This Old Barn

[quicksandfarmer]

I'm almost getting caught up to the present day. Over the summer I got my sons to paint the outside of the barn:


It's pretty tall and the ground is very uneven around the outside, so I thought the only safe way was to use scaffolding. We've painted various pieces of the barn over the past ten years, but this is the first time in a long time -- perhaps 30 years, perhaps even more -- that the entire outside has been painted all at once. It looks a lot better.

We also painted all of the windows, which was a pain, there are a total of 15 wooden sashes, five single and five double. Each had to be scraped, puttied, primed and painted. Two of the sashes were rotted out -- the lower one in the upper window in this picture, and the lower window in this picture. I replaced them with PVC sashes that I had custom made, I'm looking forward to never painting them. I also replaced the lower windowframe in this picture.

The last time we needed to get up on this side I borrowed a 36' ladder from a friend but it was too short so I parked the tractor by the door and put the feet of the ladder in the bucket, about eight feet off the ground. I decided I didn't want the kids doing that.

My last couple of posts haven't gotten any responses, I hope I'm not boring folks! Let me know what you think.

 

[sodamo]

Following with interest

 

[EddieWalker]

View attachment 620804

Do you own all this scaffolding or did you rent it? I rent it for jobs, but keep thinking that I need to buy 3 sections just to have on hand so I can use them when I need them and not deal with the back and forth time needed to rent. But most of the time, if I need to work up high, I rent a tow-able hydraulic lift. The safety and speed factor make it the best choice by far when working on anything 2 stories up or taller.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Nice job, and nice writeup.

This guy would have painted your barn.

Home - The Barn Artist - Scott Hagan

 

[herm0016]

i think you are doing a great thing, saving this barn. I love all the pictures and descriptions.

 

[goeduck]

Second the comment on towable lifts. Not that expensive and easy to haul and return.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

Do you own all this scaffolding or did you rent it? I rent it for jobs, but keep thinking that I need to buy 3 sections just to have on hand so I can use them when I need them and not deal with the back and forth time needed to rent. But most of the time, if I need to work up high, I rent a tow-able hydraulic lift. The safety and speed factor make it the best choice by far when working on anything 2 stories up or taller.

I bought the scaffolding (or pipe staging as we call it in New England) from ScaffoldMart.com. I bought 12 frames, I figure I can always sell it and get back most of what I paid. On the short side of the barn I can reach the roof with two frames and if I set it up six frames wide and two high I can reach the whole side if I hang off the end a bit. On the tall ends I thought I would have to go six frames high but it turns out five plus the railing I can reach the peak if I stand on tiptoes and crank the feet up all the way. So I have two extra frames, which you can see in the picture allows me to work a bit on the side when I have it at full height. It is a bit of a pain working on the ends because I have to keep moving sections around to reach everything.

I have rented in the past and it's a pain, especially since I don't have a vehicle that will transport it so I have to rent a trailer too when I rent it. Owning it makes it a lot easier to work at my own pace. It is a chore to set up and move, but I treat my kids labor as free, I figure I'd be paying for them one way or another whether they were working or not. I can move it pretty easily using the forks on the tractor.

Two things I like about the scaffolding: first, I can set it up by myself if I have to, all of the pieces are light enough to move by myself. I've used pump jacks and you really need a second person, even a ladder that tall I'd need someone to help me. Second, all three of us can work at the same time and not get in each other's way. In fact, one day Mrs. Quicksand came out and there were four of us on the scaffold painting.

A towable lift is about $350/day here, the scaffolding pays for itself quickly at that rate.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

Nice job, and nice writeup.

This guy would have painted your barn.

Home - The Barn Artist - Scott Hagan

I like it! My barn is under historic preservation so I'm not sure it'd be allowed.

 

[two_bit_score]

^^^^^^^From what I see and have been told you are absolutely right about being able to sell scaffolding and get most, if not all, of your money back.

 

[KNPV PSD]

So I decided to leave it for a couple days. When I came back, I tried again and the wrench turned easily -- for about 3/4 turn -- then nothing doing. So I came back a few days later, and I repeated the process. Over about a year and a half I turned it a little bit every few days, over and over until I had lifted the beam 6 or 8 inches and it looked level and straight. I'm still not sure if it's exactly straight or level, all I have is a 4' level and the wood is rough enough that it's hard to tell. But when I stand back and eyeball it against the top of the foundation it looks pretty good.
.QUOTE]

Would some clear tubing work to make a water level?