# Winterizing barn, suggestions?



## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Ok, we need to start getting ready for January babies. Our little barn is nothing fancy at all.

I have a couple of things I want to do or fix before babies come to help them and us stay a little warmer.

First... We have 2 does that will kid in the back sleeping area. When they are ready to kid I'll divide the sleeping area <16'x7'> into 2 stalls for them. 
I need to replace a board on the back wall that wasn't big enough so there is a small opening <been this way for years>, I also plan on putting a door on this doorway.

On the outside <left> wall I need to cover the top opening with something 'temporary' I was thinking we could possible try to staple plastic over it from the outside? That away they can't chew on it. It would allow light to shine in, but keep any wind/drafts out.









Now.. on the other side of the right wall is our 3 permanent kidding stalls. Bottom part of that wall on the kidding stall side has OSB. I need to find something I can put over the top 1/2 of it on this side. 
But I don't want anything permanent, and would love something that would allow light to flow in? 
Any ideas? If it comes down to it then we'll use a couple of thin osb/siding or something.









DOORS.....
We have double dutch doors on the front <top and bottom open separately>. I love this and don't want it any other way. BUT, the latches we use , makes the doors not close snug against the wall, so there is a draft/cold air that blows through the gaps. 
Would weather stripping possibly fix this, & hold up, at least through the winter?

Ideally I'd like to replace the doors, and have them close snug, and have a different kind of latch so I can latch it from the inside or outside, and latch the top to the bottom <if we don't want them separated>. The latches we use, if you have it snug to the wall and go inside, you will be locked inside lol. With the 'gap' you can get your fingers through and flip the latch on the top door


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

You look way more winterized than my barn! It looks really nice. A suggestion for your dutch doors....we have a bungee cord on the top door that is heavy enough to pull it closed and keep it closed. It doesn't latch. The bottom door latches on the inside as tight as you can get it to. You can just pull the top open and reach in to unlatch the bottom door....or if your latch is on the outside (I think it would close tighter if you had it on the inside) you can push the top open from the inside to get to the latch. Works really well. Now if I could just get my hubby to do figure out how it works......LOL


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