Planning Very First Barn

[Snowflakes]

As we have just acquired 57 acres in Northern Vermont with plans on starting a small and, hopefully, low maintenance farm, we are seeking advise from all you experts on building a relatively inexpensive and low maintenance barn.

Our idea for the barn to have misc storage, vegetable prep and cold storage, hay and feed storage, and some animal stalls. We are not planning on having horses, maybe some goats or sheep, pigs and beef cattle (no dairy). We are thinking 36' x 48' with a center drive through. The vege prep and cold storage will be insulated and may even be heated.
Our biggest challenges seem to be:
1. Flooring: I understand that concrete is expensive and that we would want concrete in the vege prep, cold storage and other storage areas. Would we want concrete in other areas, such as the center drive through or animal stalls? I understand concrete is hard on animals. What do people usually do? Which things are easiest to maintain?
2. Interior Drainage: If we install concrete flooring in other areas than the indoor spaces, what about drainage? I have seen ideas of a drainage channel down the center drive-thru.
3. Wash bay: should we want one of these even if we don't have horses? Although... there may be a donkey or mini-horse in our future. It does seem like a convenient item.
4. Hay loft: Is a monitor style a good investment to use as a hayloft or are there better ideas?
5. Tractor implement storage. Where do you find the best place to store your tractor attachments and make them easy to get to?
6. What is the best way to save money on building a low maintenance one, except for building it yourself?

All advice seriously appreciated and welcomed.
Here is a picture of some of our land and house.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Welcome! Beautiful picture. I did get a chuckle out of a "low maintenance farm." This may result in a serious reality check!

 

[HarryN]

From what you described, you'd have to double the size of it.

 

[JimRB]

You need to start looking at existing barns and talking to people. What works for barn construction where I live (high stalls and well ventilated) is different from central and northeastern Ohio barns that often have lower ceilings, built in banks, hay lofts above all to keep critters warm in the winter. Of course if you are in northwestern Ohio, and northeastern Indiana, there are no banks to build a barn into.

Some might mentioned rigid insulation under the concrete so it does not stay as cold as concrete directly on the ground. Our barn has a central concrete aisle, a tack room with 1/2 bath, a concrete wash rack that never sees any washing but plenty of hoof trimming.

You need a budget. Then double or triple it and be surprised if you stay close to the first budget.

Livestock is the definition of high maintenance.

 

[Fossil Farm]

Is the vegetable prep and cold storage for human use, such as a for selling at a farm market? If so, you may want to consider a second barn away from animals and possible contamination from them. May be required if you plan on getting serious about selling product.

Concrete can be covered by straw, sawdust, corn fodder, etc. as bedding or nursery use. Much easier to clean and maintain than a dirt or gravel floor. A skid steer or back blade can be used to clean the barn much easier also if it is concrete. Much easier to store equipment on also.

Best bet is, if you can look at several existing barns to see the good and bad points of them. Some poles buildings can be setup for drive through hay storage if bale pickup systems will be used. Depends on your terrain and how you will have to prepare driveways to or from the barns, electric needs, water needs, etc.

With livestock, equipment, vegetable storage, no barn will be as "low maintenance" as you think. Good luck.

 

[texas42]

Having owned several barns and outbuildings in the past, I can give a little advice. First plan your location so you can have good drainage away from the structure for both rainfall and melting snow. If you are going to use the structure year round think about an all weather road to/from the structure. Also, think about the direction of the prevailing winds.
A drive thru barn I've always found the best and easiest to use, but that requires good all weather access to both ends. A 12 ft center aisle works well for a drive thru. You can't beat concrete for the floor in the center aisle if you are using it to drive vehicles and tractors up and down it.
The floor in the animal part can be other materials but the floor of the stalls will need maintenance from time to time as animals tend to waller out the center of the stall. Rubber mats on top of a compacted clay base usually works well for this.
With all the uses you have planned I suggest a lot of time with pencil and paper so you get a structure that will accommodate all your needs.
Seems like every barn I ever had should have been a little bigger.

 

[hslogger]

My two cents. Pole barns by their very nature of upright spacing and external framing for roof lend themselves to easy additions. In my experience Pole barns and lofts that are going to carry a lot of weight are not good. Stick frame barns or post and beam that are on concrete footers are what I would strive for in the long run. Up front cost is more but you won't ever regret it. This building has no loft. I can stack lots of hay on ground level, but I can't get a bale wagon in this opening. That is something to consider for the future.

If you use metal siding, it really will end up having you put plywood on the inner walls. Livestock ding up the metal walls by rubbing up against them. Metal siding with cows or equine is a no no in my book simply because I have seen horses that have punched through with their hooves and it is a nightmare. Metal sweats, too. Animals by nature will rub up against stuff and you don't want it to be tin.

If you are going to raise sheep here are a few things off the cuff. Sheep panels are made or purchased out of wood or metal or aluminum. Generally the panels are are 4,5,or 8 foot lengths. The panels are used to corral and work sheep efficiently, making alleys and pens(jugs) for lambing. Visit some larger scale sheep and goat operations and see what a pro uses. You will want to have some good idea about how you want to space your interior uprights or go clear span. If you go for a loft for baled hay storage you will want it to be stout with above ground uprights. See how other people place their water spigots, frost free is the way to go. I think a wash rack is not really necessary but if you are going to have a hot water source out there you won't regret that. Animal husbandry can demand some good place for vet and meds and clean up.

You will want good ventilation, and electricity. Avoid the temptation to run monster power out there for a workshop, for welding and such. Mixing livestock barns and workshops is not the ideal thing to do. The power you need is for lights, lots of them when you want them, along with table saw or skill saw, basic power tools for construction. Do you want a telephone access out there?

This building housed horses and sheep and is a pole barn. It is 48 by 68. The center bay is fourteen feet wide and real glad it made it wide. I wish I would have put real eaves on it inside of little ones.
I do have gutters leading away from the building into French drains. One area is 24 by 36 and is a wooden floor made up of rough sawn full dimension lumber and it is elevated from the ground for air and drainage.

There is a eight by twelve concrete pad for an enclosed room for supplies, and three by twelve concrete alley adjoining that with open shelves and storage. The fiberglass paneling allows some sunlight in there and maybe some day take it down and put up the more modern semi clear polycarbonate stuff.

The building began as a twelve by thirty six lean-to shed and was added on to three times. The building with the big eaves is a separate structure but I wish I had done full eaves for the barn.

 

[hslogger]

I would also suggest in the roofing department what ever you construction is going to be, first choice plywood covered with snap lock metal, that is the kind that has the screws hidden. Again more expensive than the the other stuff but pretty much drip and fool proof. I have buildings with screw down and hidden screws and prefer the latter because the exposed screw ones sooner or later work loose a bit.I'm talking over many years. The solution to that is to just go replace em all with larger screws and neopreme washers.

 

[cat fever]

All good advice and as others have stated "make it bigger". I have built three now and think I finally got it big enough. 57X72 Here are pictures of where it stands now, waiting for doors.