Am i crazy for wanting wood barn?

[sawtooth]

Im getting ready to have a barn built this spring. Problem for me is the type of materials. My family has owned our farm in Ohio since around 1850. All the structures have always been wood and i really want the new barn wood as well. BUT i know metal last longer so am i making a huge mistake going wood? Im looking at a 40x60x12 or something close to that size. Will hold equipment etc.

Lastly bats are a big issue to so need a tight structure too. If i do wood i want some sort of barrier like tyvek to keep stuff out.

Thoughts?

 

[Alan L.]

Wood is beautiful.

 

[murphy1244]

I see a lot of old wood Barns in Ohio

 

[2458n]

We have several barns in the area with the original 1880 slate still on the roofs. I also admire a wood hand hewn barn beam. To restore one would make sense but I do not Think building new would. A pole barn can be made as you want. Roofs and sides can be insulated if required. Cost will be high as even metal is no longer cheap. A friend has a nearby farm called , "Happy Chance". He poured a 1/2 mile stamped concrete driveway. Lottery money was used to do this. It is your choice.

 

[dave1949]

I am not sure about metal outlasting wood barn siding.

Couple of things to consider, maybe the wood used years ago for barn siding was of a quality that is hard to find now, and it seems like wood barns last about forever if the roof is kept in repair and they have a solid foundation.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

You're not crazy. I have an all-wood pole barn. The previous owner built it so I don't know what it cost, but he was cheap and it seems cheap. But it has stood for 20 years now. The walls are vertical tongue and groove pine over 2x4 girts on 24" centers, and the roof is asphalt shingles over 1/2" sheathing on top of 2x4 purlins on edge, on 24" centers. So it's pretty standard pole barn construction. I can get locally sawn and milled T&G for $1.50/SF which I think is competitive with steel siding. All my other buildings have cedar shingles, the last time I bought them I paid $1.22/SF for grade B's. I think that with 3/4" plywood sheathing shingles would work, that's about $35/sheet right now or another $1.10/SF. Board and batten isn't popular around here, but if I wanted to go that route rough cut lumber is running about $0.80/SF now for pine and about twice that for cedar.

Now what's crazy is thinking your barn can be bat-tight!

 

[sixdogs]

The only issue is fire and that could come from an acccident or a lightning strike. A lightning hit in a metal barn just blows a hole in it and, God forbid, a welding spark in a metal barn is usually less risky. Better idea is a beautiful and ornate wooden shed and a separate metal barn but that's just my opinion.

 

[Ken45101]

I think around here, hemlock is cheaper and lasts longer than pine. Of course cedar would be great but expensive and harder to find.

I certainly would want modern truss construction (clear span) if it is going to be an equipment barn, you don't want center supports in your way!

Bats are great bug reducers

 

[schweizer]

Wood barns are beautiful! I just built mine. It's 36' x 36', pole frame w/ 1x12 rough-cut pine vertical siding. 16' wide center aisle without center posts. Built the trusses myself. Already have mice building nests and need to get a few barn cats! Metal barns are just big metal boxes. No character. Depends on what you're looking for. I did a lot of the labor myself except for the roofing and setting the posts and it cost somewhere around $20k.

 

[300UGUY]

I think it depends on what you want. I built a wood barn, 40x40x12 in 1989. I have had to stain it 3 times so far, and it takes quite awhile to do so. I've got friends that have very nice Morton barns, all steel, very nice. If you do go with wood, if you use T111 siding, make sure you get the real plywood T111, they are selling a usb T111 now, and I don't think it is as good.

 

[Gator6x4]

I would spray it next time. A 40x40x12 is only 1920 square surface feet. One of the airless sprayers pumping from a five gallon bucket would make a quick job of staining.

I have a Grasco Pro X9 that I purchased at Home Depot one morning years ago on sale. I have used it inside and outside. It sure save painting or staining time. Now the cleanup time is another question and topic.

 

[JerryK]

We are all crazy in our own way.... why should you be any different.... Life is short, plot your own course ...

 

[radioman]

hmm -- just wondering out loud.. can you contact a amish with a sawmill and see if he/his community wants to build one for you for a price? it would go a long ways for them.

 

[Pine Strip]

Maybe a steel building with some barnwood accents. I built a new wooden smaller new barn from out the ashes of my100 year old barn .
Just a thought
.

 

[schweizer]

Thats a pretty building, Pine Strip!

 

[quicksandfarmer]

Wood isn't crazy.

One thing to think about is one reason pole barns are clad in metal is that metal can handle a fair bit of flexing and the typical pole barn construction of horizontal girts is downright floppy. There are different kinds of wood siding but depending on what you pick you might need sheathing and you might also need a stiffer wall to keep the siding on. If you need stiff walls the pole construction loses some of its allure, it can become more practical to go with a wall framed out of 2x4's or 2x6's.

That said, my barn has vertical tongue and groove siding, on 2x4 girts on 24" spacing, with 8' pole spacing. It flops if you look at it hard, but it hasn't fallen off in 20 years.

Regardless of the wall style I'd go with roof trusses, interior poles or walls are a pain.

 

[Kyle241]

I like wood and have only ever built that way. Haven't tried steel as wood is more forgiving for me when constructing.

 

[Pine Strip]

Wood barns are beautiful! I just built mine. It's 36' x 36', pole frame w/ 1x12 rough-cut pine vertical siding. 16' wide center aisle without center posts. Built the trusses myself. Already have mice building nests and need to get a few barn cats! Metal barns are just big metal boxes. No character. Depends on what you're looking for. I did a lot of the labor myself except for the roofing and setting the posts and it cost somewhere around $20k.

View attachment 297695View attachment 297696

This Barn is a downright class act !:thumbsup:

 

[nctacoma]

I have worked on plenty of 200+ year old wooden barns, most with hand hewn oak or chestnut frames on stacked stone or rubble foundations.

I have never had the chance to work on a 200 year old metal barn......

Wood barns are classic. Metal barns don't have that feeling to them.

As long as a building is well built with proper materials, attention to detail, and has proper upkeep it should last many lifetimes. Keeping a good roof on the building and proper drainage is key

 

[dave1949]

I have worked on plenty of 200+ year old wooden barns, most with hand hewn oak or chestnut frames on stacked stone or rubble foundations.

I have never had the chance to work on a 200 year old metal barn......

Wood barns are classic. Metal barns don't have that feeling to them.

As long as a building is well built with proper materials, attention to detail, and has proper upkeep it should last many lifetimes. Keeping a good roof on the building and proper drainage is key

Well, chestnut is out

What species of wood would you chose for new barn siding here in the Northeast? Some of the white pine and hemlock from local timber lands seems to be reasonably solid wood.