The Cozy Corral at Cider Bend

 This blog post is just for our own records and remembrance. 

We became empty nesters, and realized Idaho Falls had become too crowded for us, right at the same time. We decided now was the time to find land out by Ririe, and start a miniature animal hobby farm and AirBnB. We had a realtor call us and say 7.5 acres of land had just gone on the market. We drove out to see it that day, and there were already other cars there looking at it. We felt really good about it, and I told Mark we should get it. The process went fast, because land doesn't last more than a couple days on the market out here. We closed on it in December of 2020. We waited through the winter, and as soon as spring came and the ground thawed, we got to work creating our dream. 

Our land.

We drilled the well in April of 2021. Yay for water!

Drilling the well.

We let someone run cattle on it while we were getting permits and the building stuff lined out. They were helpful in keeping the grass down.

 

There is a very old, neglected, apple tree on the property, and it sits right where our driveway curves. The tree became the namesake of the farm. Scott helped us come up with 'Cider Bend.'  

In July we put in the road, so the construction crews could get to the barn site.

Here's the curve in the road, right at the old apple tree.

The barn construction started in August of 2021.

All the beginning stuff went pretty fast. We had the foundation, footings, and framing done in no time.

We would get so excited each time we drove out to see the progress.

Finishing the road.

We have a barn floor!

Framing was started in October.

The four stall doors.

Faming the tack room, feed room, storage room, and wash station.

The stairs leading up to the apartment.

By the beginning of November, it was really starting to take shape.

This picture was taken on November 12, and when we drove up and saw it, I was beyond excited. I told Mark what I wanted the barn to be like, and he designed it. This was the exact vision I had!

They added the cupola for the finishing touch, and I loved it!

By the end of November it was wrapped and roofed!

Siding started going up at the end of December. This is about where things started to significantly slow down.

By January 9th, the siding was mostly done.

We ordered and installed the coolest stall doors in March.

All the stall doors.

The inside stalls getting framed.

In March, they finally started working on the upstairs apartment. This is the living room and kitchen area.

The bedroom.

Things were basically a nightmare from this point on. To get our contractors to do anything took FOREVER! There were 8-10 week periods where not a single thing was done to the barn. We were so frustrated, because we were already passed when they said it would be done, and we weren't even close. We knew we were losing the opportunity to sell our house while the market was hot, but there wasn't much we could do about it.

In May they did a few things here and there. They got the shiplap up on one wall.

The big sliding barn doors were backordered for months, so Mark decided to make them. They turned out awesome! Mat and Sawyer helped install them.

At the end of May, beginning of June, the paint crew came. We love how the outside turned out!

The outside stall doors were stained, and I love them!

The stalls turned out so good!

The lower barn area was finally coming together.

In June, the apartment floor was put in. 

Love!

The bedroom.

Mark and I would go out in the evenings, and on weekends to work on the barn. Once Oreo died, we didn't want to leave Reeses home alone, so she started coming with us. It didn't take her long to become queen of the barn.

Mark installed the small animal wash station.

We spent a 9 hour day getting the stall area ready for animals. It was hard work, but they turned out so good!

Mark dumped the dirt in the stalls and I spread it and got the big rocks out.

Then he used this fun machine to pack it all down.

It was a tight squeeze getting the tractor in and out of the stalls.

Reeses was the best foreman.

The stalls are all ready for animals.

They look so good!

We also did a lot of work on the covered corral area.

Cabinets went in at the end of June.

Mark ordered and installed the inside stall gates. They are so cute and little!

A video of the stall gates.

The backsplash, tile, trim, and a few other things got done in September, and that's when we could finally move in.

Introducing the Cozy Corral:

The outside shutters and trim were finally put on the barn, and they were the perfect finishing touches. I love everything about how the barn turned out. I can't wait to fill it with little animals!

It looks stunning at night when it's all lit up.

Here's a video tour of the apartment. I can't wait until our house is done, so we can start using the barn apartment as an AirBnB.

Part One

Part Two

Living Room

Living Room

Kitchen

Kitchen

Pantry-Desk-Cleaning Closet

Bathroom

Bathroom

Although it was definitely a stressful, huge pain in the butt, to go through this process (that should have been easy), we really love how it all turned out. We love living out here, and we love seeing our dreams coming to life. I hope everyone reading this will visit Cider Bend some day.