Do people sell their pole barns to be reconstructed elsewhere or ...

[gsganzer]

The 30 x 30 Morton pole barn on my back property was moved there by the previous owner. You can still see the marks and numbers he wrote on all the panels. They were not able to line up all the previous nail/screw holes, so you see some light on the side panels and roof, where there were holes. I put a new roof on it 2 years ago, so that's resolved.

I think as some others have said or allude too, by the time you pay for the used structure, disassemble and then reassemble, you better have gotten it for a really cheap price to make it worth while.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Around 25 years ago, an acquaintance in PA had a fairly large horse barn built by a Mennonite builder. The township had given it's blessing on the location only to have an adjacent land owner complain. He was right, the township was wrong but they made our friend move the barn.

The builder "popped" it out of the ground, moved it a few feet to where they had dug in new concrete pads and set it in place.

I only saw the barn after the fact but it looked straight and level so they did a good job on those pads.

 

[Jstpssng]

When my father had the old homestead taken down the contractor did it for free. The only thing which he asked was that my father rent a dumpster. That came down in pieces, and was sold the same way. It had the big wide pine boards, and a lot of other materials which were repurposed.

When I was doing mortgage loan inspections years ago, a contractor built a million dollar home in a ritzy subdivision... a lot of money 35 years ago. It turned out to be 11 inches too close to a property line to comply with zoning ordinances. One of the abutters refused to sign off on it so they had to move the building. I never did hear how that came out.

 

[CliffordK]

Old barns show up for sale from time to time.

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I think it really depends on how realistic the sellers are.

I regularly see vintage corrugated roofing for sale. Some beat up. Perhaps $20 a sheet give or take. So get a few hundred of those and one is up to a few thousand in just the roofing. Old beams? Old siding? A lot could be sold.

However, what the sellers of the standing barns have to realize is the tremendous amount of work to disassemble the barn piece by piece. Transport, Clean, and sell. Dangerous?

 

[Jstpssng]

I know somebody who has a silo on his front lawn. It's been there for decades and looks like has been backed into a few times. He wanted to sell it for $5000. I don't know much about silos but that seems like a lot for an old structure which must be taken down, trucked, and reassembled again. It is still there 10 years later.

 

[ponytug]

I know somebody who has a silo on his front lawn. It's been there for decades and looks like has been backed into a few times. He wanted to sell it for $5000. I don't know much about silos but that seems like a lot for an old structure which must be taken down, trucked, and reassembled again. It is still there 10 years later.

To me "wanting to sell something" as code for not especially serious at completing a transaction, and very different from "I am selling." As your acquaintance demonstrates.

Personally having been on old silos, I would imagine that the disassembly is going to break more than a few of the tiles/bricks.

Ever seen the renowned steeple jack Fred Dibnah?

He was a right character as they used to say.

All the best,

Peter

 

[oosik]

Regarding the neighbors pole barns - post #8. The new pole barn was strategically located and aligned. It has a solid wall on the long side that faces to the SW.

About 80 to 90% of our weather come from the SW. The new barns position and one solid wall is designed for added protection for the hay that will be stored inside.

 

[Jstpssng]

To me "wanting to sell something" as code for not especially serious at completing a transaction, and very different

That would be my thought also, except that it was completely unsolicited and his GF said it right out of the blue. Maybe somebody had asked about it beforehand.

 

[Rock Crawler]

I have a story... I'll preface with... some folks have more money than we can understand.

I have a newer buddy who he and his wife bought a local skydivers airport. His wife is some sort of medical equipment salesperson, she makes big money. She had a childhood dream to live in a barn, so as a 30 something adult with massive amounts of money, she started flying around the Midwest, renting cars and driving the countryside looking for the barn of her visions. She finds "the barn" in use on a farm, it is a 120 year old barn, still in solid shape.

She drives up to the farm property and introduces herself, explains her desire to own that barn and move it to PA. The farmer was skeptical and thought she was crazy. And he explained that he works out of that structure every day. So she leaves on good terms and flies back a bit later with an idea. She proposes that she builds him a new larger barn first, he chooses the size and setup, and once completed, she pays him some amount (that I do not know) for the old barn and pays to have it dismantled, labeled and trucked to PA. After some back and forth over a few months, the farmer agrees.

So it happens, he gets a new barn, she hires the crews to remove, relocate and rebuild the barn. She them hires local Amish to come in and convert the barn space to her custom designed open living space. She now lives in a barn with her husband, who are both in their mid 40's.

With enough money flowing, anything is possible.

There are so many crazy details and off-shoots to her story that it is crazy to listen to. To me, it sounds like fantasy. I can not imagine having the kind of money that spent or going to the extremes that she did to finish it.

But yes, barns are bought and moved.

 

[oosik]

Rock Crawler - folks like you describe have never experienced "limitations". They will never understand how most of us normal folks live.

They may live in the country but will never be country folks.