Old Barn rebuild

[depatty]

Hello all,

To repeat what I said in the introduction thread

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Long time lurker, first time poster. Live in the county outside Weaver, Alabama. Been reading about the garages and shops on here for a while now and finally got motovated to do something with things here. Trigger was when a standing dead pine fell on the shed on the side of the barn and tore it down along with the supports for the barns 2nd floor on that side. Time to repair/rebuild and salvage what I can.

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And a bit more info on this barn wreck...

This barn was rebuilt after a tornado moved it several hundred feet back in 1955. Not the best construction then and the condition it's in now is that and 30+ years of neglect. Full of assorted stuff from 3 generations of family and the leftovers of a couple of electronic repairs shops of mine.

Don't have any pix of the tree as I had misplaced my camera and only found it after removing the tree and most of the privet and assorted trees that had grown up beside the shed on the worst damaged side. The first pix I took was after taking the tree off and clearing some of the **** out of the way.

View media item 47699
Got some of the shed roofing and stuff out of the way and started with some supports under the second floor where it has dropped down.

View media item 47757
Another view from inside of the same area, this one showing the 2 piers of cement block and the 2 jack points between them.

View media item 47758
View of the jacks.

View media item 47759
More cleared outside.

View media item 47760
Some of the rotted and damaged wood that I removed. Pile is much bigger now as this was a couple of days ago. Beam at the bottem is 4"x5"x20' rough cut pine that I will put in under the second floor after I get it all back somewhat in place.

View media item 47761
This one is with the old workbench cut out and removed and more **** cleared out of the way.

View media item 47762
And the only decent pic I have of the first wall support pole in place. Note the V at the top to fit the angle of the 2x4s that I attached to the end of the rafters after cutting the bad part off.

View media item 47763
Still got to attach a couple of come-a-longs between the sides of the roof and pull things back into alignment so I can jack it up more. Gonna be on the day job till Tuesday but may be able to get some more pix of where I am now in the morning and get them posted.

Not sure how much repair I am going to do on this structure and what will be just tearing out and replacing. Got 50 pieces of old tin that I'll go get middle of next week which will allow new sheds to be built on both sides. will see how it goes from there.

Thanks for looking.
Dave

 

[bobbyu]

Holy smokes!!! This isn't going to be quick rebuild. You got your work cut out for you. Good luck! I'm pulling for ya.

 

[deaddawg58]

I would support it long enough to be able to remove everything then tear it down and build a new barn. good luck!

 

[rohartman]

Subscribe, A 3 generation family Barn is worth saving. Heck you have a small fortune in old car radios I see in one photo to help fund it. Those things are going for be bucks now a days. Good Luck with your rebuild.

 

[Cyberbear]

From the looks of things I would guess that the rebuild would require more effort than actually starting fresh. I could see little that appeared salvageable and could be reused. Might be time to do a serious re-evaluation of your situation, using old lumber will not add to the value of the structure, see what the budget will allow.

 

[BBundy]

No such thing as scrap any more. Salvage, reuse and re-purpose it will all take shape. No small undertaking, that is for sure.

 

[Lippyp]

Good luck with it, I hope you don't let the nay sayers put you off! I've been doing something similar albeit on a much smaller scale, approx 20' x 30'.

This is how it was when we bought the house



So far we've rebuilt half of it




Also now has doors and a window in the back. Plan for this year is to rebuild the middle bay and maybe even the final end bay.

 

[depatty]

Holy smokes!!! This isn't going to be quick rebuild. You got your work cut out for you. Good luck! I'm pulling for ya.

Thanks!

I would support it long enough to be able to remove everything then tear it down and build a new barn. good luck!

I've thought about that but the $$$ just aren't available to do that so I've got to do what I can to save as much as I can.

Subscribe, A 3 generation family Barn is worth saving. Heck you have a small fortune in old car radios I see in one photo to help fund it. Those things are going for be bucks now a days. Good Luck with your rebuild.

Thanks! There are some complete ones in there but most are cheap aftermarket units. I'm culling through as I pull the stuff out and am going to start putting the mostly undamaged pieces up for sale.

From the looks of things I would guess that the rebuild would require more effort than actually starting fresh. I could see little that appeared salvageable and could be reused. Might be time to do a serious re-evaluation of your situation, using old lumber will not add to the value of the structure, see what the budget will allow.

You're right. But as I said above the $$$ just ain't available so I've sharpened the chain saw and am going for the rebuild.

No such thing as scrap any more. Salvage, reuse and re-purpose it will all take shape. No small undertaking, that is for sure.

Yep, you got that right. I'm going to pull the totally unusable tin and any and all metal bits that can't be reused or repurposed and take them to the scrapyard. Should have a few tons by the time this is over. Maybe it'll offset the expenses somewhat...

Thanks for the comments all!
Dave

 

[depatty]

Good luck with it, I hope you don't let the nay sayers put you off! I've been doing something similar albeit on a much smaller scale, approx 20' x 30'.

