Egon
Epic Contributor
Best wait till the "Barn Guy" has gotten the structural work done as you may require some footing work.
What to do with a dirt floor
- Thread starter wotalota
- Start date
- Views: 37806
Renze
Super Member
If the barn is built into the hill, it might be an idea to dig in a vertical plastic sheet as a moist skirt, on the hillside, to hold water from flowing to the low spot (the barn) as water tends to do..
We have used crushed asphalt, which we got cheap from a friend of my brother who works for a contractor. They mill it off and when the sun is shinging on it at 35°C it gets sticky, so when you compact it during a hot summer it gets nearly as hard as concrete.
It's easiest to spread in cold temperatures because it gets sticky when hot, and the best compacting results are when it's hot..
I just run the road sweep over the milled asphalt as i do over the concrete pavement.
We have used crushed asphalt, which we got cheap from a friend of my brother who works for a contractor. They mill it off and when the sun is shinging on it at 35°C it gets sticky, so when you compact it during a hot summer it gets nearly as hard as concrete.
It's easiest to spread in cold temperatures because it gets sticky when hot, and the best compacting results are when it's hot..
I just run the road sweep over the milled asphalt as i do over the concrete pavement.
toolaholic
Silver Member
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2005
- Messages
- 144
GREW UP IN MASS. Learned My trade there. My 45 th. year as a carp. gen. contr.
No. Ca. now. I can picture Your wonderful Barn now, I think! I'm guessing the found. is stone,either dry stack, or lime motar, NO concrete footing.
My fix would be a skid steer with the cage off ,for height clearense. Make a 4" cut and remove dirt,staying 18" inside found.Install perf drain pipe in tranch along hillside wall,drain to daylight. If grade is too low install a sump pit with pump. Install 2 1/2" of 3/4" crushed rock , than compact 1/1/2" road base.
Give My best to the old Man of the Mountain,If you can find Him.
Family farm is in Thorton N. H. Say hi to My cousin Dr . TOM Sullivan.
For those of You that don't know , N. H. is a beautiful state. See it in the fall,before you leave this planet!
No. Ca. now. I can picture Your wonderful Barn now, I think! I'm guessing the found. is stone,either dry stack, or lime motar, NO concrete footing.
My fix would be a skid steer with the cage off ,for height clearense. Make a 4" cut and remove dirt,staying 18" inside found.Install perf drain pipe in tranch along hillside wall,drain to daylight. If grade is too low install a sump pit with pump. Install 2 1/2" of 3/4" crushed rock , than compact 1/1/2" road base.
Give My best to the old Man of the Mountain,If you can find Him.
Family farm is in Thorton N. H. Say hi to My cousin Dr . TOM Sullivan.
For those of You that don't know , N. H. is a beautiful state. See it in the fall,before you leave this planet!
OP
wotalota
Silver Member
valleyfarm thanks for that tip, powder post beetle I believe. Treated it with liquid Boracare in the fall and need to see if any new activity appears in the coming months. It was about $350 for 4 gallons, one can probably get quite a bit of paint thinner for that.
Thanks for these suggestions I had not considered lining the hillside wall or installing an inner trench drain but it makes sense. As I look over these, there is some doubt about using a vapor barrier over the soil but drainage control along with a compacted floor base of some kind seems to be favored.
toolaholic, I think at some time the barn must have been raised since there is a concrete foundation on 3 sides. The end under the barn door is still rock. The downhill side looks like the sill was not properly tied to the foundation, one end has pushed out a little and should be pulled back in or at least maintained in place. A slate roof so we will need to go slow and easy. I sense a little nostalgia, I'm from Yorkshire myself and understand. If it helps it was -5 below zero last week, 20 mile per hour wind, snow blowing to a white out. The driveway was a complete sheet of ice. I had to ask my good friend the oil delivery man to delay his monthly fill up. However spring is in the air and soon it will be black fly season. Then there is the New Hampshire summer my favorite month of the year. Followed by the gem, fall, and the popular game of find the car under the leaves. No really I have travelled around a bit and it is hard to beat the true four seasons here. The old Man of the Mountain suffered severe loss a few years back. There was talk of a restoration project but I don't know how it is going. I don't have many pictures but will try and attach one for you from early fall.
