My pole barn...a solo affair

[bindian]

I started building a 30 X 44 pole barn a year ago June. I built it myself, except for roofing it. I had injured my arm and needed surgery. So the day before surgery I scheduled a barn roof raising. All my friends came over and put the metal on the roof. Here are a few photos of it. I did have a friend help me set about 4 poles and my son ran the lift I rented when I set the roof trusses in position. Other than those times..........I did all the design and building myself. Well, the designing was Aggie engineering. I need to put the sides on, pour concrete in the center section, and run wiring for electricity. Oh, I did purchase the roof trusses built to my dimensions. When finished it will have two horse stalls, a shed for my gooseneck, and enough room for my tractor, tack, feed, and a workshop area for air comprssor and welder.
hugs, Brandi

 

[TNhobbyfarmer]

Very nice Brandi. I commend you for having the moxy to take on a project like that by yourself.

 

[EddieWalker]

Brandi,

Nice looking barn!!! It looks like the roofline has some interesting design to it. Any better pics that show what it looks like?

What are you going to use for siding? Metal is easy and inexpensive, but might not be the look you're after. Wood is the easiest to work with, but the most labor intesive to maintain. Hardi is dificult to install on your own, but it looks very good and lasts forever with almost no maintenance.

Keep us posted, everyone loves a barn project!!!!!!!

Eddie

 

[jinman]

I did have a friend help me set about 4 poles and my son ran the lift I rented when I set the roof trusses in position. Other than those times..........I did all the design and building myself.

Wow! Brandi, I hope the post hole digging wasn't all done with that manual PHD in the first picture. Whew! I guess if it's all sand, that wouldn't be horrible, but I'm really partial to my auger.

Nice job. I particularly like your roof line and vent at the top. I'd sure like to see some inside pictures of the roof trusses if you get a chance. That's gonna be one swell barn.

 

[bindian]

Brandi,

Nice looking barn!!! It looks like the roofline has some interesting design to it. Any better pics that show what it looks like?

What are you going to use for siding? Metal is easy and inexpensive, but might not be the look you're after. Wood is the easiest to work with, but the most labor intesive to maintain. Hardi is dificult to install on your own, but it looks very good and lasts forever with almost no maintenance.

Keep us posted, everyone loves a barn project!!!!!!!

Eddie

Eddie,
Below are some photos I just ran out and took. Basically, the barn has a continous 1 foot vent on each side of the ridge, with two feet overlap of the upper metal over the lower metal. The shed roof on each side is 3/1 pitch and the center roof (on the truss) is 4/1 pitch.
The roof is 20 year dove grey color. The siding is 30 year red metal and the trim will be in white. My sliding doors will be red and white in a Purina checkboard pattern.
hugs, Brandi

 

[EddieWalker]

Brandi,

Thanks for the pictures. I've never seen a roofline like yours and I REALLY like it!!!! Did you design it, or is it something you've seen before?

What really strikes me about it is how similar it is to the design of two gazebos I'm going to build in the next month or so. No venting, but the two roofline is what I'm going to do, plus a few other extras. hahaha

You lost me with the checkerboard doors, but with how nice it is so far, I'm excited to see how it all comes together.

Please keep us posted of your progress.

Eddie

 

[bindian]

Brandi,

Thanks for the pictures. I've never seen a roofline like yours and I REALLY like it!!!! Did you design it, or is it something you've seen before?

What really strikes me about it is how similar it is to the design of two gazebos I'm going to build in the next month or so. No venting, but the two roofline is what I'm going to do, plus a few other extras. hahaha

You lost me with the checkerboard doors, but with how nice it is so far, I'm excited to see how it all comes together.

Please keep us posted of your progress.

Eddie

Eddie,
Here is a photo of the barn I am modeling mine after. I told the salesman at American Pole & Timber what I wanted. He called an engineer and came up with this drawing I attached below. As for the checkerboard, it is Purina Feeds corporate logo. Think of a checker playing board that is black and white. Then change the black to red. The sliding door is 12 foot square and will be white with 3 X 3 foot red squares added. I always thought about one being on the roof also, for planes to see as a landmark.
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

Eddie,
Here is a photo of the barn I am modeling mine after. I told the salesman at American Pole & Timber what I wanted. He called an engineer and came up with this drawing I attached below. As for the checkerboard, it is Purina Feeds corporate logo. Think of a checker playing board that is black and white. Then change the black to red. The sliding door is 12 foot square and will be white with 3 X 3 foot red squares added. I always thought about one being on the roof also, for planes to see as a landmark.
hugs, Brandi

..............but my barn will not have eaves like the one in the photo.
hugs, Brandi

 

[3RRL]

Hi Brandi,
What a great project. That is one fine looking barn you got going. Especially awesome you did the design yourself. I really like that 3rd photo of the first set you shared. You have a very nice place all surrounded by the woods like that.
About how much longer before you finish it up then?

