Sometimes Something New It’s Also Something Old

October 23, 2014 by

Sometimes something new can be based on something old. That is the case when Michael and Janice Schmidt, of Trumbull County, decided to build their new barn. The main frame in the barn is the old post and beam type construction, fastened together with wooden pegs. Travel down Route 45 into North Bloomfield and one will spot it.

Because of woodchucks that were too friendly and decided to burrow under the foundation of the original barn, it was going to need major attention. Once foundations go bad, without major repairs, the entire barn would have collapsed.

So, because of their interests and Mike’s structural and engineer abilities, they decided to tear the old barn down and build a new one about the same size and on the original area of the old one. They wanted an attractive barn and one that had a look of the past.

So in 2004, they poured the concrete for the new barn. It was going to be a 30-by-50-foot building. Mike designed it and did the engineering and most of the construction himself. It was not a “kit” barn. Janice added her talents and they had some help to handle the heavy beams during construction.

They decided on the post and beam type construction with handmade wooden pegs holding the main beams together. The main beams were 8 inches by 8 inches and about 13 feet long when he brought them in. They were sawed out of logs from trees in the area.

Pegs were used to fasten them together. Janice handmade most of them, starting with a piece of wood one and one-quarter inches in diameter and about a foot long. Mike made a device to hold them and she could sit on it using an old draw shave tool to make them.

They didn’t want the pegs to be perfectly round so they would fit tighter on the holes in the beams. They weren’t sure how many pegs they made to hold the main beams, but Janice said she made them in her sleep. It was several hundred and that is a lot of wood shaving with that old tool.

During the construction, Mike had many local visitors and several from around Ohio and several other states. No doubt he had a few “sidewalk superintendents.”

An addition was added on the north side of the barn and an attractive wood burning fireplace installed. While the barn is not winterized for winter activities, with the fireplace, they can use it well into the fall months. At a flea market, Mike bought a big 6-foot tall metal eagle that he has on wheels in front of the fireplace. He cleaned it up, polished it and it is a neat addition.

Double doors are on both ends of the barn and another one on the south side. He salvaged the original hitching posts that were at the house entrance and put them by the south doors.

Most of the bottom floor of the barn is used for storage of Mike’s farm equipment and hand tools that were used in the construction. In one section, they have a picnic table.

There is an unusual two level upstairs loft. On the first level, they have put in some older furniture and a rug on the floor. Mike also installed an incinerator type toilet in a small room. Since the barn is a little distance from their house, he didn’t want to make those trips to find a bathroom. Janice says this level is Mike’s doghouse. In today’s terminology, that would be his “man cave.”

On the second level, they have some interesting antique agricultural equipment. It makes a nice display,

It took from 2004 to 2009 to complete the barn. With the white painted siding, it stands tall and straight. Many North Bloomfield residents call it their landmark, a good description. Some family functions and a few community activities have been held in the barn.

Mike’s family bought the farm where he and Janice now live in 1945. The beautifully maintained home has 14 rooms and Janice says when their family all comes home, they use every one of them. She keeps them furnished ready for company.

Michael and Janice enjoy the fruits of their labor and have a structure they use and can be proud of over the years.

Parker is an independent agricultural writer.