Houses & Barns by John Libby

2011 Barn & Quilt Tour – October 1, 2011

Cindy — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 14:39:51 +0000

Saturday, October 1, 2011 -2nd Annual Barns & Quilt Tour – 10 am – 2 pm

Houses & Barns by John Libby will once again sponsor Freeport Historical Society’s Barn & Quilt Tour for 2011. Join experts for a fascinating tour and discussion of historic Freeport barns and period quilts. Learn about barn evolution, how quilt patterns reflect their times, and lots more! The tour will begin at Cotton Weeds Quilt Shop in Freeport and will conclude with a reception and refreshments in our Shop on Post Road in Freeport. Come enjoy cider and music from Maine Highland Fiddlers. Tickets are $25.00 each and may be purchased by calling 207-865-3170 (Reservations required.) For more information please visit freeporthistoricalsociety.org

Pre-Assembly Insures a Successful Barn Raising

Cindy — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 16:11:41 +0000

Our talented timber framers, Peter and Jamie, are busy working on a 50’ x 40’ timber frame barn with a side shed measuring 10’ x 36, and a 9’ x 9’ cupola. Before heading to the site to raise the frame they carefully assemble each eave and gable wall and all five bents in our climate controlled shop. The mortise and tenon joints are all perfectly fitted, the frame is measured again, and the trunnel peg holes are pre-drilled. The sections are then disassembled and prepared for transport to the clients’ site. Houses & Barns by John Libby’s facility is key to our team being able to take this extra step. Our timber-framers depart to the frame raising with confidence that everything will go together smoothly and on site safety is greatly improved.

New House & Barns by John Libby Warehouse Under Construction

Cindy — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:31:42 +0000

Foundation & Slab for new HBJL Warehouse

John Libby is investing in a new 60′ x 60′ warehouse next to the existing workshop in Freeport in order to meet the growing demand for our Signature timber frames. We are committed to providing the best service and products to our clients and this expansion positions the company to meet that goal.

The majority of our timber frames are fabricated from Eastern White Pine timbers which are native to the area, readily available, stable and beautiful, whether stained to a color you prefer, allowed to weather gray, or oiled. Pine timbers are cut to order from local mills and delivered to our shop to begin the drying process. They arrive “green” and it takes nearly six months of drying before they reach an ideal moisture content of less than 16%. Our timber framing experience has taught us that the best frames are those crafted from wood with low moisture as the joinery fits tighter and the wood has already stabilized.

In order to meet client demand we will have several of our Signature frames already drying in our new warehouse so that we can shorten the lead time with new clients for building their frames. We plan to have the warehouse enclosed later this fall. Stay tuned.

Building & Helping Out in Blue Hill

Cindy — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 18:20:26 +0000

Our crew is currently building a new “Winslow Signature Barn” timber frame for a client in Blue Hill, Maine. At the end of a recent workday they were approached with an unusual request by a neighbor who pulled up in a car. The neighbor explained that an elderly woman from the neighborhood had wandered away from home and had been missing for awhile. Since they had not seen her, they volunteered to assist in the search. The Houses & Barns by John Libby crew began combing the woods nearby and about 20 minutes later one of our crew, Arthur, found the woman deep in the woods. She had fallen and couldn’t get up alone. Arthur called for Peter to assist and together they helped her get up and guided her to safety where people from the Maine Warden Service and 911 were gathered. According to Arthur, she thought she was heading to town on one of the paths that existed many years ago, which appears to have long been overgrown.

We are proud of the men that assisted in the search and relieved that the event had such a happy ending. Thanks guys!

Mike, Arthur, Peter & Jamie from HBJL who helped search for a missing woman in Blue Hill, Maine

Construction Progress in Kittery Maine

admin — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 10:49:35 +0000

The many winter snow storms have not significantly impeded our progress on the new When Pigs Fly Pizzeria and Bread Store in Kittery, Maine. The Houses & Barns by John Libby construction team has been working hard to schedule the work around the many snow storms to hit our area this winter. John Libby personally cleared the massive snow piles from the front of the building. The roofing is now completed, including the large custom cupola, and all the windows are installed making the work space weather-tight. The basement level has a new concrete floor and the upper level concrete floor is well under way. The When Pigs Fly new restaurant/pizzeria is planning to open around June 1st…so plan your visit.

Pouring a New Home Foundation in Mid-Winter in Kennebunk Maine

admin — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 15:47:49 +0000

It takes more than several inches of snow and cold weather to slow down the crew of Houses & Barns by John Libby. In order to meet our client’s desired moving date for their new home we needed to start construction in the dead of winter! We plowed about a foot of snow off the site and the excavators went to work digging the foundation hole. The foundation subcontractor was able to pour the footings and walls. Once the exterior was waterproofed and cured we back filled the foundation in preparation for decking in March. Without a doubt our construction crew at Houses & Barns by John Libby is looking forward to Spring.

When Pigs Fly Pizzeria and Artisan Bread Store – Opening Spring 2011!

admin — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 21:48:29 +0000

Our team is flying on the construction of the new When Pigs Fly Wood-Fired Pizzeria and Artisan Bread Store in Kittery, Maine. We broke ground about 10 weeks ago and are now nearly weather-tight. The building is a combination of timber, conventional, and steel framing, reflecting our company’s ability to combine several structural elements into one. We currently have the “pigs wrapped in a blanket” as we warm up the ground in preparation for pouring the slab next week – despite the chilly temperatures. Please visit our blog for more information about this project.

The owners of the new When Pigs Fly Wood-Fired Pizzeria plan do for pizza what they have done for bread using the finest quality, freshest ingredients available. Pizzas will be cooked to perfection in wood-fired ovens at a temperature of 800 degrees, bringing out the very best flavor possible. Served with a variety of salads, and beverages, either inside or on the porch, the new When Pigs Fly Wood-Fired Pizzeria and Artisan Bread Store will be a treat for local residents and the many visitors to the Kittery area. Stay tuned for the opening in late May!

Watch Us on Incredible Maine

admin — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 19:51:18 +0000

Watch Houses & Barns by John Libby on Incredible Maine — Just click the Incredible Maine icon to view the first part of five segments on Youtube.

If you have trouble with the link you can also point your browser to Youtube.com and search Houses & Barns by John Libby on Incredible Maine.

A Different Sort of Barn Raising

admin — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 21:00:30 +0000

This has been a great year for barns! One of current projects – restoring the Tobias Walker barn – is well underway. We are grateful that the new owners of this historical property appreciated the significance of renovating this 1852 barn which is located on a large parcel of farmland in Kennebunk. The history of this farm is well documented in a book written by Thomas C. Hubka: “Big House, Little House, Back House, Barn”. The book’s focus is on the gradual architectural shift of connecting farmhouses to smaller structures (back houses) and barns in this region during the Nineteenth century. Tobias Walker and his family worked this farm successfully for over 100 years; continually expanding and improving the buildings on the property. Following a few years of planning, the hiring of expert timber-framers and the methodic process of preparing hand hewn beams, cutting mortise and tenon joinery, and building a stone foundation, the barn was raised in the spring of 1852 with a customary neighborhood barn raising celebration. When the barn was finished the following year it was striking due to its size and the white paint. According to the author, the barn reflected not only Tobias Walker’s prosperity but also that he was progressive and a modern farmer. The 38’ x 62’ timber frame is still in solid condition with the initial major restoration work focused on building a new foundation, installing new sills and replacing the bottom portion of some posts with new material using doubled bladed scarf joints. This will give the barn the stability it needs for the more cosmetic repairs to follow. To accomplish these tasks we are having a barn raising of a different sort. The barn has been raised several feet into the air supported by steel i-beams set on cribbing while the area beneath the barn’s perimeter is excavated for new the new foundation.

Rebuilding Old Barn Cupolas

admin — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 16:48:53 +0000

Some of our most enjoyable projects are the smaller, detailed jobs where we are able to use ingenuity and creativity to get the job done. We recently were hired to rebuild three cupolas on a barn in Scarborough that was being restored by the owners.

The original cupolas had exceeded their lifecycle and needed to be completely removed and rebuilt. A crane service assisted us in removing the original cupolas and we transported them to our Freeport shop where we carefully measured and drafted plans for the new cupolas.

Louvers for barn cupolaRight down to the custom louvers – we are hand crafting the new cupolas. Careful measuring and various compound cuts were required to fit them perfectly together. Mahogany and Azek are the materials of choice due to their ability to endure exposure to the weather. Maine Paint Service worked with us to match the historical paint color from the original structure and we have painted the mahogany surfaces an interesting shade of green, called Albuquerque Turquoise.Timber Framer working on cupola

Once the new cupolas were completed in our Freeport shop we carefully loaded them onto our truck for transportation to the site where the roofs were shingled and placed back onto the barn by crane. We have since been contracted to replace the barn doors with newly constructed doors.

Please read our post about that project as well!