Building a barn - how big?

rationalizer · Jul 4, 2002

This is my first post - but I suspect it will be the first of many. I recently moved to 10 acres of "brush and trouble" in SE Mich. I plan on buying a tractor next year (not sure what make/size - but my hope is I'll be able to "rationalize" a JD4610) Key implements will be a loader, rotary cutter, box blade etc. - the usual... I am about to build a barn to house this stuff - and I scared myself when I looked at how much room these things can take up. Initial plan is for a "two part barn" - 32x48 gambrel for classic car storage (mine and those of friends) with an attached 28x18 tractor shed on one end. The shed will have garage doors on both ends so it can be "drive through". Looking at the length of the JD above - and estimating added length for the loader and a 6' wide brush hog I think 28 ft. will be OK. Since I don't know exactly what I'll actually buy I'm guessing if this will all fit as a "drive in/drive out combination".

So - my question is: what recommendations do people have? I'd really like to keep the shed shorter than 28 ft - can I? The original plan was for 26 ft. I'm already stretching to build a barn this big - so anything much bigger will be a tough task...

FYI - I'll be building the 32 ft. gambrel trusses myself (Barnplans.com) and the walls will be 2x6 "stick built". I've read through lots of the barn building threads - but any other thoughts would be great. Thanks in advance!

Bill

beenthere · Jul 4, 2002

<font color=blue>32x48 gambrel for classic car storage (mine and those of friends) with an attached 28x18 tractor shed on one end. The shed will have garage doors on both ends so it can be "drive through".<font color=black>

I'm curious why the tractor shed, if attached, isn't one of the two dimensions of the car storage. Seems it could be longer and have more room, but you know more about the site and limitations than I.

Also, if me, I would put a double garage door in one end rather than a single door at both ends. Seems there would be more workable storage space if you didn't have to keep two doors clear of stored items. I have a 16' by 24' now, with a 10' door at one end and a service door. Wish I would have put in a double door for easier access in and out. But sure wouldn't want a drive through. Sounds great for the car storage though, where there is room to park on either side of the center aisle. Just some thoughts, and you do as you like.

For attachment storage, plan on dolly wheels and dollies to set them on. Easier to move around and out of the way, as well as moving to mount on the tractor.

TimSullivan · Jul 4, 2002

I just finished a 36X24 barn with a 16 foot door on the 24 foot side. It gives me enough room for the 4300 and all the toys that go with it. There is also room for a large work bench and shelving along the sides for storage.

I would not want to lose the use of one end of the barn so I would question your having doors at both ends. I have the tractor in the middle and implements angled in on the sides. I can just back up the tractor to what I want to use and hook up. I do not have to move the implement around. The barn holds a stone rake, back blade, ballast box, five foot bush hog, trailer mounted winch, 4x8 box trailer, trailer mounted chipper, pallet forks and soon hopefully a front mount snow thrower. I almost always leave the FEL on the tractor.

The construction is a pole barn but it looks like a conventional stick framed structure. It was built on fill and the poles were sunk into the virgin soil below the fill. Right now it has a gravel floor but this fall the cement goes down. We wanted to give the fill time to settle as much as possible.

Are you going to insulate the 2x6 walls?

rationalizer · Jul 4, 2002

Beenthere,

Thanks for the reply. The shed is off of the "gable end", not the side, so it has to be shorter than the length of the gable end if the roofs are going to fit together (the shed roof has to fit under the gable overhang on the end). I can't put a garage door on the "wide end" of the shed due to trees etc so I thought the "drive through" approach would give me options... I will see if I can widen the door some (again - rooflines cause issues, and I wanted "height" for ROPS clearance etc.) The two drive through doors will be 8ft. wide by 9ft tall. Maybe I can go 9 x 9...

I was thinking about dollies for implements - seems like they'd be pretty easy to make (as long as heavy duty hardware was available) Did you build yours yourself?

rationalizer · Jul 5, 2002

Tim - 36x24 sounds really nice for tractor storage. I don't have that much room. My workbench and wall storage will be in the "car storage" part of the barn - so the shed only has to house the tractor and implements. I suspect that leaving the FEL on will be standard procedure. Other posts talked about a wider door - it will be tough based on other limitations, but I'm going to sse what I can come up with. I'm meeting with the foundation folks tomorrow.

