Any barn geeks out there?

[USAFpj]

Thought I would share a 40'x30' barn that's been on the property since 1939 (see on the left face of the barn where it was written?). After doing some research, it appears to be either a 'New World Dutch', or perhaps the 'Crib' type that was prevalent in the Southeast in the late 20th century? Anyway, it's in great condition and for over 25 years, Dad keeps it filled with what we call our 'treasures'. Extremely dry, dirt floor, and (8) separate stalls with doors and iron sliding handle/hardware. First room on the right houses the stairs that lead to an immense loft. I need to inspect the sill logs, and to be done right, she needs to be jacked up and a true concrete slab installed.

For you who have helped me get started on land clearing, foundation work, and estate planning in my construction of a new home- I'm contemplating tackling the idea of incorporating the barn into the actual house:confused2:. Dad's driveway is to the left, and the barn sits on a flat space that has a nice hillside on the right for an attached house and basement? Or, build the house slightly away from the barn, but convert the barn into a nice shop. My family in this area have been sawmillin' since the mid 1800's, so the barn, as you can see, is quality that I'm now fascinated with. Anyhow, here she is, and I'd love to hear you guy's thoughts on her...

 

[NoTrespassing]

Very cool, it's interesting that it was built in 1939. They got it up just in time before materials were in short supply. My Grandfather built their house in 39 and it was very well built. Their neighbors had an awful time getting materials after that because of the war effort.

Do you think maybe that would be considered a corn crib rather than a barn?

Kevin

 

[USAFpj]

Kevin, I'm still learning, so I'm not sure. What's the difference? At one time, it did house some cows that were on the land, but I'm unsure if that was it's intended purpose. Funny how I've looked at this barn since I was 8 (40 now), but never cared about it until I see the workmanship. As far as 39, I'll have to ask Grandma, but I'm just going by what is written on the front of it. Maybe it was in the 70's when that new metal roof was put on?

 

[MikePA]

I'd guess stalls and a hayloft means horses or cows. IMO, horses. Perhaps some 'cow people' can weigh in, but I've never seen barns with individual stalls with doors for cows. Horses, yes, cows, no. But, again, maybe it was done.

 

[NoTrespassing]

Yea, I suppose you're right unless the stalls were added later. Here in the Midwest (Illinois) when you see a structure built like that it's an old corn crib. The ones I've seen with a drive through the middle and open slats on the sides were for storing corn on the cob and the center was used for soybeans above the center. The local farmers were still using them when I was a kid.

 

[MikePA]

The corn cribs I remember seeing had angled sides. I was thinking the solid, lower part of the stalls (where the boards look like they are touching) would be better if the horses kicked the walls, while the upper part had gaps to allow air to circulate and some light in. It's interesting to speculate.

USAFpj - what, if anything, is in the stalls? Feeding racks, place to hold grain or a salt lick? Could hay have been dropped in from the hayloft or do the stalls have ceilings?

 

[USAFpj]

Mike, it's on the other side of the world from where I am right now:laughing:. I have a hard time remembering exactly what the rooms look like, but I do know that the stalls are completely enclosed, and that room to the right is used for the stairs. When you go upstairs, the middle portion that runs the length of the barn is open, and a 'step up'. I envision a bunch of grain sacks or hay that could be dropped from above, but stepped so that you wouldn't fall off easily.

I should be back home soon, and I'll take some more pics. Dad's a bit feisty with his stuff- I see the barn as possible living/work space, and the old man likes it to collect his stuff that he hasn't seen in decades

 

[MacLawn]

USAF, I love ye barn! And, I agree with the idea of incorporating it into ye house - :confused2:

I'd just fix it up structurally real good. I hate to see old farm building go down just because somebody won't at least put 5V tin or something on the roof. Y'all did that, so great!

 

[MikePA]

Mike, it's on the other side of the world from where I am right now:laughing:.

Thanks for your service! A nice looking barn, to be certain.

I agree with MacLawn - kudos for keeping a roof on it. All too often, people let the roof go, it leaks water and the rotting of the interior support structure begins.

 

[sseelhoff]

Great old barn. Really enjoy seeing them. Converting to a home, or portion of a home, is a very popular idea, so it's not as farfetched as you might imagine.

 

[MossRoad]

I thought corn cribs were slatted all the way to the ground. That one is only slatted about the top 2'. Solid boards at the bottom and solid boards above the 1st floor, too. But who really knows. Many were built, converted, re-purposed, etc... A lot also depended on what boards they had on hand. A friend of ours has a very large drive-through barn with corn cribs on each side, but someone sided over everything and put doors on the front and a wall on the back, so, from the outside, it looks like a barn, but inside like the drive through.

Neat old building. :thumbsup:

 

[DrRod]

I too have a log cabin, barn and outbuildings built in 1939. And I care deeply about preserving them and any other such structures. So along with the roof, spend a couple hundred each year for regular pesticide treatments. Termites, carpenter ants, borer bees, and powder post beetle among others can do a real job on old wood before you know it.

When we replaced our porch boards we discovered that about half of the large posts holding up the porch roof were actually hollow due to ants. These were American chestnut logs about ten inches across. Rather than replace them, we inserted 4x4 pressure treated posts into the cavity. The original logs serve as cladding so it all looks original. But lesson learned -- we now get regular treatments to keep the cabin safe.

 

[USAFpj]

Rod, do you use any stains/sealants on the wood of your buildings? It has done well without anyone touching the wood in 75 years, but I can see that greenish mold on it. I may remove the vegetation around the perimeter, and I can see removing the mold with a bristle brush, but I feel it needs some type of protective coating to get it back to it's former glory? I'm not thinking red barn paint, but I can remember back in the 80's when it was a dark brown/black perhaps from used motor oil. Loved that color. Any recommendations?

