Medeek,
Sorry for taking so long to reply.......it's barn building season.
You asked if I had trouble with the local building dept......not really, but it was quite a learning curve with some disappointments as I became educated in the ways of the state and it's mandates to all the communities within. I knew from the onset that I would need the plans to be stamped for here in New York State by a licensed architect. That would have been easy enough as the Barn Plan people said they would send my purchased plans directly to an architect (in PA) who is familiar with the plans and also had a NYS stamp. For a nominal fee they'd stamp each plan sheet. I figured that would be enough and was just about to place my money on the barrel head. Instead I took one more step just to be sure, and it's a good think I took it. So before doing anything else I stopped at the local building inspector's office to chat. I was informed that in NYS it isn't the truss plan that is certified, but rather the trusses themselves. Each and every one of them MUST be certified. So that meant the architect in PA who stamped the plan would need to travel to my barn and look at the trusses and certify them on the spot. That was not likely on my budget.
Then it gets interesting. While doing an internet search for "32x40 barn" in an effort to salvage my project I found Garage Journal and all of you, and you've been like my best friends ever since. The post the search took me to was "32x40 barn/garage build" by JBS in Upstate NY. Turns out JBS was building MY barn! JBS started with the Barn Plans idea but used traditional post and rafter construction instead of trusses. He directed me to an architect in nearby Ballston Spa who helped him change the design. I contacted the same architect and after a short visit he agreed to do the truss calculations, place his NYS stamp on the plans, and come to my nearby farm to inspect the trusses when done. YEAAAAH! The plans were submitted to the town, approved within two days, and the work began.
And perhaps even more interestingly, while out driving my 1919 Ford through the countryside west of here I passed a barn that was not there on my previous trip, probably a year before. I thought, 'Cool, another barn being built!' and continued puttering down the road. About a quarter mile later I realized it was too much like my barn and needed to be looked at a little closer. I turned around and stared up at the barn. Yup, just like mine and the setting perfectly fit the photos JPL posted in his thread! Even better, there was JPL himself playing ball with his kids in the field! I stopped to introduce myself and thank him for being an important part of the path to building my barn.
Don
I promise to get a build thread started soon.
Don
