Am i crazy for wanting wood barn?

[Cliff_Johns]

There are also a number of places that take down old barns, mark the beams, then sell them either with a plan or they come out and put them up. Just a thought, if you want a traditional barn move one that someone would tear down anyway.
Cliff

 

[nctacoma]

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.

Either of those would be fine choices. Hemlock being slightly more rot resistant when exposed to moisture. As long as the wood is allowed to dry out and is not constantly moist you should be fine with either. Around here the prices are about the same for rough sawn in both species

 

[dave1949]

Either of those would be fine choices. Hemlock being slightly more rot resistant when exposed to moisture. As long as the wood is allowed to dry out and is not constantly moist you should be fine with either. Around here the prices are about the same for rough sawn in both species

Thanks.

 

[mikim]

Is a hybrid out of the question? Is it even feasible? Metal frame clad in wood? You could get the old time look you want with a modern skeleton.

 

[Sebculb]

Mikim, That´s interesting that you mention a hybrid like that, with a steel frame and wood siding. I´m planning on building a house like that in about a year, after doing a bit more site prep and gathering materials. Here´s the tropics (Costa Rica) so you don´t have to worry about insulation and heating ducts and stuff, makes building a house a lot easier.

Sawtooth, are there trees on your property? that you could cut down? Do you know a sawyer with a bandsaw that can come and mill up some trees for you? That´s how we do most of our building down here and you get your building materials for cheap! then you can use the top skinnier parts of the trees you cut down as poles for the vertical posts. lotsa cheap if not free building materials, gotta love them. If you don´t know a dude with a portable sawmill, I always fantasize about if I lived up there again that I´d buy a bandsaw because they´re soooo cheap compared to what they cost down here or cost to ship down here take your pick. If you´re considering buying materials you should be able to get a used portable sawmill for a fraction of the price of materials of a big structure. Just a thought. Make a nice board and batten structure over a pole frame structure (super simple), or get the router out and cut ship laps or T+G...

Does stuff made of wood actually rot in Ohio? Here in the tropics stuff rots like crazy but we put it up on concrete pilings or a block foundation a few feet off the ground and as long as its up off the ground and dry it lasts for a good long time. paint it with something nasty like diesel mixed with used motor oil if you really don´t want it to rot. or copper chromate, but I like the used crankcase oil, mix it with a dark stain too. It´s interesting to me to see discussions about different types of rot resistant wood for up there, I thought it would never be a problem. I only really started building stuff once after moving down here to the country (8 years ago), originally a city boy from DC-MD. Learned in the tropics.

 

[skylarkguy]

I say go with your sense of style and esthetics.

 

[BHD]

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.

If you have a fire you have a fire, a metal building normaly does not do much if any better in a fire as a wood buildng, when it is said and done there is usaly extensive damage to both types of structors,

take a look at this picture,
http://www.afrc.uamont.edu/pattersond/Coursework/Undergrad/fire_results.gif


metal has no better results in a fire,

take a car for instance, they burn like a torch, and there noramly considered steel,
never seen a burned car that was salvable,

I have seen some metal shops that have had fires in them and there usaly in a non slavable condition, or it would take a major rebuild,

 

[Diamondpilot]

I prefer wood. I have a 44' deep by 52' wide by 12' tall pole barn covered in wood and the roof is a black 3 tab shingle job.

Thing I didn't like about metal is its tendencies to sweat, the noise echoes, and in the future damage is tough to match up and repair.

My only regret is only going 12'. 14' is much smarter in the long run. There has been 5 items I wanted to get in that would not fitn. My 32' boat that sits 13'6" on the trailer. Camper, 12' plus tall. Case 580 backhoe, 12 plus tall. Volvo semi, about 13' tall. And lastly a box truck I was working on that was over 12' tall.

Chris

 

[sawtooth]

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
.<img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=297727"/>

That is a nice building for sure. I love wood but common sense side of me is driving me crazy saying "metal".

 

[sawtooth]

I actually just spoke to my Amish neighbor. He is going to quote me a 60x50x12 building. As for wood i have alot of big popular trees. Any good for siding? Yes he does have a Sawmill too.

