Pole Barn Renovation, need some suggestions please

[WNY Tony]

Hi All,

M wife and I bought our dream home last year, and I have the go ahead to renovate a small pole barn that needs some TLC. Woohoo! Let me share the current state, as well as what I am looking to do.

Current state: Size 25'x40', 10' wall height with a 5-12 pitch roof. Old telephone poles used for the poles, and the siding is 6 inch wide tongue and groove barn siding, hung vertically with 2x4 purlins for horizontal framing. Roof structure is plywood over 2x6 rafters spaced 16" on center with rolled asphalt roofing. Dirt floor is out of level by about a foot across the 40' length. Only 6" overhang on front and back and no overhang on the gable ends. The gutters had rotted off, and therefore roof runoff has deteriorated the bottom portion of the siding.

Ok, with all that said, I want to renovate this such that 1/2 of it will be a heated wood shop, and the other half will be storage. I want to re-roof it, re-side it, level the site, pour concrete floor, insulate.

1. Looking to use steel roofing.
2. My wife would rather not use steel siding, so she said wood or vinyl. I hate painting/staining, so I am looking at vertical vinyl siding that looks like barn wood.
3. Initial heating thoughts are to use plex tubing in the concrete floor with a water heater/boiler.

Here are some of my initial questions.
1. Steel roofing, can I use 1x3 hemlock boards spaced every 2' as slats under the roofing, or do the slats need to be bigger than that? Looking at 29 gauge steel with galv-alum.
2. My initial thoughts on siding structure was to install 2x4 purlins, then OSB sheathing, then house wrap, then the siding. I found a very reasonable source for rough cut lumber, so could I get away with simplifying the siding to just use 1x10 hemlock horizontally (no purlins), then house wrap, then vinyl siding. The 1x hemlock would be cheaper then using 2x4 purlins and OSB sheathing, but wasn't sure if this would be OK? If it matters, most poles are 6' apart.
3. Anybody have experience with heating the floor instead of other means? Any advice appreciated!!
4. Insulation: best plan to simply frame some 2x4 interior walls and use fiberglass? How about insulating the roof/ceiling? Is it easier to insulate the rafters, or create a ceiling and insulate above the ceiling? I do plan on using intake vents in the overhang, and using a ridge cap that is vented as well.

I am sure I will run into more questions as I get closer, but I appreciate your help.

 

[KennyG]

I hate to be negative but sit down with paper and calculator and think this through. It sounds like the rafters and poles are the only value in this thing. If you start over you can have exactly what you want and it will be so much easier to insulate and heat you will save money in the long run. If you only want 10 foot ceiling consider stud walls on a floating slab. I would go at least 12 feet with square poles. Floor heating is nice. Metal roof with no sheathing. Add a liner panel ceiling and blow in lots of insulation.

 

[WNY Tony]

I appreciate your feedback. Trust me, I have had a few people share similar sentiments about starting over fresh with a new building. The main two reasons I was considering renovation more were 1.) I could do the roof and siding myself to save money, whereas I am not equipped to build from the ground up and 2.) the existing building is on the town's books, so if I am only doing renovations, I don't think I need to involve them, whereas a new building would require permitting, which would yield additional assessments.

Lots to think about.

 

[EddieWalker]

Sounds like a solid building with some early stages of needing repair. I like your plan. I would remove the shingles, install new 30 pound felt paper and install the purlins, or slats, direction onto the decking, over the paper. You really don't need the decking for R panel metal roof, but since it's already there, there isn't any advantage to removing it. The big advantage to it is that the metal wont sweat and drip inside your building. Whatever moisture does form under the metal will end up on the paper. I've never used hemlock, so the question is will it hold the screws that the metal is attached to?

If you like vinyl, then that plan sounds good. I personally hate the look of it and every time I see it, I think somebody is trying to cover something up. If it was mine, I would do the walls in Hardie lap siding. It holds paint forever, it is bug proof, it will never rot and it's just about fire proof. I like it a lot!!!

Fiberglass in the walls is the most cost effective way to insulate. Spray in insulation is the most cost effective for attic spaces. You will need to install a ceiling to hold the insulation. With 16 centers on your rafters, just about anything will work great for a ceiling, from plywood to sheetrock to metal panels. Your lucky, my trusses are 48 inches apart and one of these days I'm going to install white metal R panels on them so I can spray in some insulation.

Post pics, it sounds like a nice barn

Eddie

 

[s219]

I'd be wary of 1x3 roof purloins over framing. Over decking they should be fine.

For siding, don't complicate it with too many layers, otherwise you defeat the purpose of the pole barn structure and spend more than you need to. I also hate vinyl. We have Hardie on our new house, both lap siding and board/batten (which is 4x10 vertical sheets with PVC battens nailed on later). That stuff is awesome. It does need to go over sheathing however, so again that is more complex than needed for a pole barn.

After weighing many options, I'm doing white pine board/batten on my barn. It will get a coat of oil-based barn stain and ought to protect for a good long time, fading to give an aged look over the years.