Avon’s historic Hahnewald barn lumber now for sale

Deconstruction of the Hahnewald barn began Aug. 19 and is progressing quickly. With the siding removed, there is a large amount of salvaged lumber that will be available for sale beginning Sunday, Aug. 25, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Avon Elementary School parking lot.

The barn is located on the Eagle River Water & Sanitation District’s wastewater treatment facility site in Avon along the Eagle River and is being removed to make room for regulatory upgrades to the treatment facility that are required by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

At 40 feet high, 25 feet wide, and 125 feet long, relocation or removal of the more than 100-year old deteriorating barn would be a complex effort. The district worked with public and private entities to have the barn relocated, which were unsuccessful. Proposals to remove the barn included landfilling and salvaging barn materials.

The district awarded the contract to the lowest cost proposal from Denver based J&M Contracted Services, which is dismantling the barn for $60,000. The wood and other materials will be conveyed to Salvage Design Center, which will sell the reclaimed barn material.

Given high interest from some community members, the district worked with Salvage Design Center to sell the reclaimed barn materials locally at a 50% discount from their Denver showroom prices. Local sales are set for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 25, Sept. 8 and Sept. 15 at the Avon Elementary School parking lot.

The barn lumber is somewhat unique in that its dimensions are actual dimensions, meaning the reclaimed two-by-fours are in fact 2 inches by 4 inches (versus current standards of 1 ½ inches by 3 ½ inches). If materials remain after the local sales events, Salvage Design Center will offer a smaller discount to district customers at their Denver location. More information about reclaimed material sales is available from Jack Salamone with Salvage Design Center at 720-394-2801.

The district has been coordinating with the Eagle County Historical Society for their documentation of the structure. Their archives will include video of the barn’s condition before removal, as well as the deconstruction process.

The contractors must finish barn removal activities in October, though they anticipate completion in September. All materials, such as lumber, doors, nails, and metal roofing, will be reclaimed; no material will be sent to the landfill. The concrete foundation will be buried in place and that area is critical to the upcoming construction at the district’s Avon wastewater treatment facility.

The multi-year construction project will build new treatment areas and process upgrades to achieve increased nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorous) removal at the Avon facility, which will benefit stream water quality and comply with changes made to Colorado’s nutrient management control regulations. Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2020.