My MA Barn

[Arcane]

We've been busy this summer and fall, and are just about completed. Its a project that started last winter with me walking around the property and figuring out where and how I could get the tractor attachments under cover, make room for the contents of the garage so we can turn that into a bedroom or something, have it be accessible (really difficult here in the land of restrictive covenants and neighbors who aren't neighborly).

Anyway, it is to be a bank barn, 32x24.

 

[Arcane]

I didn't get to see it every week, but was there almost every weekend to peer into the giant hole in the ground, lift the wall sections, etc., and the crew took pictures every day but I haven't seen them yet.

The idea was a workshop and car/boat bays on the main floor, and cement floor tractor and attachment storage below. The site had about 9' of slope to begin with, and we enhanced that.

There were wetlands setbacks and deed restrictions, and we had to bust through a stone wall for acccess, but it started coming together in July. The first picture looks up the hill before excavating for the footing. Then I missed a few weeks, the foundation went in and we waited for a few more weeks.

 

[Arcane]

We had an engineer draw up plans, and he way overspecced it because theres a good chance it will have two heavy vehicles on the main floor. So a 10" I beam, with 2 lolly columns, fit into pockets at the gable ends.

I like post and beam barns, but they're too expensive to do from scratch, and I didn't have the time to hunt down a frame that worked. So, stickbuilt, but the builders suggested that we use true dimension pine from a local mill. Beautiful, heavy stuff, delivered (sometimes).

 

[Arcane]

We used 3x12 on 12" centers for the joists. PT material in the sills. The wall sections were built on the deck and took 5 of us to lift. The (rented) Lull was the best and least expensive man on the job.

 

[Arcane]

I had to see if the tractor fit in its place. Lifting the gable wall gives one a new appreciation for heights.

 

[Arcane]

I'm trying to wrap this up...

A little time out for Tropical Storm Florence, then the roof, siding, windows. The concrete will be a project for the next few months: we built an 8" overhang and I will put a stone facade under it.

 

[nolefan]

Nice barn you got there. I'm sure you will have it filled up in no time!

 

[Arcane]

I'm already working on filling it up. The attachments are happy, but the electrician isn't happy having to climb over them to wire the building. I'm using furniture dollies rated for 900# to move everything around, and I'm making a steel and wood dolly for the BH. Just ordered a Pat's EZ Change system.

The elevation changes at the site suggested that I could build a retaining wall next to the north gable end to manage the piles of compost, mulch, gravel and topsoil. So here's the beginning of my small scale materials storage yard. Those 2x2x6 precast blocks are heavy, and I'm a long way from the closest concrete plant, so we're going to pour a wall.