 

[sawtooth]

I actually just spoke to my Amish neighbor. He is going to quote me a 60x50x12 building. As for wood i have alot of big popular trees. Any good for siding? Yes he does have a Sawmill too.

Sorry meant 60x40x12

 

[sawtooth]

I actually just spoke to my Amish neighbor. He is going to quote me a 60x50x12 building. As for wood i have alot of big popular trees. Any good for siding? Yes he does have a Sawmill too.

Sorry meant 60x40x12

 

[hslogger]

You're not crazy. This pole barn structure is sixty by fortyeight. All the siding and doors are RS full dimension douglas fir or western red cedar. Full dimension means a full one by twelve with full one by four batts. This one went up in stages over a five year period. The only thing I would have done different on this one is have bigger eaves and side end flashing on the tin roof. I do recommend sheathing under the metal roofing and snap lock inside of exposed screws.

 

[whistlepig]

Wood barns have a personality that you just can't get from a metal pole barn. They build them from oak around here.

 

[Sebculb]

That´s really cool that you have poplar trees and your neighbor has a sawmill. Getting the siding off your farm will save you a boatload of cash, and it adds something spiritual, for lack of a better word, to the building when you get the materials right off your homestead. Good Luck!

 

[Sebculb]

Thatｴs really cool that you have poplar trees and your neighbor has a sawmill. Getting the siding off your farm will save you a boatload of cash, and it adds something spiritual, for lack of a better word, to the building when you get the materials right off your homestead. Good Luck!

 

[Gary Fowler]

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
.View attachment 297727

That is pretty but all those vines/trees up against that wood is going to rot the wood.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I build mine out of wood frame construction just like a house except for the walls. Concrete slab, T111 siding painted to match house trim, insulated and sealed inside with 3/8" plywood, wired with 100 amp electrical service and plenty of 110v outlets every 8 feet, lots of fluorescent lighting that I will eventually replace with LED when they quit working. Light under the lean too with electrical outlet outside also.
One photo is finished and second shows how the walls were done. I put one layer of block up on the shop and two layers on the back addition for my boat and lawnmowers storage. This had a couple of advantages,1) I got higher walls at minimal additional cost,2) my primary reason was for interior hose down to prevent water splashing up on the walls, 3) It pretty much water proofs the outside from runoff from storms getting inside the building in extreme weather conditions,4) It keeps the rainwater from splashing up on the exterior siding and staining it with dirt or mildew/moss growth.
Also when I built mine, wood was cheaper than steel. A quote from a steel building site for the same size structure was $40K and didnt include a slab or construction, just frame, siding and 2" wall and ceiling insulation and no attic storage like I have with the wood frame. I got the entire 30x52 built with a bathroom on one side for $25k complete with all electrical, 6" bat insulation, sealed interior, floored attic space with pull down access ladder and insulated garage door openings with electric openers. It has one 16' wide door and one 10' door plus a man door into the bath room from outside and of course a privacy door inside. Its 30x30 main shop, 12x10 bathroom and 12 x 30 wing on one side with the 12 x20 on the bathroom side.

 

[Carl_NH]

Sorry meant 60x40x12

Popalar is very good for siding and takes paint/stain well, but its going to take a lot of wood to cover the sides, somewhere in the range of 3000 bd ft 1" thick depending on your doors/openings planned.

You could do board and batten style over girts assuming you are doing pole barn construction.

Assume you are in no hurry as you would need to cut and stick the wood to dry for a year probably before use.

 

[Airdriver]

In 1995 we built a 40X60 pole barn sheathed with poplar board and batten, which has rotted in several places. It appears that it is necessary to thoroughly seal the bottom of the boards with primer and paint. The battens have cupped as have some of the boards, even with spiral nails. The nails have not pulled out, the wood siding while cupping has pulled itself up and over the nail heads.
The siding absorbs a huge amount of paint and repainting depends entirely on local conditions. We have repainted once, and need it again now.
In our location in Northwest Virginia we also get a lot of black mold on the paint, notwithstanding the expensive paint and mold reduction additives used. It can be removed, but it is not a cakewalk.
I now believe our most cost effective barn would be a wooden pole barn with metal sheathing, insulation as needed. Our stalls all need to be lined with full dimension oak, due to the nutty horses that live here.