This is how it was when we bought the house



So far we've rebuilt half of it




Also now has doors and a window in the back. Plan for this year is to rebuild the middle bay and maybe even the final end bay.

Hi Phil,

That's looking good! Yep, any rebuild is a job but one nail, board, or sheet of tin at a time and not stopping gets er done!

Your metal looks to be in better condition than mine. That on mine is so brittle that by the time I get through most of the roof will be new, to this building at least. For now I'm gonna just patch and try to get the side sheds reconstructed with the metal I'm getting next week so I'll have dry places to store the stuff that's now inside while I work on the main structure.

Thanks for the support!
Dave

 

[NUTTSGT]

It looks like you have a serious project ahead. Be safe while working.

 

[rusty1]

I admire your dedication to saving this old barn, good luck with it.

 

[Lippyp]

Hi Phil,

That's looking good! Yep, any rebuild is a job but one nail, board, or sheet of tin at a time and not stopping gets er done!

Your metal looks to be in better condition than mine. That on mine is so brittle that by the time I get through most of the roof will be new, to this building at least. For now I'm gonna just patch and try to get the side sheds reconstructed with the metal I'm getting next week so I'll have dry places to store the stuff that's now inside while I work on the main structure.

Thanks for the support!
Dave

Yep, one step at a time. We didn't even realise there was a concrete floor in the end we've redone until we cleared the piles of accumulated soil and leaf litter out of it. We salvaged all the decent tin to reuse but I would say probably 50% was like yours, too rotten to re-use so the next bay will have mostly new tin unless I can find a decent supply of used stuff. The end bay that's done will become a forge but at the moment it has the ride-on mower, roller, etc stored in there. the plan is the middle bay will be rebuilt with a floor probably of road planings and the mowers etc will move in there, the far end one if we get round to it will just be more storage.

Ultimately I'd like to tear down the whole thing and start from scratch with 8' walls and timber siding but I need to re-roof the garage first and then there's maybe extending the house and then.........last in a long queue!

How big is yours overall? Would be nice to see some pictures from the other sides too.

 

[Bronson]

Wow, You have a big job ahead of You!
I love this kind of thread, work safe and keep posting!
Are You anywhere near Bay Minette?

 

[drivesitfar]

DePatty: i agree you have a ton of work ahead of you. i also want to add to what other members have said to BEE CAREFUL because you don't want that to fall on you. I've heard of several deaths from a homeowner just pulling out some old rotten boards and having a small porch roof or some decking fall on them. yours is so much bigger just make sure to support it while you are cleaning up and getting ready to put in new (or newer) boards.

good luck

 

[bazzateer]

DePatty: i agree you have a ton of work ahead of you. i also want to add to what other members have said to BEE CAREFUL because you don't want that to fall on you. I've heard of several deaths from a homeowner just pulling out some old rotten boards and having a small porch roof or some decking fall on them. yours is so much bigger just make sure to support it while you are cleaning up and getting ready to put in new (or newer) boards.

good luck

Yeah, you don't want to turn it into a 4th generation re-build!

 

[rburke65]

I like to save things trust me, but......wow......a lot of work there. And as said, be careful working under that. Good luck.

 

[xtremek]

Some people have more time and ambition than money. This is my kind of adventure. I'm subbing to this one. It looks like a great start. Just be careful, good luck and keep us informed.

 

[bobemmerich]

Wow! You've got your work cut out for ya! Good Luck with it. Hope it goes well.
Not to hijack, but in the next couple years, I'll slowly be redoing our 280yr old barn. So I must agree, anything that is as "Antiqued" as our old barns MUST be saved!
Good Luck to us all!

 

[kbs2244]

Some how...
I smell a silk purse from a sows ear in the works.

Just remember the background as you go forward.

 

[depatty]

Busy with day job so haven't had time to do much. Got a few more pix this am prior to the rain coming in so will post them now and reply to y'all a bit later today or this evening as I have to get to work in just a few minutes.

This is the current view of the east side of the barn. Covered the open side with old fiberglass door skins to keep as much of the rain out as possible.

View media item 47797
The piles of **** that I have removed from and under the shed so far.

View media item 47798
Front of the barn looking at it from the east.

View media item 47799
Front from the west, showing some of the old metal storage which is helping hold that side up.

View media item 47800
West side which I haven't gotten around to clearing yet.

View media item 47801
West side shed entry which is on the south end.

View media item 47802
And back or south side of barn. Another area I haven't had time to completely clear the brush from around.

View media item 47803
The main part of the barn minus the sheds is about 22 feet wide and 40 long. The east shed was 40 long and about 8 wide. West shed is about 40 long and 12 wide. South shed is about 22 wide and extends about 16 feet south of the back of the barn.

Hope this gives a general idea of what I am working with. Any yea I know, tear it all down and start over, but that's just not an option for me at this point...

Later, folks.

