The Derelict Ranch: The New Derelict Garage

[fergus]

About a month ago, we found out we needed to move. We needed to move out to the family farm to take of the place since no one would be living there anymore. It wasn't a whole lot of time given how much work the place needs, so we got busy doing what we could.

There are many upsides to moving out here: its peaceful, there's a large farmhouse, barns, plenty of room, and the best part for me is a decent size shop. The only downside is that everything needs work. EVERYTHING. Not a whole lot has been done in the last 40 years, so now its time for us to breathe some new life into the place.

You could think of this as an extension of my earlier threads, but really, its a whole new adventure with 10 times the challenges. Its like a supersize Derelict Garage. Its a good thing I started with a smaller project a few years back; I might have been too overwhelmed to even start working on this place otherwise.

Day one: Here's a few pics:

The shop

Ranch... The Beginning by Tim Ferguson, on Flickr

The house

Ranch... The Beginning by Tim Ferguson, on Flickr

Side view

Ranch... The Beginning by Tim Ferguson, on Flickr


The little barn

Ranch... The Beginning by Tim Ferguson, on Flickr

Projects?

Ranch... The Beginning by Tim Ferguson, on Flickr

Ranch... The Beginning by Tim Ferguson, on Flickr

No I didn't start using filters...there was one or two large wildfires going at the time...one of them still is 8 days later. Made the pics look cool though.

Anyway, wish me luck.

 

[woscholar]

Looks like a **** load of work but a heck of an adventure. Love the old Dodge truck. That would be fun to get going again.

Congrats and good luck.

 

[thunderbird61]

Yeah, looks like you have your hands full. Any plans for the barn?

 

[tinbender 66]

All I see is POTENTIAL. And you are just they guy to pull it off.

 

[fergus]

Looks like a **** load of work but a heck of an adventure.

THIS^^^^

Yeah, looks like you have your hands full. Any plans for the barn?

Yeah, eventually. The barns need a lot of work as well. That one needs some structural work. I'd like for it to house equipment and projects. Its back-burnered until I can get the house and the shop squared away.

All I see is POTENTIAL. And you are just they guy to pull it off.

I'd like to think you're right on both counts Paul. Let's hope so!

 

[sublime68charger]

Great start again for your adventure,

Keep that barn from falling over!

And keep posting up the pics of your process

 

[Farmall 1066]

Congratulations! Looks like you have a big job ahead. Looks like you've got a very early Farmall 706 there.

 

[classicJackets]

Front porch on the house looks like it'll be a nice place to sit back and enjoy a cold one as you enjoy the satisfaction of saving it all, lol..
Congratulations and good luck in this adventure!

 

[Bib Overalls]

Do you use the house and shops as a farm headquarters or is it strictly a residence now? As farms consolidated around here a lot of farm houses were platted out and have been purchased by folks who work in town.

The shop has potential but the barn looks to be beyond hope.

I have a feeling this is going to be a long and very interesting thread.

Following you now on Flickr. Some of the photos you did not post really show the neglect.

 

[fergus]

Bib,

The house and all is still all one parcel. We have a tenant farmer, but we have use of the shop and all barns and areas around the homestead.

The barn is not beyond hope. I figure it will take about $1500 - $2000 to fix the major stuff. I have some ways of procuring materials I haven't gotten to yet. So maybe even less. At any rate, it will be a whole lot cheaper than a new building.

 

[fergus]

So how do you eat an elephant?

One bite at a time.

That's what I have to keep telling myself. If I look around too long, I find yet another thing that needs taking care of. I can't worry about all of it, if I did, well, I'd just sit around and worry. It's a marathon, not a sprint. That's what I keep telling myself anyway.

So right now, all I'm worrying about is trying to clean out the shop. That's it. Which is plenty to worry about...

Day One:


Ranch... The Beginning by Tim Ferguson, on Flickr


Ranch... The Beginning by Tim Ferguson, on Flickr


Ranch... The Beginning by Tim Ferguson, on Flickr


Ranch... The Beginning by Tim Ferguson, on Flickr


Ranch... The Beginning by Tim Ferguson, on Flickr


Ranch... The Beginning by Tim Ferguson, on Flickr


Ranch... The Beginning by Tim Ferguson, on Flickr


Ranch... The Beginning by Tim Ferguson, on Flickr

Everything in the shop belongs to my wife's grandfather. You antique car guys will see all the Model T parts. He was a collector I guess you could say. All the pictures are from the day we started moving into the house.

I've worked on the shop just about everyday since then and put in about 12 hours yesterday. I figure about 40 hours of work thus far.

