bobm6996
Silver Member
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2010
- Messages
- 195
- Location
- Greenfield, Indiana
- Tractor
- Mahindra 5010 4WD HST Cab, Mahindra 2615 Gear, Scag Tiger Cat 48", Gravely 42" ZTR, EZ GO Gas Golf Cart
In the next two weeks a new pole barn will be getting started on the property we bought last year. Primary purpose is to store hay from the 12 acres we seeded this year with a grass alfalfa mix. We just roll baled the oats that were seeded to help the hay get started this year. The grass and alfalfa are doing quite well thanks to a reasonable amount of rainfall so far. We were planing to build the barn next year, but it appears we will be gettting a cutting of hay the end of August to early September if the weather cooperates. Expecting to have to store about 2500 bales a year of hay, which we will be using for oursleves and selling to other horse people.
I got prices from a couple builders and signed a contract last week for a 40x80x14 high with a local Amish crew who comes with great recommendations from others in the area who used them. Barn is probably bigger than we need for the amount of hay, but everybody kept saying go as big as you can affford and it still won't be big enough. Convinced the wife we need this size so I knew I would have room to get implements inside and stop letting them sit outside and rust. Have a buddy who is going to come in the end of this week and do some excavation work to get the ground level and cut in a driveway (700 feet off the road) back to the barn location. No power back there yet, will probably have to wait until next year because I am sure the power company is going to want a fortune to bring power back that far. I have a large generator that I will keep in the barn so I can have lights and power for tools. Would love to have the power now, but with the cost of the barn and driveway and stone in the barn it will have to wait. Next year we plan to start our new home on this property, plan is to build a pole frame home on a basement.
So, very excited and can't wait to get started, will be sending pics as it progresses. Would like some recommendations on any type of solar lighting solutions others may be aware of in particular for external lighting around the barn. Is there any type of solar dusk to dawn light that might work for now?
Plan to use flume for now on the floor inside the barn, it will never be concrete since it is for hay and equipment storage, but that stuff becomes packed and almost like concrete. I probably will build a small workshop area, but will use treated wood to build a floor and then build walls and insulate that area.
Any thoughts or ideas for a first time pole barn owner would be greatly appreciated. At some point next year I will either be adding on a shop area to this barn or building a separate smaller barn for me to use for woodworking and tinkering. May do it in this big barn if I see I don't need all of it store hay.
I got prices from a couple builders and signed a contract last week for a 40x80x14 high with a local Amish crew who comes with great recommendations from others in the area who used them. Barn is probably bigger than we need for the amount of hay, but everybody kept saying go as big as you can affford and it still won't be big enough. Convinced the wife we need this size so I knew I would have room to get implements inside and stop letting them sit outside and rust. Have a buddy who is going to come in the end of this week and do some excavation work to get the ground level and cut in a driveway (700 feet off the road) back to the barn location. No power back there yet, will probably have to wait until next year because I am sure the power company is going to want a fortune to bring power back that far. I have a large generator that I will keep in the barn so I can have lights and power for tools. Would love to have the power now, but with the cost of the barn and driveway and stone in the barn it will have to wait. Next year we plan to start our new home on this property, plan is to build a pole frame home on a basement.
So, very excited and can't wait to get started, will be sending pics as it progresses. Would like some recommendations on any type of solar lighting solutions others may be aware of in particular for external lighting around the barn. Is there any type of solar dusk to dawn light that might work for now?
Plan to use flume for now on the floor inside the barn, it will never be concrete since it is for hay and equipment storage, but that stuff becomes packed and almost like concrete. I probably will build a small workshop area, but will use treated wood to build a floor and then build walls and insulate that area.
Any thoughts or ideas for a first time pole barn owner would be greatly appreciated. At some point next year I will either be adding on a shop area to this barn or building a separate smaller barn for me to use for woodworking and tinkering. May do it in this big barn if I see I don't need all of it store hay.
