Cellar under old brick dairy barn? (no tractors)

rambler · Jan 28, 2006

I'm gonna bet you will find the ld homes of rats & wood chucks. They love to tunnel under a floor if they can find a way past the foundation.

--->Paul

crazymike · Jan 28, 2006

very possible it's a room, ice chamber, etc... that has been sealed.

But being an old barn, it's also very possible it's just a sink hole under neath that wash away leaving a chamber.

Renze · Jan 28, 2006

I agree, probably only rat holes. When i was a 6 year old kid, i "helped" my neighbor rebulding his patio, once he suddenly sank away because the 60x40 cm stones were undermined by several rat tunnels sized like rabbit holes.

MarkV · Jan 29, 2006

The idea of milk storage or even a cesspool (would you design something like that under your dairy barn?) would make me think there would be some sign of an entrance somewhere. Does it look like any of the floor has been redone over the years covering an entrance? Given the time period I would think the entrance would be covered in wood. Are there any old timers in the area that would remember the standard way barns of the era were done? Maybe the county extension agent would have an idea if caellars under barns were common in the past. Even the younger agents have heard all the local stories.

Without some sign of an entry point I would wonder about critters or washouts. How does the property around the barn drain?

Quick, go get that sledge hammer we need to know what is down there now. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

MarkV

besserheimerpha · Jan 29, 2006

Most of the barn looks original. However some parts of the floor do look like they've been repoured (including the area that's breaking up). Drainage around the barn is fair. The gutters are in disrepair, but the ground slopes away fairly steeply on all sides. There are no obvious signs of washout anywhere, or "critter holes." As far as I can tell, I've got the only brick barn in the area (which contributed to buying the property). I've made friends with some of the old timers, but since I've got a full time job and it's not in ag, and also due to our 1 month old daughter, I don't have many good opportunities to talk to them. I hadn't had a chance to call the extension office either, but I probably will before I start breaking too much ground. I'll also probably call some of the Ag professors at Iowa State University - it's only an hour away, and they've some professors who study things like this.

Thanks for your help everyone. Maybe some day I'll get my tractor so I can post on the other boards too! This is a great forum.

MarkV · Jan 30, 2006

Congratulations on the new baby!!!! Hope you will let us know what you find, I for one am curious.

MarkV

riptides · Jan 31, 2006

Way cool!

Well, here ya go ->
<ul type="square"> Any other structures next to the barn? I am looking for a milk house.
follow any plumbing lines to and fro? They had to get water to the barn,
Likewise, have troughs? Where are the drains at? Follow the slope.
Examine the outside and inside walls carefully! Any wood can hid a secret door! [/list]

Good luck, I'll bet it is beautiful.

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

Cliff_Johns · Jan 31, 2006

I would bet on a drain or water pipe leaking and undermining the floor either from washout or perhaps just setteling with water there over the years (possibly a very small spring). It would sound hollow even if there were only a few inches of open space below that part of the floor.

Cliff

besserheimerpha · Feb 1, 2006

I was looking at one of the other outbuildings on the property and had an idea. Since the property is on a slope (maybe 1' altitude per 20' length), it looks like they poured two parallel concrete walls about 6" above ground at the low end, then put the wood floor between them. I wonder if they did the same with the barn, using short concrete walls to act like joists and level the floor so a large slab could be poured on top. The area where the floor is cracked is on the low side of the hill. The well comes into the barn on the other side, opposite the crack and the floor between the pipe and crack sounds good and solid. The only "drains" in the barn are pieces of 4" tile that run through the wall/floor at a 45° angle and exit outside the barn above the ground. Darn it, this "elevated slab" idea is starting to sound more plausible. I was hoping I'd find Hoffa /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif