Thinking of building a barn - seeking input

[DougW]

Thinking building a pole barn mostly as coverage of trailers and hay and to provide some storage. Also space for work shop.

Here's a plan I've found. Wheeled things would be in the center section, truck, horse trailer, camper, skid steer. On one side would be hay storage plus cover for horses. Other side would be workshop and storage. Thinking 30 foot center section with sides being 12 feet, with overall length being 50' or so no more than 60'.

As a high snow area worried about the drop roof line. Would it be better and cheaper just to have a single roof line. So top roof wouldn't slide on to second roof and maybe damage it.

http://bioengr.ag.utk.edu/extension/...lans/T4101.pdf

[splat]

Hey, Doug, if you're gonna build a pole barn, why not build pole trusses. They're not that tough to do, cost less and have character. The bigger the timber, the further the centers can be apart and you can run purlins between them to rest rafters on. I'd also increase the pitch, so a tin roof will clean itself more often. Also, when I built pole barns and fence back on the ranch, we did a mix of penta and deisel in a 55 gallon drum and soaked posts that had ground contact for a month or two (ie, the plan pic of the post extending below ground level to a pour of concrete). It's the cheaper way of preserving wood that can rot.

[DougW]

Done that last year with the shed. Worked out good but it was time consuming. Can get PT cedar utility poles pretty cheap so not going the concrete route.



This time I think its too big a project for me so will use a builder.

[Snow Dog]

I like that style of building but in the end the inner poles get in the way unless you're running stalls down the sides and closing them off. A straight clear span is easy but boring. A T footprint breaks up the size and makes it visually interesting. You local pole building contruction company knows exactly what you need and can put up a shell in a few days. Up in Whistler they've gone to flatter roofs and snow stop/anchors so the snow stays on the roof all Winter. It's safer than having the snow slide off at random times.

In my little barn (24' x 36') I have four stalls and every tool and piece of steel in it rusted. I assume it's from the high humidity caused by the horses breathing and peeing and pooping. So keep your tools and horses seperate.

[iscariot]

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...sh-fail-to-ski)

Sweet barn TR.

[DougW]

I like that style of building but in the end the inner poles get in the way unless you're running stalls down the sides and closing them off. A straight clear span is easy but boring. A T footprint breaks up the size and makes it visually interesting. You local pole building contruction company knows exactly what you need and can put up a shell in a few days. Up in Whistler they've gone to flatter roofs and snow stop/anchors so the snow stays on the roof all Winter. It's safer than having the snow slide off at random times.

In my little barn (24' x 36') I have four stalls and every tool and piece of steel in it rusted. I assume it's from the high humidity caused by the horses breathing and peeing and pooping. So keep your tools and horses seperate.

Won't have stalls only something like a 3 sided shed. So was thinking of one of the sides being hay storage and then maybe a open on two sides 12' by 20' where they could get of the rain and provide shelter from weather. Not sure about designing for not sliding. In Golden last winter that meant broken roof. So would rather design for snow load but have enough pitch 4/12 to slide, though will probably go 6/12.

All storage and tools would be in other bay. A 30' clear span in the middle is all thats needed for two rows of vehicles. Both ends would be open so will be able to go out either end.

[nfaust]

Are you familiar with Garage Journal? It's a very active community...definitely worth checking out for some ideas.

[Snow Dog]

I understand now. I have a smaller Pondersa style (I had to look it up) where one side is an open loafing shed so the horses can get out of the rain or sun.

[splat]

You'll be joisting in a floored enclosed section for all the stuff you don't want sitting in dirt, yes?

[DougW]

You'll be joisting in a floored enclosed section for all the stuff you don't want sitting in dirt, yes?

yes , for sure on one side for work shop / storage area. Hay storage probably just lay down pallets or maybe not. The dirt under wood shed has been dust dry even with very wet summer.

