Baymule’s Journal

[Baymule]

Barn will be 20’x20’ with 20’ leanto’s off each side. I’m thinking no shingles under the sheep barn, dogs dig holes. Sheep do too for that matter.
I’ll have 1400 square feet of shingles for 400 square feet of barn, plus the short stretch from the barn to the driveway.

Shingles laid down, with no less than one foot of select fill dirt over them. With a roof over it, it should stay dry. No under layment in the sheep barn part, just plenty of dirt.

I’m throwing it out there to get everybody’s input. Ya’ know-meeting of the Great BYH Minds! (train wreck, right?)

 

[Baymule]

I have a lot of things in the works. First thing to do is widen the driveway entrance. It is a narrow, sharp 90degree turn off the road I live on, which takes a sharp 90 degree turn right opposite my driveway. Anything over a 20’ trailer isn’t gonna make that turn into my driveway. Son has to go around the bend and go turn around in a neighbor’s place and then it’s a straight shot into my driveway. Leaving, he has to take the straight shot down the road to the neighbor’s to turn around, then come back and make the turn in the road.

The county will set a culvert and add it onto the inadequate one I already have, I just have to but the culvert. There are 2 mailboxes at the end of my driveway, mine and somebody else’s. By Federal law, I cannot move the other mailbox.

The other mailbox goes t the land locked properly behind me. Bennet’s grandfather gave access to the great grandfather of the present owner, many, many years ago, thus the private road that is my address also. It’s a real screwy set up. Bennet still owns the land on the north side of me, where the private road is.

Nobody lives there, but a cousin of the owner used to live in the run down house and still gets mail in this mailbox. She shows up periodically to get her mail. I got her phone number from Peggy and spoke to her, explaining the situation. She called her cousin and told him. Cousin the owner doesn’t get mail here. She called me back, gave me his number, I called him. He lives in Houston and rarely comes up here. We chatted.

Upshot is, he’s going to call the Kennard Post Office on Monday and see if he can “hire” a local contractor ( me) to move the mailbox. If that’s agreeable to Federal law, then I can move the mailbox.

Are y’all with me so far? This story to be continued………

Now Part 2!

Alllllllll week, last week-nothing! I called the absentee owner on Friday, got voice mail, left message. Monday. Nothing. Ol’ Baymule is getting fidgety! Tuesday I sent a text. Starting to hate this guy, a 3 minute or less phone call to the Post office, giving me permission to move the mailbox is all it would take. What’s the &%€£¥+*?! PROBLEM???? You don’t even live here!!! AAARRGGHHH!!

Phone text alert went off. He made the call, I have permission to move the mailbox! I don’t hate him anymore!

I bought ant and roach spray yesterday and soaked my mailbox in it. Fire ants moved into mine and the other mailboxes and even brought their eggs and larva! I sprayed my mailbox, other one had mail in it. I sent a text to the lady, reluctant to poison her mail and she came last night, fought a mighty war with the fire ants and claimed her mail! I sprayed a drowning amount of Raid on them. No more free rent on the 2 spacious high rise apartment complexes!!!

This morning I put on rubber gloves and wiped out dead ants with paper towels. I dug a new hole, pulled up mailbox and reset it.

I called the county commissioner. He’s coming out Tuesday morning.

Stay tuned for Part 3!

 

[Baymule]

@Margali go back to page 246, what does your engineer mind have to say about putting shingles down as an underlayment for the barn?

@Mike CHS
@farmerjan
@Ridgetop

I value your opinions.

 

[farmerjan]

I am packing samples and heading out to get on the tractor and rake... got another 25 acres to do today... will ponder it for awhile and answer tonight...

 

[Mike CHS]

I'm really not sure if that's a good permanent solution but I also can't think of why it wouldn't work so my real answer is I don't know.

 

[Margali]

I don't think it would work. The purpose of the fabric is to let water soak into ground while keeping gravel from sinking. Shingles are nonpermeable and when pressed together I'm not sure water would go between.

 

[Baymule]

I don't think it would work. The purpose of the fabric is to let water soak into ground while keeping gravel from sinking. Shingles are nonpermeable and when pressed together I'm not sure water would go between.

With a roof over it, wouldn’t it stay dry inside?

 

[SageHill]

er soak into ground while keeping gravel from sinking. Shingles are nonpermeable and when pressed together I'm not

With a roof over it, wouldn’t it stay dry inside?

Depending on the barn you could get blow in through vents, eaves, open doors, etc. And of course there is the sheep-pee.
I love the idea of using the shingles, but there is something that is niggling at the back of my mind that it could be another nightmare. Something along the lines of them slipping (??) - but I can't quite put my finger on it. Also - though I don't know about when they'd be "underground", as they age they crack. Also thinking that as any water would seep between them/work its way through the seams something is bound to go wrong. I started to wonder about toxicity - so I did a quick google - that part ~seems ok, but some shingles pre-1989 can contain asbestos.
I don't know about the cost - but there is greenhouse flooring fabric that is very heavy duty and would not be as easy to tear/rip as landscape fabric. I think any fabric would provide a good base and be "stronger" than the shingles.
Still that crazy niggling feeling in the back of my mind on the shingles.

 

[Mini Horses]

Water doesn't go thru....pee is stinky water. I see that as a consideration, eventually a stinky, muddy later..?

 

[Baymule]

The roof is 7 years old, so newer shingles.

Water doesn't go thru....pee is stinky water. I see that as a consideration, eventually a stinky, muddy later..?

That IS a consideration.