I talked to some folks around here about pole vs. stick construction. Didn't seem to be that big a difference. I chose "stickbuilt" as my future plans for the "car side" of the barn include insulation etc. I've already cleared off the topsoil - I have hard clay soil so settling shouldn't be a problem. What were your thoughts on insulation? (This will be a future project for me - right now I just want to get the best "basic" structure I can.)

Bill

Gary_in_Indiana · Jul 5, 2002

Just remember one thing. No one who has ever built a barn has been known to say, "Gee, I sure wish this was smaller and I had less room." /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Good luck with whatever you decide.

EdKing · Jul 5, 2002

<font color=blue>"Gee, I sure wish this was smaller and I had less room." </font color=blue>

I have to agree with Gary on this one. Build that barn as large as space, money, and time will allow.

cowboydoc · Jul 5, 2002

I have built countless barns over the years and like has been said it is never big enough. I would sit down and think about what the absolute biggest barn you would need and then add to that. I know it sounds crazy but I can guarantee you that you can build the barn for exactly what you think and in six months you will be saying I wish it was 10 foot longer, 10 foot wider, etc. It happens all the time.

I would also look very seriously at going at least 12-14' high. If you are going to be working on cars, etc. you will need the extra heighth. An engine hoist etc. Also with some implements you won't be able to get them in the barn. For example my post hole pounder I can't get in anything less than a 10' tall opening.

The other thing is I assume you are going to pour a concrete floor. Make sure you have ample drains for working on cars. Also if you are going with concrete floors I would seriously think about putting the coil heating in the concrete.

If you aren't going to insulate it make sure you insulate the roof. The condensation you will get from the roof will be terrible if you don't.

Put in water, electrical and doors where you think you will ever want access or power. Mark out your builidng and then walk around inside of it and outside and pretend like you are wanting to get in, drive in and out machinery, turn on lights, get to water, etc. Then I would start parking things inside your the boundaries. You will quickly see that when you think you have enough room you really don't have enough room. I have had several friends do their barn this way and they always ended up building much bigger once they saw how little room that huge barn they thought were building was.

TimSullivan · Jul 5, 2002

You subsoil sounds more than stable enough. My barn was built on as much as four foot of fill. I had no choice, a pole barn was the better structure for my site..

As for the insulation, several years ago I was a partner in an insulation company. I guess I did not get enough aggravation at my full time job. We installed both cellulose and fiberglass. Some people may disagree but if the space was not going to be heated all the time in cold weather we used fiberglass. It is also easier to install for the DIY homeowner.

If you want a tighter seal the cellulose would be better but you need to protect it from dampness. There are two methods of installing the cellulose both have their advantages. You can put up the interior and exterior surfaces and blow the cellulose through one or two inch holes. The other is to use a dampened material that sticks in place in the 2x6 stud spaces. This does a better job but you have to be ready to cover it as soon as possible or you may have some insulation falling out. It is cheaper and easier to have cellulose done by a sub.

As the product improved, I really liked the cellulose better. Just don’t use it if the is a chance of dampness. It will absorb the moisture and lose R value.

My wife, Jane, and I moved into our new home four weeks ago. It has been two years of planning and seven months of construction. My advice is to take your time and get as many opinions as possible. We delayed the start of our construction by two months in order to have the builder we wanted. He only builds one house at a time and I have never regretted that delay even though it had me doing the rough electrical work in an upstate New York winter.

You are about to start a great adventure that will tax your very soul. Just hire the best and pay them a little more if need be. They will be a bargain in the end. Best of luck and let us know how you are progressing.

Tim

Anonymous Poster · Jul 5, 2002

Hi Bill,

If you're going to be storing classic cars you should think about including some type of moisture control. Condensation will do a number on both metal (rust) and soft parts (mildew).
A barn type roof will condensate moisture inside the barn since there is no air space between roofing material and the interior. I'm not a builder and I'm not familar with the weather conditions in your part of the country, so can't advise how to control the moisture, but just something to think about.

Dave Perry aka karmakanic