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Corn Crib Gazebo Houses Firepit
“My wife Colette comes up with a lot of unusual ways to use old farm equipment, but her latest one about tops the list,” says Lance Seltun. “Last summer we saw an old wire ear corn crib on a drive in the country and she says to me ‘that sure would make a nice addition to our back yard to keep the rain off our fire pit’,” Seltun says.
A few weeks later Seltun bought the old metal crib with a rust-free galvanized metal roof that was in ‘like new’ condition. He and a couple friends dismantled the 14-ft. dia. by 18-ft. tall structure, keeping the roof intact, and hauled it home on a 16-ft. trailer. “It was touch and go in a few places because of the width, but we made it to our yard without any mishaps.”
Seltun says “the crib sat in the yard all winter as Colette came up with an elaborate plan that included a paver patio, block walkway, and assorted plantings surrounded by a white picket fence. She also had a timetable for me to complete the whole project by the time we had a graduation party in July.”
Seltun has more than 20 years experience in the landscaping business, so laying out the project and installing the pavers and walkway was right up his alley. “The circular patio has 6 in. of class five rock as a base and an inch of sand, all of it leveled and compacted before I laid the pavers,” Seltun says. “Polymeric sand on top bonds the pavers together, creating a smooth and sturdy surface for seating and the metal burn pit in the middle.”
Seltun modified the wire portion of the crib by cutting 4 ft. off the bottom of one circular section, then re-welding the shorter piece to a circular metal frame. The 2 sections are bolted together to create 8-ft. tall sidewalls. A neighbor used an excavator to lift the roof in place and Selturn attached it with the original brackets and bolts. The crib is anchored into the ground with metal stakes.
Seltun made a brick walkway to the crib that begins just past an old metal gate at the picket fence. Colette decorated the crib with antique window frames and shutters, and planted several perennials in the ground and in an old livestock water tank, in milk pails, and in old wash tubs. Inside, the crib has comfortable chairs around the circular fire pit with a string of patio lights on the wire perimeter near the roofline for ambience around the fire. A rusty old F-12 Farmall rounds out the landscape decorating.
“It’s a really clever idea, complete with a sign that identifies the layout as Colette’s Crib and The Hen Den,” Seltun says.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Lance Seltun, Rochester, Minn. 55904.


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2020 - Volume #44, Issue #5