This first night after I stumbled across the cabin I laid in bed going through a mental checklist of what improvements and repairs I thought would need to be done…. but of course I did some dreaming too: I wanted a barn door. A rustic cabin with few updates would showcase a sliding barn door really well.
I wanted to be reminded of the large, massive barn doors that slide back and forth on the front of the big barn at home on the farm. I romanticize my memories of opening and closing them during summer hay making season, always looking forward to escaping the warm sun and walking into the barn ahead of the hay wagon the tractor was pushing in.*
Surprisingly, hardware shopping was the hardest part. Although popular in Europe, it’s very difficult to find modern sliding door hardware in the US. I did find a few useful sites such as Barn Door Hardware and Cordia, but the prices were not what I expected and the selection was limited. Neither Home Depot or Lowe’s could help; Paul at Home Depot (my go to “window and door guy”) said they are not yet available in US stores. I also searched through farm supply stores but could only find typical track hardware. I finally decided on purchasing my Cordia hardware from Cool Barn Doors, an eBay seller.
After so much effort in fixing and securing the hardware, I had decided I wanted to build my own door rather than modify a used barn door or vintage door from a second hand shop. The door is simply wooden pine planks. Paint comes next.
*To be honest, the most exciting part was pushing the empty hay wagon back through the doors and creating enough momentum to force the wagon down the ramp and out into the barn yard on its own – sometimes you even got to ride it!
Adventures at Muddy Creek Cabin 