Removing barn loft reinforcing

[aczlan]

We had a barn straightened in the mid 1990s, they used a large comealong to straighten the barn (it was leaning), then they used a length of 1/2" cable that went around the top front and bottom rear corners. They tightened that with a large turnbuckle and its been holding the barn ever since.

 

[ray66v]

Looking back via the follow up posts, the more I think about it, the more I suspect those 2 x 4 'braces' do nothing and probably were simply some sort of bracket for shelves or to hang something from.
That building is a dome, and domes are basically self supporting structures.

I agree.

That building was clearly built by craftsmen.

Those 2x's were clearly not installed to any degree of craftsmanship. Which strongly suggests they are not part of the original design.

I would do an inspection of the roof members to be sure there is no damage. And, upon finding no concerns, would not hesitate to remove the offending 2x4's.

If any of those large rafter trusses fail, the 2x4's are not going to do much to stop it.

 

[woodlandfarms]

In the end I would consult with someone with a bit more engineering skill.

We had a building where the center of the roof began to sag. Resolution was to tie the foor beams left and right together (they used 2X6 and dropped bolts through. They came in with a large center jack, got the center of the building up in hieight, then tied it all together. Now the roof was completely torqued so we had to re-roof.

If I owned your building I would consider cable to reduce the visual clutter. I would think One every other beam.

Architecturally it is gorgeous. How do you propose to keep it insulated? When you do insulate I fear you are going to loose everything that makes it look cool. Those beams are what sells the space.

Hummm. now wait a sec. Are you saying that you are just wondering about hte 2X4 and you are not battling roof sag? To me I do not see the SAG but I am not outside. Also, do the downstairs walls bow out? I do think you owe us at least an outside view of this georgeous barn.

 

[bigtiller]

We had an old dairy barn like yours when i was a kid. Ours never had any 2x4's like yours. As a larger than average kid, I was always put in the barn when bailing hay for other farmers, so i seen a lot of barns, and none of them that i remember had this type of bracing. I suspect someone built something years ago for what ever reason and this is what is left of his project. It wouldn't hurt to get a trusted, experienced and older construction owner/manager to have a look just to be sure.

 

[mtaves]

As requested by many, here are some additional pictures of the barn that should hopefully paint a better picture of what is (and what isn't) happening to the structure. The browser says the pics are uploaded but don't see them on my screen. If you don't see them either please let me know and I will try again.

2016-01-03 Pic1 - overall: picture of the barn. End wall is facing due south, I am standing SE of the barn.
2016-01-03 Pic2 - NE corner: when I started looking closer, everything at loft floor height looked true and straight. The problems with the barn structure are all at ground level, under the east sidewall. This is showing how the NE corner of the wall has moved, and how the foundation wall has started to break up.
2016-01-03 Pic3 - E sidewall from NE corner: showing some bulging out at the base. Picture is taken facing south.
2016-01-03 Pic4 - E sidewall from SE corner: same wall showing the bulging from the other end
2016-01-03 Pic5 - base support: this is specifically for Jim Timber. I recognize your name now from your own post. Hope this picture gives you what you were looking for. There are 2 ceiling joists spaced 10ft apart, consisting of three sistered 2x8's. Posts are 3 sistered 2x6's spaced 9ft apart.
2016-01-03 Pic6 - closeup: again for Jim, showing how posts are connected to the joists
2016-01-03 Pic7 - E sidewall gap to floor slab: this is the inside of the east sidewall, which has bulged out 2.5" from the floor slab.

Someone asked about what I was doing for insulation. I couldn't bear to cover all this up so plan to leave it uninsulated. It is still warmer than standing around outside in the winter...

I am comfortable with making mods to improve the loft structure. To fix the base will probably require some professional help.

 

[teg]

...The browser says the pics are uploaded but don't see them on my screen. If you don't see them either please let me know and I will try again...

Since the new server, you may have to resize them and upload them again, one at a time...

 

[Streetcar]

No pictures
I second the bracing does not significantly help structure.
I am construction engineer

 

[mtaves]

Apparently have to upload one at a time. Here they are, in the same order as mentioned in my previous post.

 

[CDN Farm Boy]

I'm a licensed carpenter with a heritage diploma and 20 yrs experience. To me, that barn looks as straight as the day it was built and wonderful to see one still in that good of condition.

From what I can see, those 2 2x4s in the middle couldn't add any less to the structural strength if they were just lying loose on the floor. The ones on the end wall on the other hand, might be adding some strength to help keep the gable end from bowing. Hard to tell from the picture.

If your use is going to be limited to martial arts etc, I wouldn't be worried about the structure at all. Keep up regular maintenance of it and it should still last a very long time as is. I'd take some measurements and check some surfaces with string lines for straight and only worry about "improvements" if things start to move. Otherwise I wouldn't do anything to "upgrade" a structure that at this point (from the pics) doesn't have any problems.

If it isn't broke, don't fix it.

 

[Egon]

Just from pictures the barn may be a lot older than the loft or the bottom cement floor.


Your last picture tells the tale. The foundation is asking for help.

I'd suggest the present footings are not deep enough or wide enough nor will they have any rebar. Sulphates may have deteriorated the concrete.

Resolving the footings is not a do it yourself job. It could be done piece meal but that really isn't a proper solution. As the pockets allow start looking for bids.