So if you have never heard of a Grain BinZebo – you are about to now!
A Grain BinZebo is an outdoor living space constructed from a recycled grain bin or corn crib. Not only do they look incredibly unique, they are an excellent way to re-purpose old farm structures that are no longer in use.
And after doing a little research, we have decided to make it our next big project at the farm.
Jeb Clark used this old grain bin to create his outdoor structure.
The Grain BinZebo
One of our favorite things to do is draw inspiration from other people and their projects. Especially when it involves recycling and re-purposing old structures for a whole new second life.
Our farm was built on recycling and re-purposing. It all began with the recycled barn project, creating our new barn from two old barn structures. See : Our “new” Old Barn
From there, it continued on with our recycled chicken coop, compost bins, brick patio and more.
Recycling was not only a way to find new life for old things and help the environment – it was a way for us to build the entire farm on a shoestring budget.
Jeb Clark’s grain bin transforming into his poolside pavilion.
The 24 x 32′ recycled barn was built for less than a thousand dollars. The 12 x 8′ chicken coop for only a few hundred. And the list could go on and on.
But beyond the incredible savings, we also simply love the rustic charm these projects give to the farm.
The Grain BinZebo – The Next Recycled Project At The Farm.
With more farm to table dinners and events hopefully coming to the farm in the years ahead, we needed additional sheltered space to entertain. The barn is the perfect start, but it is always nice to have an extra area where people can gather to escape the hot sun or rain.
The recycled barn and outdoor kitchen area at the farm. Much of what we build outdoors comes from second life materials.
So when we happened upon an article about a man in Stanton, Iowa who transformed a neighbor’s old grain bin into his own poolside outdoor pavilion, we instantly became interested.
Jeb Clark definitely gets re-purposing. Piece by piece, he deconstructed his neighbors old grain bin. Then, fashioned it into his own unique outdoor living room, calling it Binzilla.
After reading the article, we instantly became inspired to make it our next project at the farm. We reached out to Jeb, and he graciously shared the detailed of his project to help us plan ours
The Old Word Garden Grain BinZebo Project
First and foremost, the search is on for an old corn crib or grain bin to dismantle and bring to the farm.
Sadly, there are so many barn and outdoor farm structures that sit abandoned today. Grain bins, corn cribs and silos that once served farms all across the nation – now sit empty, slowly deteriorating and crumbling to the ground.
One quick internet search will reveal all kinds of grain bin and corn bin recycling projects.
It is our hope to rescue one of these and give it a great new re-purposed life at the farm.
Our plan is to level out an area near the barn, pour a concrete foundation, and reconstruct it into an outdoor entertaining area.
For our Grain Binzebo, we will cut out the entire mid-section, leaving the bottom portion in tact. This will give the area a more enclosed look and feel. We are also hoping to create a curved concrete countertop area around most of the structure for serving and seating.
It should make the perfect place to entertain, and make for an interesting conversation piece too! If nothing else, it should be one fun project to undertake!
The search is on for an old grain bin
Much like with the outdoor cabin project, we will keep you updated on the plans and the progress of the Grain BinZebo project in the coming months.
Hopefully, by mid-summer of next year, we can be enjoying a night with friends and family at the farm underneath our newest recycled structure.
Happy Building! Jim and Mary. Sign up to follow our blog via email in the right hand column to get all of our DIY, Gardening, and Recipe articles. You can also “like” and follow us on Facebook to stay in on the action there too!