Construction started today on the replacement for the old bunkhouse building. all the old stumps were removed and the rocks were screened from the dirt. We saved the good dirt – we always need fill dirt for things, so we’ll use it somewhere eventually. We grow great rocks on Gavin Mesa, but good dirt is hard to come by!
Tomorrow the general contractor comes out to lay the foundation. we did the deconstruction earlier this summer, and we’ve been waiting on the dirt to start the real construction.
The previous building was probably put there about a century ago. We know it wasn’t there on October 8th, 1908, as we have a picture taken from Redtop that clearly shows it empty. However, we do know it was put in before 1927, as we have a picture of the guest house showing it in the background. Beyond that, we don’t know much about it.
The bunkhouse was built in two sections, and at least one had been used as a house for a while. There was soot in two places from a stovepipe going through the roof, so it had a stove in at least two locations during its lifespan.
Although we’ve tried to restore and refurbish as many of our old buildings as possible, this one was unfortunately too far gone to save. It’s being replaced by a two-story shop building. The new shop will have space and cover to do welding downstairs, a covered front porch to the south for farmers’ market days, and an upstairs for wool storage and fiber work. It will be fully insulated, heated, and cooled so we can use it year-round.
I can’t wait for construction to start.