We are planning on getting a couple of milking goats in the spring. We decided to take advantage of the beautiful sunny winter days here, and get started on the goat barn.
We located it on the far end of our land, not too far from our future house, and where the goats will have lots of space to roam and plenty of vegetation to graze. We are planning on rotating the fenced area around the barn, between two hillsides.
I started the same way as the chicken coop by laying the foundation rocks for the walls. I dug into the soil for about 30 cm, just to remove the topsoil. That is sufficient given that our soil is extremely stable, and that it is a small barn. I placed the rocks slightly higher than with the chicken coop, in a two-tier foundation.
Then I proceeded to build the frame for the roof. My intention is to install a simple and light green roof. First I will build the roof structure and then cover it with tarp, and build up the walls with cob. Building the roof before the walls enables us to build with cob in any weather condition. Once the walls get up to the roof they will help stabilize it, and then I can install the heavier green roof.
The posts for the roof are mostly placed on the inside of the walls. The rafters are spaced at about 40cm, and I used local pine wood for the roof structure. I then proceeded to mill a few pine trees to use the wood as a support for the green roof.
I am about to finish attaching all the milled boards on the roof. Since I am using round wood, there are some height inconsistencies. I intend to bridge those with pieces of cut board, underneath the installed boards of the roof, so all the boards are properly supported. Once the roof is ready for the tarp, we will start with cobbing the walls.
Homiyah 