Well finally, after many months I built the final door to close in the barn. Our barn is a great little barn, it has multiple stalls which allows us plenty of room for animals, storage and we even have a feed-room. There are 3 door openings that exit out the side of the barn from separate stalls.

IMG_1278

Unfortunately when we moved this summer, the barn didnt have doors for any of them. Earlier I built batten doors for the two stalls that we put animals in, but the last doorway was left open. In the warm months this was fine, but now that the cold weather and windy days have arrived, I needed to close off the last one. The cold breeze would just blow right through the barn and I don’t think the goats felt very cozy!

First off I purchased some cedar from the local lumber company. They call it “utility grade” cedar, and it is great. At a little over $1/foot, for 2″x10″, I purchased some and brought it home. The first door I made was from 1″x10″ cedar and the door is lighter for sure, but doesn’t have the same “feel” as the heavier 2″ thick cedar.

Here are the boards all laid out before being cut.

IMG_1279

The next step is to measure the door opening.

IMG_1282 IMG_1281 IMG_1284 IMG_1283 IMG_1285 IMG_1286

I took measurements at the top (40″), middle (39.5″) and bottom (39″) of the doorway, and since these measurements were not the same, I used the widest section (the top) as the guide at 40″ and will then have to shave off some of the door at the bottom to match the irregular doorway.

I then transferred these measurements to the planks and cut each one.

IMG_1288 IMG_1289 IMG_1290 IMG_1291

I then laid the door out and measured diagonally both directions to ensure it was square. This is made much easier with some good help. Both measured 88″. Perfect.

IMG_1296 IMG_1297

Then I added the upper and lower battens to the face of the door being careful not to bump the boards we just ensured were all square. I brought the top batten down 2″ from the top and the bottom batten up 8″ from the bottom. This will allow my hinges, when centered on the batten, to be 7″ from top and 13″ from bottom.

IMG_1294 IMG_1292

then I laid the board I will use for the diagonal batten over the door so I can transfer the angles from the door to the board for cutting. Once the cuts are made, position the diagonal batten down and its all ready to be screwed together.

IMG_1299 IMG_1300

On my last door I used nails, but I opted for screws this time.

IMG_1298

Then I cut some additional pieces where I will add a couple more hinges, 4 total. Remember, this door is VERY HEAVY.

IMG_1301

And here is the finished product hung in the doorway. I did have to cut about 1/2″ from the side of the door at bottom, but we knew we would need to do that when we started. It takes some work to get the door in the opening square and true. We used some shims to lift it off the floor and create the space needed to open freely once bolted to the doorway.

IMG_1303    IMG_1302IMG_1304  IMG_1305

I also added some small trim around the door jamb to serve as a stop when closing the door. It also helps seal the gaps between the door and the jamb.

IMG_1310 IMG_1309

So, that is the 3rd and final batten door for the barn. This is a fairly simple and very functional and sturdy door style for any barn, shed or rustic application.

Thanks for following along!

Michael