Thanks for these suggestions I had not considered lining the hillside wall or installing an inner trench drain but it makes sense. As I look over these, there is some doubt about using a vapor barrier over the soil but drainage control along with a compacted floor base of some kind seems to be favored.
toolaholic, I think at some time the barn must have been raised since there is a concrete foundation on 3 sides. The end under the barn door is still rock. The downhill side looks like the sill was not properly tied to the foundation, one end has pushed out a little and should be pulled back in or at least maintained in place. A slate roof so we will need to go slow and easy. I sense a little nostalgia, I'm from Yorkshire myself and understand. If it helps it was -5 below zero last week, 20 mile per hour wind, snow blowing to a white out. The driveway was a complete sheet of ice. I had to ask my good friend the oil delivery man to delay his monthly fill up. However spring is in the air and soon it will be black fly season. Then there is the New Hampshire summer my favorite month of the year. Followed by the gem, fall, and the popular game of find the car under the leaves. No really I have travelled around a bit and it is hard to beat the true four seasons here. The old Man of the Mountain suffered severe loss a few years back. There was talk of a restoration project but I don't know how it is going. I don't have many pictures but will try and attach one for you from early fall.
Attachments
toolaholic
Silver Member
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2005
- Messages
- 144
Thank you soo much for that picture. When it flashed on My screen It went into My heart. I am so happy for You and Your family. If we sold out We would get around $850,000 to $900,000. What would that get in Gods country?
I rember doing slate repairs on Harvard Univ. property. I still have My ZAX .
That's a slate hammer that also cuts slate. See Ya .seldom seen Sullivan
I rember doing slate repairs on Harvard Univ. property. I still have My ZAX .
That's a slate hammer that also cuts slate. See Ya .seldom seen Sullivan
Cliff_Johns
Elite Member
That is a very inviting property. Just beautiful.
Cliff
Cliff
toolaholic
Silver Member
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2005
- Messages
- 144
OK The **** with the dirt floor,We're hooked. How many apple trees?
Many black Beers peeking in the kitchen bow window? I know there out there!
Many black Beers peeking in the kitchen bow window? I know there out there!
firefighter9208
Platinum Member
I always love to see a picture where the barn is bigger than the house. Can't have too many square feet in a barn or shop.
chris
Can't have too many square feet in a barn or shop.chris
bones1
Platinum Member
- Joined
- May 31, 2006
- Messages
- 793
- Tractor
- Farmtrac 300 dtc
Most beautiful property.How much land do you have?Toolaholic has a good question.What would $800k get ya up there.Your picture really made me stop and think about heading north.toolaholic said:
Steve.
OP
wotalota
Silver Member
Man, $800K would buy you some good land and whatever kind of home you want on it most places outside the big city commute range. $260K for our place last summer before the real estate market softened. Thats the same as for a larger more conventional house in town on a 1/4 acre. 150K is as low as you can go and your not getting much for that. We are an hour or so from Manchester airport probably 1:45hr from Boston though I seldom get there anymore. I was just driving around and after cresting a hill got a great unexpected view of Mount Monadnock you can see some homes in the hills that must have fabulous views. I think the amount of land with the farm house was alway modest but there have been at least a couple of parcels cut out for family homes. It now has 5 acres all cleared with those old stones walls lining the boundries. I count one old gnarled apple tree a couple of newish ones and 2 newish pear treas. There are a couple of giant trees with huge truncks, I love those, maple I think they must be as old as the house. The deer are here regularly it seemed like 15 or more at full gallop came through a couple of weeks ago, gangs of turkey wander through once or twice a day in summer sometimes they get into fights if they show up at the same time. There are tracks around in the snow from night traffice but I don't know what they are. Bears and fisher cats are out there I guess but I can mangage without them. It was not what we were looking for but as someone said I don't have to worry about not having any hobbies. Oh and yes yes I got enough nerve up over the winter to say - you know what this place needs is a tractor.
