Thank you. If you're referring to the little chalet-like house behind the barn on the last few pics, that's the powerhouse. It houses our off-grid electrical system including batteries and old-time Lister generator, and there's a little cabin above. The real house can be seen in the background on the 1st page of the thread.
Building an "old fashioned appearance" new barn
- Thread starter schweizer
- Start date
Thank you. If you're referring to the little chalet-like house behind the barn on the last few pics, that's the powerhouse. It houses our off-grid electrical system including batteries and old-time Lister generator, and there's a little cabin above. The real house can be seen in the background on the 1st page of the thread.
NHmitch
Platinum Member
Thanks for the responses. In the end, running the floor support timbers (6x12 microlams) north-south on the short span, and running the BCI floor joists across the longer 16' span won out. Contractors I spoke to didn't think it would matter either way because the floor diaphragm would hold the posts from spreading any. They thought building w/ BCI's would be better than 2x12's for floor joists and it priced out similarly.
Today is a long day at work, but yesterday was a big work-outside day. *Lots* of tractor time. I wanted base rock under the barn and around the perimeter and the guy I contracted to bring it was supposed to bring 60 yards of 4"-minus and drain rock for the French drain. Well, when his drivers arrived w/ tandem trailers, they had 4" *clean* rock, not 4" *minus*. That means I had spend a bit more time than expected spreading out that stuff, then I had to order 20 yards of decomposed granite to spread over top. Part of that was spread by hand. Now the rock around the perimeter is real rough still. After talking to the contractor this morning, he's going to give me a discount on 3/4" minus to spread over top.
The material for the barn was delivered a few days ago. Hopefully I'll start setting loft beams this weekend. Since I know you all like to know how much things cost, I'm including a materials list (text format). Aim was for around $10,000 but I'm over that now, but the metal roof and installation is the main expense remaining. Just my labor on everything else...
Marcus
Materials List w/ Running Total (Sorry, formatting is not coming out right, will fix later.)
Marcus,
Looks like a great start! Very well planned out. Are you guys completely off the grid? That is our goal, but we are just deciding on wind or solar, and big start up costs affecting it as well, but that is the way to go! Keep the pictures coming!
Thanks Mitch.
Yep, completely off-the-grid. It would have cost about $50k to bring power up here 1200 ft from the last house, and the power co. wanted a $200/month service charge just to have power because we're more than xx feet from the last customer. Solar power made more sense.
Think carefully about wind power. The sun is very reliable: is rises and sets on a predictable schedule, even if it's obscured by rain clouds. Wind, OTOH, is not predictable or reliable in most instances. Sure, solar power costs money initially, but once you've made the investment the panels are guaranteed for >20 years.
Here's our website documenting our off-grid project. I need to update it.
Mossy Hollow
Marcus
Yep, completely off-the-grid. It would have cost about $50k to bring power up here 1200 ft from the last house, and the power co. wanted a $200/month service charge just to have power because we're more than xx feet from the last customer. Solar power made more sense.
Think carefully about wind power. The sun is very reliable: is rises and sets on a predictable schedule, even if it's obscured by rain clouds. Wind, OTOH, is not predictable or reliable in most instances. Sure, solar power costs money initially, but once you've made the investment the panels are guaranteed for >20 years.
Here's our website documenting our off-grid project. I need to update it.
Mossy Hollow
Marcus
s219
Super Member
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- Virginia USA
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Will there be any plywood or other sheathing on the roof? One way to handle a prow is to have 2x4 ties on edge, bridging the last rafter (or truss) to the outer fascia board. Then plywood (or other sheathing) over the top to "strap" that entire prow structure back into the main roof. The strap wood should reach over at least 2 rows of rafters or trusses and be securely nailed down.
In the old days, they would notch and connect all the prow ties right into the roof framing. Or, if you have purloins resting on the rafters/trusses, just extend the purloins beyond the edge to support the prow. I think there are a lot of options here. The prow won't end up being that heavy, and you can anchor it far back into the rest of the roof structure to resist any sort of twisting.
In the old days, they would notch and connect all the prow ties right into the roof framing. Or, if you have purloins resting on the rafters/trusses, just extend the purloins beyond the edge to support the prow. I think there are a lot of options here. The prow won't end up being that heavy, and you can anchor it far back into the rest of the roof structure to resist any sort of twisting.
Yes, I was planning on plywood sheathing under a metal roof. It might be easier to use 2x4 strapping/horizontally on top of the rafters, and less costly, but then what would I use for a condensation barrier? Plywood and roofing felt is pretty standard. Is there something else that would be cheaper than decking the roof w/ plywood? Also, the plywood would make a nice rigid diaphragm.
I was doing a bit more research on metal roofs and barns, and there's a lot of conflicting advice out there. Some people say OSB, then tar paper/felt, then metal. Others advocate roll-out bubble insulation w/ vapor barrier over purlins, then metal. Others talk about spray foam. Since I won't have purlins, I'd have to do skip sheathing (is that the correct term?) over the rafters if I don't do the plywood.
Guess I'll just stick w/ 1/2" OSB over the rafters 2' OC. Any opinions?
Guess I'll just stick w/ 1/2" OSB over the rafters 2' OC. Any opinions?
tcreeley
Elite Member
I've heard that metal roofs do best over 2X4's without anything else because they are the same temp as the air and don't attract condensation. I did my house roof with an air pocket of 3" above the original roof an that works well. I did my barnroof without plywood and metal and tat has been good.- Soffits and airflow is the key to avoid condensation..
Progress yesterday. Didn't get nearly as far as I wanted due to freak stormy weather with intermittent downpours. The goal was to put plywood on the loft floor, but I didn't want to do that in rainy weather. My kids, Evi & Sebby (4 and 3) were happily building their own "barns" with my off-cuts.
That 2x12 on the front of the loft floor is hand-hewn and was a left over from when we built the house. Glad I saved it -- it will look great in the barn. It took a little longer to install because I tried to keep most of the fasteners hidden.
That 2x12 on the front of the loft floor is hand-hewn and was a left over from when we built the house. Glad I saved it -- it will look great in the barn. It took a little longer to install because I tried to keep most of the fasteners hidden.
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Iplayfarmer
Super Member
I love that. I think most of the stuff I have built has had a miniature version cobbled together by my kids. It slows the progress down to have to nail this or weld that for the kids' project, but it's worth it.
FreshRouteFarm
Silver Member
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- Burtts Corner, New Brunswick Canada
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- Case IH 485, David Brown 995
What a project! This is exactly what I am hoping to build for a barn someday. Looks great.