update on new building and the big move

We decided to move last spring and it has taken a long time to get things lined up to where they are now. We have our building permit, footings have been poured, and the metal building erection people expect to show up next week for their two week job. Because of friction with our existing landlord, the move may happen before we even have electricity in the building.

Here are some pictures of the concrete work. The structural engineer designed humongous footings that look huge on paper and in person.

The building will be 40' x 80' with a 25' lean-to along the 80' wall. This gives us slightly more square footage than our existing 40 x 140 space, with the "outdoor" space for air drying wood. Air drying will take longer since it won't cook wood in the summer like our building now does, but this will allow us to saw thicker oak (which needs to dry slowly).

Each footing is on its own for resisting the forces on it since there is no concrete floor connecting everything into one solid mass.  This is why they are so big:

As for the move, once the building is constructed (a quick process), we may need to put on a big burst of activity and get everything out of where we are now. The only real challenge is the lumber racks, which will need to be unloaded by hand and dismantled and reassembled and then loaded by hand. This is where we could use some help. We are willing to trade lumber for labor and will be asking for specific numbers of people to help on specific dates, probably very early in February. I will be providing details in this space, so if getting wood for some time appeals to you, watch this space closely beginning now.