 

[DrRod]

On the cabin we put stain. I can't remember any particular brand but the color hardly matters as it all just goes dark when applied. The tough thing about a log cabin is the chinking -- you have to paint the white stripes so to speak and this is a time consuming process. The out buildings haven't had anything on them for 75 years and they seem fine but I believe they would benefit from a little protection. Again, color won't matter because even clear stain will just turn them dark at this point.

Rather than scraping the mold which seems to be a big job I might recommend spraying or washing with diluted bleach. There's also a product called Moss Master [great name] that will kill all that stuff but bleach works fine and once stained it won't come back for a long while.

I'd be surprised if they painted with motor oil but anything is possible. Back in the 50's they put diluted creosote on the cabin. Then in the 60's went to paint mixed with stain. A dark purple-ish red was popular on cabins back then but we have moved to a more natural look now.

One time I was cleaning out a shed an found three cases of creosote -- four gallons each -- and the lids were rusting through. It was a bit alarming. I took them to the dump where they have a hazardous waste area and they were glad to take them out of circulation.

 

[wmonroe]

Very cool old barn. It's great to see them taken care of instead of let go. An old one just down the road from me was recently tore down, it was at least 70 years old and in very good shape. Another 20 years or so it might be hard to find some of these old barns.

 

[USAFpj]

What's surprising to me is that it hasn't been touched since whenever that tin was put on, perhaps in the 60's. And we live in a fairly humid area, so one would think that without human intervention, nothing could last without us messin' with it. Like I said before, all of my family on my Grandma's side were sawmiller's, so what's really neat to see, are all the extra rough sewn boards that are up in the hayloft. If someone was into barn wood pieces in a custom home, they would wet themselves at this place.

The other neat piece is about a 100yds away. The house that my Great Grandmother was born in is still standing. The home foundation was placed on field stone, which is not all that uncommon here in the South. However, the entire home then sits on an immense boulder! Dad and I lived in it up until I went to high school, and then he finally left it as a storage place in 2005. It still has electrical, and Dad put plumbing in as well- shower, toilet, and sink all fed by a spring. I'm about to drop $300K on a new house in this area, but a part of me still entertains the idea of renovating the 100 year old homeplace. But that's another subject...

 

[mjarrels]

If you want to see a nice restored barn that is next to me, go to "CROSS ROADS BARN" dot com. Amazing what the neighbor did to his old barn, more money spent in restoring his barn than I have in my new house and garage, but as a dairy farmer, my bet is the USDA paid for most of it.

mark

 

[USAFpj]

Thought I would throw out the idea, once again, of considering the old barn as a conversion to a workshop? I know that with my schedule and the realistic cost of a metal pole barn, I would be investing roughly $40K into a shop that would do the job of what most of us like.

In saying that, has anyone here done a 'corn crib to shop' conversion? I'm not looking to cut corners or do it as cheap as possible, but I would love to incorporate this already built structure into an insulated, conditioned, and lighted workspace. I'm thinking of jacking it up, slab poured, add horizontal slats where it's open, remove the (8) stall dividers, insulate with sheet foam, and run shop lights. I've included a couple more pics of how the stalls are set up, and of the open run down the middle. Am I looking at more than what a new pole barn would be?? Thanks for the help, and I'm also interested in where the strength of this barn relies upon.

 

[tcreeley]

Thought I would throw out the idea, once again, of considering the old barn as a conversion to a workshop? I know that with my schedule and the realistic cost of a metal pole barn, I would be investing roughly $40K into a shop that would do the job of what most of us like.

In saying that, has anyone here done a 'corn crib to shop' conversion? I'm not looking to cut corners or do it as cheap as possible, but I would love to incorporate this already built structure into an insulated, conditioned, and lighted workspace. I'm thinking of jacking it up, slab poured, add horizontal slats where it's open, remove the (8) stall dividers, insulate with sheet foam, and run shop lights. I've included a couple more pics of how the stalls are set up, and of the open run down the middle. Am I looking at more than what a new pole barn would be?? View attachment 417108Thanks for the help, and I'm also interested in where the strength of this barn relies upon.

View attachment 417109

The uprights on the sides are locked into the bottom sill. The sill guarantees their spacing. The uprights work like stick framing does, but with beefier ones every 8 or 10 feet. The sills lock together on the corners. The uprights lock in to them. You have in effect, two rectangular boxes with the alley way down between them where the tractor is. Those boxes and the uprights hold up the second floor. The cross ties keep the second floor together, and the roof from sagging and spreading the walls.
Every piece in that barn is doing a job. If you take a section out- you need to replace it with something doing the same job. Be careful of the sill and keep the uprights anchored into it. The sheathing and corn crib walls provide lateral stability and also lock it together. Interesting project. I'd be tempted to reinforce what you have, and just build an insulated room inside it for a shop.

 

[USAFpj]

Thank You! The upstairs is unbelievably spacious, but kind of hard to get the tractor and jeep projects up there!
Funny you mention about using just the one stall as a shop, as that seems to be the easiest, and the first idea I had. But tough to section off one area without it affecting the other. I thought about enclosing the hall, but then that sections off the stalls. I need to find a way to properly 'gut' the bottom portion of the barn, but keep it stable like you said. Would a typical GC know how to tackle this, or is a structural engineer more appropriate? My vision is to be able to have near the same capabilities as a 30x40 modern pole building.