Working on 1800's barn

[AlexR 627]

I bought my property 4 years ago and have been focusing on the house and other projects. But it's time for me to start working on the barn. 

This is a 1800's beam bank barn. It's approximately 35x65' in the main part. My first focus is going to be replacing the main barn floor. 

 

The outside definitely needs work as well, my long term plan is to get the outside metal but leave the wood siding on and just furr out the metal so the inside still looks original. There are plenty of areas I need to replace the wood as well as get it painted before doing metal. 

 

 

This is the "lean-to" off the side of the barn with a milk room is my current area that I work on the wheelhorses which is not the most ideal but it works for now.

 

 

Here is the bottom of the barn along with a bunch of lumber that is going to be used as the floor. 

 

 

Planning on putting a stairway here between the bottom of the barn and the main floor.

 

And finally the inside 

 

 

 

 

And here is the lumber I will be using to replace the floor, I got a deal on it from my work. They are 2x10's and a bit over 13' long

 

 

 

First thing I need to work on is clearing out the main floor of all the stuff.

And then in a 1/3 of the barn there is a 2-3" layer of concrete I need to remove, and then the entire floor needs to come up. There are a few floor beams I need to replace and reinforce and I want to get the floor somewhat leveled out as well. 

[oliver2-44 9,732]

Quite a project. We don’t find old barns like that in Texas. 

[Sparky-(Admin) 21,315]

Awesome barn! 
  The whole time reading your post all I kept thinking was “how much stuff I could store in there!” 

[ri702bill 8,316]

Or go 3-dimensional like @pullstart did hanging tractors off the rafters......

[AlexR 627]

1 minute ago, Sparky said:

Awesome barn! 
  The whole time reading your post all I kept thinking was “how much stuff I could store in there!” 

I definitely will use it to store some stuff. Needs to be closed up a bit more to store some stuff, as it keeps water out just fine. But during the winter I have some snow that blows in, through all the spots you can see light shining though haha. 

[AlexR 627]

Just now, ri702bill said:

Or go 3-dimensional like @pullstart did hanging tractors off the rafters......

I do have a block and pulley system that I need to free up but it runs on a rail at the peak of the barn all the way from one side to the other. 

[tunahead72 2,412]

Oh man, I love these old timber frame barns, I'll be watching! 

 

[Beap52 809]

What a great old barn you have.  It looks like it's stands good and is structurally in sound shape.  I like old barns.  

 

I was fortunate to work on one built in the 1880's  It had "1880" in the gable end that the owner asked me to replicate so he could have the original for display in his home.  At that time I had a Ford van that was  my work vehicle with ladder rack on top. In order to paint the gable and be able to reach the "1880" when replacing it,  I set my longest wooden extension ladder on the ladder rack on top of the van.  It made for quite a shaky ladder!  That barn was struck by lightening a few years later and burned down.

 

Another time we renailed and painted a galvanized metal roof on a barn.  I used my fishing pole to cast a line across the ridge then drug ropes that we tied to  the trailer hitch on my El Camino to tie around our waists while on that steep roof.  

 

40 years ago when we painted barns, when we had one that the paint was gone or nearly gone, we would "prime" with linseed oil.  Let it dry a few weeks then come in and prime and topcoat.  The reason the man I worked for used linseed oil was to restore the oil in the wood.  He claimed if you applied primer, the dry wood would absorb the oil out  of the primer and leave the pigment on the surface. 

 

What memories seeing your barn brought back.  Looking forward to following your progress.

[AlexR 627]

13 minutes ago, Beap52 said:

What a great old barn you have.  It looks like it's stands good and is structurally in sound shape.  I like old barns.  

 

I was fortunate to work on one built in the 1880's  It had "1880" in the gable end that the owner asked me to replicate so he could have the original for display in his home.  At that time I had a Ford van that was  my work vehicle with ladder rack on top. In order to paint the gable and be able to reach the "1880" when replacing it,  I set my longest wooden extension ladder on the ladder rack on top of the van.  It made for quite a shaky ladder!  That barn was struck by lightening a few years later and burned down.

 

Another time we renailed and painted a galvanized metal roof on a barn.  I used my fishing pole to cast a line across the ridge then drug ropes that we tied to  the trailer hitch on my El Camino to tie around our waists while on that steep roof.  

 

40 years ago when we painted barns, when we had one that the paint was gone or nearly gone, we would "prime" with linseed oil.  Let it dry a few weeks then come in and prime and topcoat.  The reason the man I worked for used linseed oil was to restore the oil in the wood.  He claimed if you applied primer, the dry wood would absorb the oil out  of the primer and leave the pigment on the surface. 

 

What memories seeing your barn brought back.  Looking forward to following your progress.

Thank you very much! 

It definitely has areas that are deteriorating, but it is not falling apart yet. 

My goal is to get it more useable and stop any deteriorating I can without breaking the bank.  

My roof definitely could use a repaint as well, I might pay someone to do that though. 

[peter lena 8,609]

 @ BEAP52  , scarry , linseed oil , is just what I was thinking about , dry wood  is a perfect object to , oil soak , watched a guy this summer  do a barn roof , and asked him if he was going to , mineral oil it ? what for he said ?  told him to have a good day , today that roof looks bone dry and split  curling everywhere , those hot summer days , with an oil soak , works wonders , but only if you do it . simple as it sounds , seen lubrication  save a lot of  stuff , beats powerdry  rust , or rot any day , pete  

[953 nut 55,189]

3 hours ago, AlexR said:

I do have a block and pulley system that I need to free up but it runs on a rail at the peak of the barn all the way from one side to the other. 

I am old enough to remember the hay trolley system being used to fill the haymow.    Looks like you have a very good barn to work with, looking forward to your progress.

 

[ebinmaine 67,422]

I love old barns. And new barns. All of em.  

Americana at its finest.  

That's why we built one instead of using other building shapes/layouts. 

 

 

There are hundreds of them up here. 

 

There's a book written by a fella that works at Maine Med where Trina does. Excellent read. 

I'll find the title for you.  

 

Very interesting project I'll be very much looking forward to seeing updates on.