Barn: initial backfill is complete!

Barn: initial backfill is complete! All the pit run needed is in. Despite our recent rains (over 2" in just the past few days) making a muddy mess of the field, the gravel truck managed to get all the required loads fairly close to the barn's foundation, and the builder shuttled it into the foundation with his loader/backhoe.  In the photo at far right, the builder's son is compacting the backfill down, in preparation for covering it with a layer of fine gravel.  In the other photo, a sprinkler is wetting down the backfill in preparation for that compaction.

The next step is to pour footings for the steel piers that will hold up the center of the roof, along with the second story storage area.  There are two rows of these piers, with three or four (I've forgotten which) piers in each row.  The rows of piers will be topped by a large gluelam beam that in turn will support the interior sections of all the trusses.  This combination of steel and engineered wood is very common these days, thanks to technological innovations in the building industry.  A few decades ago, the choices would have been far more limited – along with far more expensive, and not as strong...