 

[bindian]

Wow! Brandi, I hope the post hole digging wasn't all done with that manual PHD in the first picture. Whew! I guess if it's all sand, that wouldn't be horrible, but I'm really partial to my auger.

Nice job. I particularly like your roof line and vent at the top. I'd sure like to see some inside pictures of the roof trusses if you get a chance. That's gonna be one swell barn.

Jim,
Thanks. The barn is on solid clay. I rented a 3PH post hole digger to dig the holes. It had a dull auger tip and would just glaze the clay, since I had water in the holes to help out. I didn't like the way the 3PH PHD angles into the hole as it gets deep. That rented PHD is the main reason I got a Danuser Hydrulic PHD that I modified to fit on my new backhoe. Now I can plant two or three holes without moving the tractor. The tractor in the photo is my Ford 3055. I had the rented PHD on it. I used the 3055 and a boom pole to set all the poles in their holes. The dog in the photo is Booger. He goes anywhere I am playing in the dirt. I ended up finishing the 20 odd holes with the manual PHD in the previous photo. Here also is a photo of my new Mahindra putting a roll of left over roof insulation in the rafters. I will take more barn inside photos in a day or two.
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

Hi Brandi,
What a great project. That is one fine looking barn you got going. Especially awesome you did the design yourself. I really like that 3rd photo of the first set you shared. You have a very nice place all surrounded by the woods like that.
About how much longer before you finish it up then?

3RRL and Eddie,
Thanks for the kind words
3RRL,
If you want some of those trees, you can come and take them. I really don't know how much longer to finish the barn. Since I got my new Mahindra 6520 4WD and 511 BH , I have been playing in the dirt when I should be working on the barn. I worked on the barn every weekend before I had elbow surgery back in March. I have the metal siding for the front and back. I need to email some friends and schedule a "barn raising" for the siding installation. I want to keep the sides off until I pour the concrete in the center 20 foot section. Problem is, I need a crew to do that. My friends can help, but only on weekends. But the concrete trucks don't roll on weekends. I may need to hire the concrete work out, if I cannot find a concrete truck that delivers (within reasonable $$$) on a Saturday or Sunday.
Right now it is dry enough to mow my swampy area. I pushed over a bunch of trees today after I mowed it. I wanna put a pond in somewhere, but the swammy area is part of a drainage easement and gets watershed flow from I don't know how far back into the woods, way past my property. Wet weather springs too.
Wednesday I hope to get back in the swampy area and dig some stumps out. That always makes mowing easier. hugs, Brandi

 

[MarkV]

Well done Brandi! Wish we had more country gals on the forum. I sure am glad you had that auger. When I looked at those post hole diggers in the first photo my shoulders started to hurt. Also congratulations on the new tractor. You say your swampy area is dry and I thought your whole state was underwater this year.

MarkV

 

[BobG_in_VA]

Brandi, I like that barn!! I saved the drawing of the trusses....who knows when I might need something like that....thanks for ideas....BobG in VA

 

[Offy]

Nice barn. I'm finishing up on the interior of my metal barn now. I had a Rotweiler named Boog (short for Booger) for nine years. He loved to lead the tractor when I roamed the property and have a cold beer with me at the end of the day.

 

[3RRL]

3RRL and Eddie,
Thanks for the kind words
3RRL,
If you want some of those trees, you can come and take them. I really don't know how much longer to finish the barn. Since I got my new Mahindra 6520 4WD and 511 BH , I have been playing in the dirt when I should be working on the barn. I worked on the barn every weekend before I had elbow surgery back in March. I have the metal siding for the front and back. I need to email some friends and schedule a "barn raising" for the siding installation. I want to keep the sides off until I pour the concrete in the center 20 foot section. Problem is, I need a crew to do that. My friends can help, but only on weekends. But the concrete trucks don't roll on weekends. I may need to hire the concrete work out, if I cannot find a concrete truck that delivers (within reasonable $$$) on a Saturday or Sunday.
Right now it is dry enough to mow my swampy area. I pushed over a bunch of trees today after I mowed it. I wanna put a pond in somewhere, but the swammy area is part of a drainage easement and gets watershed flow from I don't know how far back into the woods, way past my property. Wet weather springs too.
Wednesday I hope to get back in the swampy area and dig some stumps out. That always makes mowing easier. hugs, Brandi

Can't say that I blame you for playing in the dirt. If I got a brand new big tractor and backhoe like that, that's exactly what I'd be doing too.
Also thanks for the tree offer, but I have my hands full with Oaks on my property. I just got through removing maybe a hundred of small and large ones preparing my property for building my new log home in this thread. 3R Home and Barn and in previous threads I shared. Hated to do it, but they were thick and I needed a way to get into the property. Mowing can be a fun time too, if there's not too many obstacles, but nevertheless, it's got to get done too. I agree you gotta pour the concrete while the walls are off. Hope you can get all your pals together for that.
I'm anxious to see your progress.
Thanks for sharing your project with us.

