Completing other half of barn

Vtnewbie · Aug 14, 2012

Pictures from last November adding roof to other side of our 12x40 horse barn. Had to cut into slope and add rocks on the uphill side; which only our 4720 Branson TLB made possible - sure couldn't have done it with a shovel! Had to use the backhoe for the post holes also, due to the rocks.

Rafters are 22 foot long 2x8 rough cut hemlock cut from our farm, secured with plywood gussets. Hauling those up and holding them in place while screwing them together was the only part I couldn't do by myself - THANKS Jeff, Pat, Steve, Brian, Warren and Rich!

After the pictures were taken I got the metal roofing screwed on (sheets of 22 foot tin all by myself, by the way), and before putting on the roof added 2x8 joists to increase the snow loads it could bear and give some loft space. and it weathered the relatively mild winter just fine. After the weather cools a bit this fall, intend to add more bracing. Sorry for just the single pic!

Zebrafive · Aug 15, 2012

I've put up 17' sheets on a 4/12 pitch. 22' would be even harder. I had to wait for calm days, wind wanted to carry away the sheets. Hardest part is getting the first one right (Square) and holding it there to check before fastening it down.

Sarazwork · Aug 15, 2012

Wow, I am mighty jealous. It is beautiful!

Sure beats my sad little "barn". I am building one out of the remains of a couple tractor shipping crates I got from Atwoods supply. It is a sad little affair, but it is nearly free. Dimensions are 5 x 10.

Vtnewbie · Aug 16, 2012

Thanks for the kind comments!

22 footers were awfully fun to drag up there and screw down! Even a light breeze wanted to move it around, and I had to get body weight on it quick when that happened. Wore those heavy knee pads with a textured rubber face to them. They really worked to keep me from sliding around/off.

I was mighty lucky we had a late and mild winter. The last sheet of tin was screwed down in December! Around here we usually have a couple of feet of snow on the ground by Christmas.

Walls and a roof are powerful handy - even if it's salvaged from shipping crates. My tractor shed is built of scrap lumber and used tin. I'm lucky to have 40 acres of woods to use for lumber or I couldn't have built the barn - the new tin for the roof cost more than I wanted to pay, but I don't have a ready cheap source for that!

tcreeley · Aug 16, 2012

I've been there working in the snow. I do all of my own work and have been out chipping ice and shoveling snow off my scaffolding to side my barn. Nothing like a metal roof and snow. I always covered the undone part whenever snow was in the forecast- did my house and barn before that in last couple of years. January 12 is the longest I kept going. The snow was getting deeper. I'd side it, then stain it with cabot. It was too cold to dry but it soaked in. Worked well. Couple of times I thought I was coming down. It is the last piece of metal panel on the side I hate-. On the barn my ladder wasn't high enough for the top so I used a fold in the middle ladder as a base and attached a piece above it then lay flat on it while I reached out to the side to screw the metal down. I hated reaching over the side to screw in from the flashing sideways. Took about 3 years to finish- 30x30. 3 floors. Top floor just 10x7 for cupola ventilation with 2 windows. I used a huge tarp to cover the barn while the horses were in there. Uncovered the parts I was working on.

Sarazwork · Aug 16, 2012

Vtnewbie said:
Thanks for the kind comments!

22 footers were awfully fun to drag up there and screw down! Even a light breeze wanted to move it around, and I had to get body weight on it quick when that happened. Wore those heavy knee pads with a textured rubber face to them. They really worked to keep me from sliding around/off.

I was mighty lucky we had a late and mild winter. The last sheet of tin was screwed down in December! Around here we usually have a couple of feet of snow on the ground by Christmas.

Walls and a roof are powerful handy - even if it's salvaged from shipping crates. My tractor shed is built of scrap lumber and used tin. I'm lucky to have 40 acres of woods to use for lumber or I couldn't have built the barn - the new tin for the roof cost more than I wanted to pay, but I don't have a ready cheap source for that!

It's amazing how brave you get when you know you have to get the job done. I remember roofing a house for an elderly friend years ago. The roof was really steep and all shingles. It was raining like heck, but I had to get it done or we'd have been soaked. I just put up a harness and went to work. Slipping and sliding it got done... I couldn't do it now.

Zebrafive · Aug 17, 2012

Sarazwork said:
It's amazing how brave you get when you know you have to get the job done. I remember roofing a house for an elderly friend years ago. The roof was really steep and all shingles. It was raining like heck, but I had to get it done or we'd have been soaked. I just put up a harness and went to work. Slipping and sliding it got done... I couldn't do it now.

Sara, You are one BRAVE women! I would have taken the soaking before harnessing up and going on a steep roof in the rain.

crbr · Aug 17, 2012

Thanks for the pictures

Sarazwork · Aug 17, 2012

Zebrafive said:
Sara, You are one BRAVE women! I would have taken the soaking before harnessing up and going on a steep roof in the rain.

In Washington State, if you wait for the rain to stop before working, you might as well never get started... Or work one month a year - August. I moved to Texas after it rained for 160 days straight in 2010. Noah built an Arc when it rained only 40 days and 40 nights.

But back to the barn... That horse barn is AWESOME VTNewbie.