If you have ever been on Cochran Road in Richmond, Vermont, you probably remember the red barn on the corner with the giant American flag painted on the side. The barn, built in 1949 by Louis and Mary Bombardier, was a local landmark of a bygone era. The Bombardier’s son, Bob, and his wife, Mary, valued the historic nature of the old barn, but also knew that the years had taken a toll. Bob has lived on the property his entire life; helping out when the family started a small dairy herd, eventually adding pigs to the stock, and finally switching to beef cattle. When the barn became more of a liability than an asset, Bob called ReBUILD’s Deconstruction crew to discuss carefully dismantling the barn, salvaging not only reusable lumber, but pieces of the family’s heritage.

As a frequent customer at ReBUILD’s Building Material Center, Bob knew about the DeConstruction service and was convinced that was the route to go when the time came. DeCon is a four-person crew and often relies on the help of volunteers. The crew came and assessed the building, talked to Bob about his plans to use some of the salvaged lumber in the future, and given the size of the project, knew a few good volunteers would help the job go more smoothly.

ReBUILD’s Deconstruction crew began the salvage project in the fall. The lower level had succumbed to dry rot over the years and posed a threat to the overall structural integrity of the barn. The moisture from housing the cows had caused the dry rot, but the second floor, loft, and roof were still in good shape, leaving plenty of reusable materials.

Bob was on hand to help out the crew where he could and documented the entire process in photographs. Bob said the crew cleaned everything up perfectly; the volunteers participated fully and everyone learned a lot about local history and the value of deconstruction.

The entire project went so well Bob says “I would do it again; the crew was timely, professional and did a good job.” Bob generously donated three-quarters of the material salvaged from the barn the ReBUILD’s Building Material Center and kept the remainder to use for future projects.  He has since been able to put up a small barn-garage using many of the materials that ReBUILD’s Deconstruction Crew salvaged from the barn and has plans to eventually build a house on the site.

To see a complete photo archieve of the Jonesville Barn deconstruction job, please click here.

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