this size. Other people interested in the tree called several more places.
Here’s a drawing of the fencing, with the tree circled. The long red line at the north is 10 brand new evergreens being planted Wednesday, so hopefully that makes up for it.
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We had a similar problem with a fence with our neighbor going right by an old cottonwood in the canyons.
We fenced with corners on each side of the tree, then ran wire from corner to corner and as it went by the tree we put the wire thru an old plastic garden hose, a light gauge plastic pipe or scrap conduit pieces that may bend easily may also work.
Over the years we would move the garden hose covered wire a bit higher and lower and it never hurt the tree and the fence still kept cattle where they belonged.
One year we had a huge storm and flood that knocked tree and fence down, problem solved.
We still had the corners, so just stretched regular wire thru the hole.
In your situation, may be best just to take tree out, looks like you are where there are plenty.
Edited to add, we wanted to preserve the old tree as there was a story of some bandits stealing from a bank and before they were caught they had buried the money by that tree somewhere around it, it was a landmark of sorts.
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That’s a good idea with the hose. I’m a little concerned with fencing in the trees into the sacrifice area on the south line (in line with this tree that’s being cut down). I’m nervous a horse is going to get back there and then not be able to turn around, but I didn’t want the fence so close it would get shorted.
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What are those trees?
They might get eaten anyway.
Lots of types of pine trees are quite yummy, per my horses who devour rejected Christmas trees when they are tossed into their turn out, which also has plenty of hay in it.
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Blue spruce. They totally might, that’s ok! I’m working with what I’ve got landscape wise haha
I added to the post the reason we wanted to save the tree. 
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Aww well, if it can’t be helped it can’t be helped. Lovely layout plan! 
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