Barn remodeling/restoration project

   / Barn remodeling/restoration project #1  

riptides

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Hello,

I have attached a picture of some concrete work I need to think about. We are in the process of restoring an old dairy farm. The barn was used for dairy operations but I will be turning it over to the horses.

All the old pipes have been removed (not the support pipes), the cattle holders and feeding/milking stations. The concrete work is raised from the center isle. I have two options:

- Bust out from the center to the foundation and replace with
massive amounts of stone dust
- Fill with new concrete to level over feeding station

Give me ideas, thoughts and possible gotchas.

Area to be resurface for possible concrete would be about 36 wide 120 long, 10 - 18" high.

Area to be possibly removed for stalls 12X12X120 X2 (both sides of center isle).

-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
   / Barn remodeling/restoration project #2  
Hi Mike,

I can't give you any specific advice, as I've never done a barn restoration.

But there have been a couple of TBN members that have. For sure, Bob Ancar (Rancar) has done some extensive work on his place in New York state. Bob has been very busy and hasn't been real active until recently. In the last week or so he's been doing some posting, so maybe you could send him a PM to get his attention about your posting. He's VERY knowledgeable. You might even check his past posts and find some of his threads about his project. He had some great pictures as I recall.

Good luck on your project. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
   / Barn remodeling/restoration project #3  
Riptides,

This is what I would do. If there is enough clearance for horse's height
I would clean everything to bare concrete, lay in crushed gravel and board over with rough 2x flooring for stall floors. This way your are using the troughs for drainage, utilizing the gravel for drainage and providing a cushion (wood floor) for your horses. Of course if there is not alot of head room...you've got a lot of work ahead of you.

cheers,

lloyd
 
   / Barn remodeling/restoration project
  • Thread Starter
#4  
Garry,

unfortunate timing on my part, search is closed on TBN. I
hope to look deeper when it is available.

lloyd,
Interesting idea. I have the needed "horse height".

I am worried about breaking out of the concrete around the foundation walls. Why mess with strength?

-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
   / Barn remodeling/restoration project #5  
I think you're right about leaving the concrete alone, no point in messing with something that's not broken.

Another option for flooring in the stalls is rubber mats. Our local feed store carries what is basically 4'x6'x¾" mat made from recycled tires. I think the wife paid around $30 each but these things are virtually indestructible. These things will last much longer than wood in a horse stall.
 
   / Barn remodeling/restoration project
  • Thread Starter
#6  
I need some ideas on getting tounge-n-groove ceilings back together.

From the attached, you can see these panels are maybe four to six inches wide and many *4-16 feet" long.

Some are splitting where the groove is. Some I can push back into place and re-nail. Yet others I cannot get enough push to move them. I am thinking the humidity may be a factor, as well as perhaps dirt and debris.

I need ideas, because I do not want to take them down and restart from square one. That is a huge amount of work.

I had heard amonia soaking would help straighten out boards, anyone else have good ideas on working this issue?

-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
   / Barn remodeling/restoration project #7  
Now this is going to be an interesting project, /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif I will be watching this one...

The only problem I can see at this point is going to be , once its finished :Convincing the Horses to live in a place that Cows have lived.
 
   / Barn remodeling/restoration project #8  
I've never heard of using amonia, but steam is used all the time in bending wood. It's how most custom stairs are built along with tables and arched windows.

The poor man alternative is kirfing. Cut shallow grooves into the wood and it will bend. Soak it in water and it will bend even better.

For the attaching when there's nothing there, put a backer board along the inside, or in your case, the top of the boards. I'd use a 2x4 every two to four feet depending on the boards. Put it across the top of the good pieces and attach to a rafter, joist or the good pieces of ceiling.

Then attach the bad pieces to the 2x4 nailer boards.

From the pictures, it looks like water damage. What caused them to come loose? Always fix the cause of the problem first, then deal with cosmetics.

Eddie
 
   / Barn remodeling/restoration project
  • Thread Starter
#9  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Convincing the Horses to live in a place that Cows have lived. )</font> Hmm.. care to expand on that thought?
The horses are next to the barn now, and as I am cleaning it out, next to all the cow poop that was in it too. So far they seem quite content.

Now if I could convince the wife and kids that it was a cow farm and should be a cow farm, my work load would be 3/4 of what it is now. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
   / Barn remodeling/restoration project
  • Thread Starter
#10  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( From the pictures, it looks like water damage. What caused them to come loose? Always fix the cause of the problem first, then deal with cosmetics. )</font>
Agree. I really don't know how they came down. In certain areas they are pretty tight. Barn swallows have taken up residence in the place and use the strips as landing zones. This causes the strip to come down further.

Looking at the second floor, it is pretty dry up there. The floor is in excellent shape. Wish I had the wood in the farm house!
Anyway, I am thinking that maybe someone would wash out the second floor on a regular basis. But I really don't know.

I spent some hours up in the barn during a recent thunderstorm. One, I was trapped, two I was looking for leaks. Nothing to my surprise.

I guess I'll end up using the brute force methods of jig saw and sledge hammer to get them back up. Since the wood will be painted again, we like the white/grey schema, putty will cover any seams.

Thanks!
-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
 
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