Moving a pole barn anyone?

woodlandfarms · Sep 4, 2017

So I am asking about shop expansion.. The wife rightly turns to me and asks why not move a carport / pole barn we have. It is a 32x35 or so. It is pole barn constructed with no sides. It was used by the previous owner to house his fifth wheel (and his girlfriend cause his wife did not want her living in the house - yes, true)

So is there any value in doing this. The roof is shot, so not worried about that. I guess the only thing of value is the actual framing. But I have to (hire?) labor to tear it apart correctly then reassemble then side.... Just buy a new one? Or tear this one down. Hate to waste materials but not sure about savings.

sixdogs · Sep 4, 2017

They move big ones frequently around here. Disassemble and reassemble and the interest generated at auctions means it must be worth it.

Must be a story that goes with the separate living quarters?

TimberHole · Sep 5, 2017

How far are you wanting to move it? Sounds like a fun project. I'd do it if the frame was good. You could do anything from pick it up with a crane to jack it up and put it on machine rollers or a trailer. Lots of ways to do it.

RNeumann · Sep 5, 2017

One of the disadvantages of poles barns is the post that get direct buried in the ground. Expose one of the inner posts to determine the condition. If they are good I could see the value in moving it. The same folks who build them should be able to move it as it is a science with some special equipment.

The other way to know for sure is to get your shop contractor to come out and give you prices for both-move and close in or start over.

jfh28 · Sep 5, 2017

well here's a thought for you........your main problem at the moment seems to be to find a place for all the shop tools you have gotten while saving up for building the shop you really want........why not just finish this pole barn off right where it is for now......wouldn't take much to throw on some metal siding and redo the roof and you then have a space for the tools......then you have time to think about what you really want and need and the time to plan for it.......plus it looks like there is some sort of living space right next to this barn so there's your bathroom and plumbing.........this might be a really simple and quick way to get what you need right now without a lot of expense.......and who knows in a few years when you have built your new shop......well you might have a girlfriend you can house in this barn too......lol....what a weird situation that must have been..........Jack

woodlandfarms · Sep 6, 2017

So the pole barn is next to the doublewide we currently live in. If I were to close it in it would block all of the windows in the house.

The previous owner has a fun history. He was a meth dealer / addict. He burnt down the stick built home, took the fairly large insurance adjustment, bought a POS manufactured and spent the rest on drugs. He also developed a girlfriend whom his wife did not like so he put her in a fifth wheel outside. From what i get he would just wander back and forth between buildings like an old school Mormon.

Anyway, ended up in jail and we ended with the property after a developer tried and failed to develop it.

Fun times in Woodland WA. late last year a bunch of neo ****'s decided to take it out on each other, all of them ended up dead shooting each other. that was about a mile down the road.

Stimw · Sep 6, 2017

How far do you want to move it?
How high are the openings?
If not very far, high enough, get someone with a semi trailer to back into it, jack it up from roof of semi with wood bracing, and move to new location.
Set it down and take water hose and jet poles back down to wanted height.

M E Cook · Sep 6, 2017

years ago I moved a 24x24 garage in 1 piece backed a scissor lift truck inside unbolted it from slab lifted by the trusses moved it a 1/2 mile down the road onto ne slab