Day 9


Ranch... The Beginning by Tim Ferguson, on Flickr


Day 8 by Tim Ferguson, on Flickr

Looking at the after pictures is pretty deflating. I'm saving all the parts (they're not mine), so that means I have to pick up all the parts off the floor, then sweep up what is basically one giant rat's nest. Totally disgusting. Gloves and a mask are definintely mandatory. On the up side, I have managed to fill this up:


Ranch... The Beginning by Tim Ferguson, on Flickr

This will make the sixth trailer load I've pulled out of here so far (5 for the house, 1 for the shop). There is at least one or two more loads between the house and shop. Not to mention all the cleaning over the last several months my wife and mother in law have done.

I had to take today off...just too exhausted. I slept for 3 hours in the middle of the day even. I normally take a nap about 3 times a year. So I guess I'm tired. But hey, I gotta slow down...its a marathon right?

 

[Water Boy]

Looking forward to your new start!

 

[jb3]

Looks like an awesome place and a staggering amount of work. Good start though!

I feel your pain, i purchased a similar series of old farm buildings packed with mostly rotten wood and furniture hat had fallen into disrepair, though not with such treasures you have found on the property.

After the 4th 30 yard dumpster you look back in your garage full of stuff still and cannot remember what the hell you threw out!

You have made serious headway, looking good!

 

[sublime68charger]

just pace yourself have a orange slice for the Marathon part

after your nap drink lots of H20,

dust off your jeans and get back to it.

good luck and remember the Journey is the reward.

is this gonna be your long term Place? or in 10 years will you be someplace else again?

 

[LB-1911]

From here it looks like your doing a great job!

It will come together, if you get bored you could always rearrange the lawn art... aka tractors and various vehicles.

 

[hemifalcon]

Is it safe to assume that you've inherited all the good stuff inside the shop building and the remainder of the property? Looks like its worth it--yeah-lots of work, but its not anywhere near the worst thing in the world to have such an opportunity.. Good luck to ya with progress!

 

[egnorant]

So much Deja Vu! I was always amazed at how an entire trailer load of **** removed only resulted in 20 square feet of floor space!

Cut paths through the stuff, process piles between the paths, end up with one pile in the middle and nothing along the walls! Move the big pile to the left and scrub the right, pile to the right and scrub the left! Horizontal supports were the worst. Masks and gloves ARE mandatory.

I realized just today that I only have one major item in the shop that was in there when I started cleaning...and it is going away tonight!

Made me realize that I should have actually taken it to completely empty before resetting stuff. Might be just a psychological event about taking possession of a space and making a few different choices or even just a chance to attend to some details that were harder to reach after reloading the space. Just a thought!

Love the racecars though!

Bruce

 

[fergus]

Sublime,

I call this our 20 year house: in 20 years, it'll be ready for us to spend the rest of our lives here!

Hemifalcon (need pics of a Hemi Falcon, if that's what's going on) - I'm hoping to hold onto whatever tools I find in there...cause there are a few neat ones. The cars, not so much. Maybe we'll keep one or two. Maybe.

Egnorant I thought of two things when I started cleaning up: your shop and BB767s shop.

This cleanup job has made me swear off collecting any more projects. I've got so much to do here plus my own things that I've never finished. I don't want to leave a mess like this for my kids.

My plan of attack is:
1.Clean out the entire left bay, get shelves in for all the parts, put all the cars in the left bay.
2. Clean the right bay (the easiest section) and start setting up camp over there.
3. Clean center bay and get settled in.
4. Fix whatever holes there are and deter rodents at all costs.

 

[Fueler]

If they will I would get the 2 tractors running. They will be your work horses.

 

[fergus]

Yep, I plan on it. Not right away though.

 

[egnorant]

This cleanup job has made me swear off collecting any more projects. I've got so much to do here plus my own things that I've never finished. I don't want to leave a mess like this for my kids.

My plan of attack is:
1.Clean out the entire left bay, get shelves in for all the parts, put all the cars in the left bay.
2. Clean the right bay (the easiest section) and start setting up camp over there.
3. Clean center bay and get settled in.
4. Fix whatever holes there are and deter rodents at all costs.

Yeah, I swore off tools, projects and **** collecting too! But I still seem to find a screaming deal or 2 to cause me to backslide.

Rats and various rodents...kill them without mercy!! Had some sneak back in and eat wiring on a turbo coupe and a Mustang.

Bruce

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Just my opinion but the only thing that works for rats is excluding them and they do NOT like being excluded from someplace they've always had access to. They will find a way and you've gotta keep at it until the generations of memories of that place as a safe nest has died out.

Like everyone else, I love your place and see tremendous upside. HUGE potential for a rockin set of buildings to do almost any kind of project in the future. Best of luck, we'll be living vicariously through your posts!

 

[fergus]

Dan! How's it going? Go Dodgers!

You're probably right. I know where they're hiding...heck I just saw a big fat one when I went to shut the shop. At my last place of employment, I caught 50 rats. 50. Gross. I'm pretty good with traps, but I do need to keep em out.

Anybody got any good ideas for something rust proof to attach to the bottom of the metal corrugated siding? It is open to the outside (where the ridges are) and that's where they have ingress and egress. I'll post a picture tomorrow to make it clear.

 

[fergus]

Oh and Fueler, I lied. I started working on the Case CK tonight. I couldn't stand the piles of stuff that have started to accumulate around here.

 

[82355]

It says "small barn". Is there a large barn?

Martin

 

[xtremek]

You have some serious work ahead of you. And it looks like you've already made a huge dent in it. Keep up the good work.

 

[MG David]

Spray foam around the bottom on the inside should keep the rat out of the corrugations.

 

[Craptain]

Get yourself a Rat Terrier. They are great dogs and will entertain you as they keep the rat population in check.

Sent from my LG-D801 using Tapatalk

 

[fergus]

Get yourself a Rat Terrier. They are great dogs and will entertain you as they keep the rat population in check.

Sent from my LG-D801 using Tapatalk

We were already talking about that before we even moved in. Might still do it. I hear you really need to get one as a pup though, to make sure they are properly socialized. We already have two other dogs though...what's one more I guess?

 

[timbitca]

Man, this thread is going to be great. First thing I thought of with the pics of day 1 was BB767's shop also. Trailer full of garbage reminded me of cleaning my grandfathers stuff, he also wasn't great about throwing stuff away. But then again neither am I for that matter.

You seem to have inherited a lot of cool stuff. How about a list of cars and tractors, or at least what you've managed to find so far?

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

 

[fergus]

Tractors are a 580CK (as best as I can figure) and an IH706.
There's three Model Ts, the old Dodge flat bed and also a Cat 22. Plus other stuff.

 

[jbmatth]

It would be awesome to get into something like that, but I love a challenge. Too bad you don't get to keep all of the cars and other cool stuff, but as you said you have lots of other projects that will take lots of time and money. Keep at it, this will be worth following.
JB

 

[Knyte Tyne]

I definitely believe you are a sucker for punishment - From your first Garage to this now - MUCH RESPECT haha. I've been clearing out +- 40 Years of Hoarding from my late Father for well on 10 years now, and my workshop is on a small holding. Still to this day I dig up a box of random Vehicle Trailer lights, Or every broken Iron the house ever had. All well trying to not add to it myself with my own "ooh that will useful one day" tendencies - its genetic I'm afraid.

Your going to find the most incredible "junk" in this journey - Good Luck

As for rats - I used Chicken wire boxed and filled with expanding foam to the gaps needing filling. Old house in an old neighborhood there are plenty of them. Works a charm. Seems pretty waterproof stormy seasons my side of the southern hemisphere can dump buckets and bring rain in sideways and I've had no leaks yet

 

[fergus]

I definitely believe you are a sucker for punishment... trying to not add to it myself with my own "ooh that will useful one day" tendencies - its genetic I'm afraid.

THIS^^^ on both counts

 

[sublime68charger]

Due you have trouble sleeping at night thinking about all the things/stuff you want to get done?

Or are you just exhausted and pass out?

Or some of both?

 

[fergus]

I past out from pure exhaustion most nights. UNLESS I don't do much... THEN I lay awake thinking about all this stuff!

I have to tell myself that it didn't get this way overnight. I'm basically undoing 40 years of chaos in the garage. In less than a month. Not too bad I guess.

 

[fergus]

Untitled by Tim Ferguson, on Flickr

One stall completely clean. Two to go.

 

[fergus]

Made room enough to roll the 1907 T speedster out last night.
Untitled by Tim Ferguson, on Flickr

There's a possibility we might get this one running. Depends on what the family wants. Who knows.

Rolled the '27 (?) Model T out this morn. Wife's uncle is gonna restore this one apparently. Untitled by Tim Ferguson, on Flickr

Got this other big hole full of caca to clean up:

Untitled by Tim Ferguson, on Flickr

 

[clippedwings]

I would be happy to park the speester next to my fire truck to give you more space. I would wash it and shine the brass too.

 

[Sunbimmer]

The speedster looks great it appears to be in good state.