Pole Barn Renovation

[KennyG]

I've finally completed the renovation of my pole barn. I thought about posting as I went along, but it would have been the most drawn out thread in the history of TBN. I hope this gives others some ideas and I'll try to include some of the cost since there always seems to be interest in that.

I bought this place in mid-2010. The house needed a complete renovation and I did some of that myself. However, I contracted most of it because we wanted to actually live there in a reasonable period of time. The pole barn was 40 x 48 with a single 12 foot wide overhead door and had a lot of problems. The frame and concrete floor were OK, but that was about it. The roof was rusted out where a solar heating system for the pool had been installed. The wiring was minimal and only partially functional. The siding had been installed without a base or ratguard and then soil/mulch were piled against it. Not only was the siding rusted out, the grade board was rotted out.

I contracted out a new roof because I needed dry space to store material but did all the rest of the work myself. My first project was replacing the access door. It was a steel door and the frame was rusted out as well as some of the framing being rotted out. I put in a standard pre-hung door.

 

[KennyG]

Wall Insulation

One of my main goals was to be able to work in the winter, which is not a minor issue in our area. I was able to find a source for used roofing polyiso insulation sheets - 1.5 and 2 inches thick. I picked up a couple of trailer loads of it. First I installed a base treated 2x6 between the posts. I installed two layers, staggering the joints. Then I added some 2 x 4 nailers and filled in another layer of foam. I covered it all with a plastic vapor barrier. At the bottom I installed a cedar paneling wainscot using paneling I salvaged from the house renovation. Above that I installed OSB. The cost of insulating and finishing the walls was about $1200.

I put lots of new wiring in the walls. This is an area I would change if I was doing it over. I think it would have worked out better to wire with conduit on the walls and ceiling and avoid a lot of fitting and trimming.

 

[KennyG]

Interior finish

I finished the ceiling by putting up steel liner panel over a vapor barrier. Then I blew in about 6 inches of cellulose in the attic. I was able to install the panels by myself by using a high lift drywall lift. I had already run the wiring and installed outlet boxes for the lights. Fitting the panels to the box locations was not that hard but it seriously slowed me down with the need to climb up and down to measure and cut.

The lights are 4 foot T8 fluorescents. I got most of them from Menards, on sale with rebate. I averaged about $11 to $12 per fixture and bought bulk bulbs. There are 26 fixtures so I've got perhaps $350 in lights. That includes the 2 that failed in the first 3 or 4 years and had to be replaced. I haven't replaced a single bulb yet. If more lights fail, I'll start looking at LED fixtures. Overall I have about 1 watt of fluorescent light per square foot. However I varied the spacing. The "storage" area has about 0.5 watt/ft2 while the "shop" area has 2 to 3 watt/ft2.

On the storage side I added shelving by building a frame and putting cleats on the wall using 2x3 and 2x4 lumber. I used OSB for shelving. It's 2 feet deep with various vertical spacing.

 

[KennyG]

One of the problems was the single 12 foot wide door that made it complicated to use for parking and get in and out. I found a 9 x 8 insulated overhead door, never installed, for $150. I cut it into the eave end. I had to remove one post and add two new posts on each side of the door. I also came across a CraigsList deal for 3 slightly used Genie belt drive high lift openers for $180 (plus a damaged on for parts, which I didn't need). Since I needed two new ones for the house, this worked out great.

I installed a US Stove 2000 wood stove. Mixed reviews on this. Price was very good ($600) but I wouldn't be very happy with it in the house. It does have outside air intake which I connected to the attic space. It draws like crazy (it should with about 18 feet of straight vertical chimney) and burns ash down to nothing. However, it takes a good bit of fiddling with the intake damper to keep the temperature within the operating range. Also, the circulating fan failed after the first heating season. I have an old box fan behind the stove now. It takes a while to heat the building up but I can get over 50 degree increase over outside temperatures when I need to.

Investment in the workbenches is zero. A couple of benches came with the building. I built a frame from scrap lumber and then used the old steel entrance door as a bench top. I also had a couple of salvaged bathroom vanities. i built bench tops for them out of salvaged hardwood flooring. I did buy the pegboard. I've got various hangers over the years but I bought some plastic hooks from Ebay and I really like them. They are cheap and stay in place unlike the wire ones.