 

[bindian]

Well done Brandi! Wish we had more country gals on the forum. I sure am glad you had that auger. When I looked at those post hole diggers in the first photo my shoulders started to hurt. Also congratulations on the new tractor. You say your swampy area is dry and I thought your whole state was underwater this year.

MarkV

MarkV,
Thanks for the words of encouragement. Even when you have a PHD on your tractor, there are times where only the hand diggers will do. There is another girl on the Mahindra forum I know of, but she is too busy with a farm and a garden at her home in town. You can see a video of me and my 6520 on the Mahindra website Mahindra Tractor - Compact tractors, utility tractors, farm tractors, ag tractors, attachments, implements & farm equipment - all built tough!
I had too much water until August, when it started to dry out. Texas is a state of extremes. I live about an hour north of Houston. They got 10 inches in two hours last week from Tropical Storm Erin. I got home from West Texas to find my gully dry. I got a few sprinkles. For a while after I got the new Mahindra, I was cussing the rain. I would try to dig up a stump and hit water a foot or so down. So I was playing in the mud and heat. At sundown I would spray around 500 gallons of water on the tractor (and some on me) trying to get the muddy clay off. I dug up a huge oak on my Dad's place about 6 miles away two weeks ago. It was dry sandy loam all the way down to 8 feet. So we do have extremes.
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

Brandi, I like that barn!! I saved the drawing of the trusses....who knows when I might need something like that....thanks for ideas....BobG in VA

Bob,
Glad you like the barn. You know, funny thing. I took a copy of that truss design to a local barn builder for a bid. He never called me back, but did say it was an interesting design. Guess he might use it some day also. But that is okay, when I am stumped on how to design a part of the barn, I go down to his barn models and snoop around taking mental notes.
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

Nice barn. I'm finishing up on the interior of my metal barn now. I had a Rotweiler named Boog (short for Booger) for nine years. He loved to lead the tractor when I roamed the property and have a cold beer with me at the end of the day.

Offy,
Thanks! Do you have any photos of your barn? Inside and outside?
Booger loves to lead my tractor also. Mostly he is laying in the dirt I am working. I have to holler at him to move. I have been trying to teach him to come up to the backhoe seat so I can pet him, but alas, he is getting old. He thinks the barn is his house. Guess he will be surprised when a barn cat shows up.
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

Can't say that I blame you for playing in the dirt. If I got a brand new big tractor and backhoe like that, that's exactly what I'd be doing too.
Also thanks for the tree offer, but I have my hands full with Oaks on my property. I just got through removing maybe a hundred of small and large ones preparing my property for building my new log home in this thread. 3R Home and Barn and in previous threads I shared. Hated to do it, but they were thick and I needed a way to get into the property. Mowing can be a fun time too, if there's not too many obstacles, but nevertheless, it's got to get done too. I agree you gotta pour the concrete while the walls are off. Hope you can get all your pals together for that.
I'm anxious to see your progress.
Thanks for sharing your project with us.

3RRL,
The tractor is a blast. It is my therapy. I want to read all your post on the barn and home. I read Eddie's Creating a Lake all the way through a couple of weeks ago. I couldn't stop reading it. It took willpower to quit reading and go to bed. So I hesitate to start reading yours.
I also, hated to thin my woods and sell some timber. But the good book speaks of thinning the wood. I take that as it is okay to thin my trees. Especially for a pasture with horses on it.
I have way too many stumps left to dig up, so the mowing isn't that much fun, but the tilt up steering wheel for standing and mowing is. I try to mow all I can with my zero turn mower, but it gets stuck easy. Taking the BH off, putting the 3PH arms on, and then hooking up the mower is a lot of manual labor. The BH unhooking is easy, but can be a bucking bronc if you do it wrong.
hugs, Brandi

 

[3RRL]

There is another girl on the Mahindra forum I know of, but she is too busy with a farm and a garden at her home in town. You can see a video of me and my 6520 on the Mahindra website Mahindra Tractor - Compact tractors, utility tractors, farm tractors, ag tractors, attachments, implements & farm equipment - all built tough!

hugs, Brandi

Great video you did. I knew you were a girl but I didn't know you were a GIRL! I see that we're the same age except you're a lot younger than me.
lol...I would much rather see pictures of you than Eddie by his lake.

You sure handle that Mahindra with ease too. I didn't know it had a tilt up steering wheel on it. I'd like to have that on my Kama now that I put a new seat in it. It would come in real handy getting in and out like that.
Do you have top and tilt on the tractor? Would that make it easier to hook up the backhoe? Does it have a subframe mount or is it solely a 3pt mount? The TNT helped me make it easier for hooking up about everything now.