[Game Over]

In my little barn (24' x 36') I have four stalls and every tool and piece of steel in it rusted. I assume it's from the high humidity caused by the horses breathing and peeing and pooping. So keep your tools and horses seperate.

no matter how cold your climate ventilation is the #1 most important thing in a structure housing animals. bad ventilation is not good for any animal, horses especially. the more the better as long as its draft free.

[Game Over]

Hay storage probably just lay down pallets or maybe not. The dirt under wood shed has been dust dry even with very wet summer.

id go wood floor for the hay also... ive found that pallets create a ideal rodent nesting area and in turn makes them a much bigger issue when storing hay.

[DougW]

How about just a good bed of gravel and the sides framed enough to keep the elk out?

[DougW]

no matter how cold your climate ventilation is the #1 most important thing in a structure housing animals. bad ventilation is not good for any animal, horses especially. the more the better as long as its draft free.

In Alberta its a three side shed or a good stand of trees for shelter in winter but not both. The horse my wife has now, the year before it was turned out in the fall and left until spring. If the snow ended up being relly deep then she would have got some hay.

[DougW]

a pic of the barn with roof on

[Snow Dog]

I'd like one of those.

[EarlyWood]

great looking space ..can see a saw mill in there

[DougW]

update on building, finished the barn and changed mind and built another for hay storage ,/ camper storage and horse shelter

[jamesp]

at risk of wrecking another of your threads with off topic questions...

Assume you have a tractor there somewhere also? If not, why the skid steer instead of a tractor?

[DougW]

Only skid steer as bought to clear land which worked out well. Really never thought of a tractor. I think we would have needed a large tractor to do what we do with skid steer, skid steer is almost a front end loader in terms of capacity , 3600lbs. Could have gone backhoe route I guess. Also we have no land under cultivation, partner does. The low ground clearance of a skid steer is sometimes a pain. But can change attachments quickly, back hoe , forks and blade for snow plowing.

[XXX-er]

Did you ever think of buying 2 big steel shipping containers and putting roof trusses between them, I always wondered what the cost s were like?

[DougW]

That was the plan for a while, even had quote, but for hay storage not a good idea as supposed to be condensation problems. Would have ended up cutting in a lot of ventilation. The roof trusses were a big part of the cost so overall cost won't have been all that different even with used containers. And it ended up being a pretty good looking building.


Actually plan was one container , 48' double end doors, and then a row of posts with roof between container and posts. This way ended up with good 3 sided shelter and storage room for camper so I get all of the wood shed back.

edit for container info
40ft New High Cube Double Door Container
• Size: 40’L x 8’W x 9.5’H
• Specs: new, one-trip, wind and watertight, cargo-worthy, hardwood floors, cargo doors BOTH ends
• Delivered to Golden, BC, client to unload
• Price: $7,200/unit + tax
would have been extra $300 to get delivered by trailer that can unload.


So two containers would be about the storage volume that we got in the storage portion, though someone could knock out wall and add 50% to that volume and something that you could park a big ass RV in.

The thing with the pole barn is that you can go up and get a lot of volume well with the limit of the posts ~ 16' but this time went with truss beam rather than LVL so the beam is 30" high. Trusses and truss beams were only $3k and we have 3' over hangs on both ends so the area under is bigger than the nominal 24'W by 36'L building size.

[XXX-er]

sounds like a pole barn is better for your app which is the hay/ horses but the container thing might be better if the app was for a mechanic who wants a shop where he can mess around with mechanical stuff and have secure storage ?

[DougW]

Yes I agree, the reason we thought of container was mice & elk. Would offer very secure storage. If not putting too much weight in it could just jack it up at ends and support. They use containers for storage and mod to create tool cribs at job sites all the time. It was actaully a builder who mentioned the problem with the interior sweating from condensation as not much ventilation in a container. So hay would be a problem but if up off ground , think 3-4 railway ties, could pur some holes in floor and screen. maybe insulate? If a welder could cut in some extra doors or windows . And when your done sell them to a guy who wants to have a underground grow op.

[userA]

most excellent idea indeed.
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