 

[KennyG]

With everything else done, I started on the new siding. I added house wrap, put all new grade board on and 29 gauge metal. I added two windows which really changes the feel inside. The house (built in 1975) had Andersen casement windows. Some were going bad so we replaced them all. I picked a couple of the best ones we removed and used them in the pole barn. One thing I did a little differently was the corner finish. I've never liked the way the metal corner closures look on pole barns. I used 1 x 4 composite boards on the corners and butted J-strips against them. I like the look much better.

There are always odds and ends left. I need to do some minor grading and I will add rock all around the base. I've got some trim work left inside around the windows. But I've got a good place to work now. If only it were a little bigger....

 

[KennyG]

Total cost of this renovation was $6000 for the roof I had to contract out and about $8000 for the rest of the work I did. I probably could have saved $3000 if I had done the roof myself but I think I saved about $3000 with all the used and on sale materials I used.

 

[blackdog2086]

I'm impressed. Beautiful barn and will be a great place to work or just get away from everything. My barn isn't as nice, but it's my fortress of solitude.

 

[byronlj]

Nice job.
A note for readers looking at building or remodeling.
One problem I had in my new garage was the door opener. I had 10' doors with a 13' ceiling. When I installed my 2 post lift I had to switch to a jackshaft opener so lifted vehicles wouldn't hit. Jackshaft openers are easy to install and leave lots more room.
Dave

 

[dave1949]

Good job. You made a nice barn and workshop that I'm sure you will enjoy.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[GPintheMitten]

Great job. it reminds me that I need to get out and reorganize my barn/shop.

 

[Billrog]

That sure is a nice barn now Kenny great job !! You'll sure enjoy the space.

 

[rgr33]

Great job Kenny, pics of the project were appreciated. Love my barn, but it can't hold a candle to yours.
My two favorite places to hang out are my barn and any hardware store.

 

[KennyG]

My two favorite places to hang out are my barn and any hardware store.

We've got a new Harbor Freight store coming soon. Could be dangerous (Shh, don't tell my wife.)

 

[hunterridgefarm]

Kenny,

Nice job and great looking shop. I am planning on putting a wood stove in mine now that it is complete. Your shop looks a lot bigger than mine, what is the sq ft, how much insulation do you have?

I may look for a wood furnace like I have in my basement if I can find one at a good price.

 

[KennyG]

40 x 48 so about 2000 ft2 with a 12 foot ceiling. The walls have about 5 inches of polyiso foam and the ceiling has about 6 inches of cellulose blown in.

I only heat it when I'm working. If I don't heat it for a week with outside temperatures down to single digits outside, it will get below freezing in the building. Heat up with the wood stove is a little slow because of all the mass inside the building. I usually run a 70k BTU torpedo heater for 15 minutes or so while I start the wood fire and get it hot. Then I will be over 40 degrees and it creeps on up from there with the wood stove.

 

[ovrszd]

Great job Kenny. That kind of work is extremely good for a man's Soul.

As to the wiring, yep, conduit is much easier. When I built mine I wired it for less money using steel conduit than it would have cost using normal wiring procedures.

Remodeling the interior of a building you've already moved into sucks doesn't it......

I think over time you will see that you need to blow in more ceiling insulation. At least 80% of your heat loss is thru the ceiling. 6" is marginal. My building is wrap insulated during construction with 6" faced fiberglass. Then I added a ceiling with another 8" of blow in. I added the blow in early this Winter. Made an instant difference. Should have done it during initial construction 5 years ago.

I heat with wood primarily. I have a fire every day that's needed. I feed the stove at 9p.m. and then start it again around 8a.m. I have a 100K btu propane furnace also. It's thermostat is set on 62 degrees. Last Winter I burned 70 gallons of propane. My shop never got below 62. I understand that you might not need a constant temp like that now. But in time you might. That is when the insulation will become a critical issue.

My building is 42x50 with a 12ft (at the peak) vaulted ceiling (10'5" at the eave). I light it with eight 4ft long 4 bulb T-8 fixtures. They are awesome and in 5 years I've not replaced any bulbs. I paid $97 each for the lights w/bulbs. If you ever decide to add light, check them out.

Great job Kenny. Thanks for posting this thread. Hard to not come away from a thread like this without picking up an idea or two!!!!

 

[linanddave]

Always great to see someone save a barn, great job.