 

[drivesitfar]

DePatty: if tearing it down isn't an option then Bee Careful and keep at it. if you can get inside to take a few pictures we might have some suggestions on any missing or broken supports to repair or change. from the pictures it looks like the lien too is the part that was damaged and not too much of the main barn which does have that "cool" look to it.

you might consider removing and replacing any board that are on the ground and rotting because it will infect other boards with dry rot and give access to the wood eating critters. also because of the age of the old barn check the base of the support beams either by poking a small screwdriver in to the base of them or by looking close.

good luck

 

[kbs2244]

A lot of this is just plain old fashioned grunt work.
Are there any local ner'do'wells around for $7.50 an hour?
Cash at the end of the day.
That will get your brush cleared, your barn emptyed, stuff sorted for save/recycle/trash, and tarpped if needed.
The old rule is 2 men can do 3 times the work of 1 man in the same amount of time.
So you will see progress sooner.
And that does a lot for your spirt.

 

[depatty]

It looks like you have a serious project ahead. Be safe while working.

Always! Thanks for the concern, but this is not my first somewhat dangerous rebuild. I try to always stay aware of what COULD happen and plan a way out prior to any work. There is additional bracing inside that I haven't shown yet due to light conditions inside and an old camera that is very tempermental.

Dave

 

[depatty]

I admire your dedication to saving this old barn, good luck with it.

Thanks!

 

[depatty]

How big is yours overall? Would be nice to see some pictures from the other sides too.

Posted some additional pix the other day. I'm gonna try to get more pix as time and camera/light allow. Sorry for the delay in answering, just now getting free time where I felt up to getting back on the computer and typing. This wet and cold weather isn't agreeing with my joints. If I'd known that I'd live this long I'd have taken MUCH better care of the bod in my earlier years...

 

[depatty]

Wow, You have a big job ahead of You!
I love this kind of thread, work safe and keep posting!
Are You anywhere near Bay Minette?

About 260 miles north, north east of you. Google map link Hope that link works.

 

[depatty]

DePatty: i agree you have a ton of work ahead of you. i also want to add to what other members have said to BEE CAREFUL because you don't want that to fall on you. I've heard of several deaths from a homeowner just pulling out some old rotten boards and having a small porch roof or some decking fall on them. yours is so much bigger just make sure to support it while you are cleaning up and getting ready to put in new (or newer) boards.

good luck

Yeah, you don't want to turn it into a 4th generation re-build!

I like to save things trust me, but......wow......a lot of work there. And as said, be careful working under that. Good luck.

Thanks for the concern! Am using quite a bit of my time trying to make sure if it does fall I'll still be around to clean the mess up.

Dave

 

[depatty]

Some people have more time and ambition than money. This is my kind of adventure. I'm subbing to this one. It looks like a great start. Just be careful, good luck and keep us informed.

Thanks for the kind words! I hope to get a good bit more done this week and weekend. Don't work the day job again till next Monday. Tomorrow (Wednesday) am taking a road trip to pick up 50 sheets of 11' x 26" 26 gauge corrugated tin/metal to use on the side sheds. Will try to get pix as I know everyone here (including me) loves them...

Dave

 

[depatty]

Wow! You've got your work cut out for ya! Good Luck with it. Hope it goes well.
Not to hijack, but in the next couple years, I'll slowly be redoing our 280yr old barn. So I must agree, anything that is as "Antiqued" as our old barns MUST be saved!
Good Luck to us all!

I'll drink to that!

Looks like you have an extensive project cut out yourself! Good luck!

Dave

 

[depatty]

Some how...
I smell a silk purse from a sows ear in the works.

Just remember the background as you go forward.

Not so sure about a silk purse but I'm hoping to at least get some of the many projects I've got going under shelter and out of the weather.

Dave

 

[depatty]

DePatty: if tearing it down isn't an option then Bee Careful and keep at it. if you can get inside to take a few pictures we might have some suggestions on any missing or broken supports to repair or change. from the pictures it looks like the lien too is the part that was damaged and not too much of the main barn which does have that "cool" look to it.

you might consider removing and replacing any board that are on the ground and rotting because it will infect other boards with dry rot and give access to the wood eating critters. also because of the age of the old barn check the base of the support beams either by poking a small screwdriver in to the base of them or by looking close.

good luck

Soon as I can get it to the point where it's safe to get in there I'm going to get a lot more pictures. Main project right now is to get the nearly 30 feet of roofline that is unsupported secured and then I'll start on supporting the second floor on the east side.

And yes, I've got a LOT of cleaning up to do. Plan on getting all of the **** gone, then will start replacing damaged timbers of which there are more than a few. Slowly, slowly eats the elephant...

Dave

 

[depatty]

A lot of this is just plain old fashioned grunt work.
Are there any local ner'do'wells around for $7.50 an hour?
Cash at the end of the day.
That will get your brush cleared, your barn emptyed, stuff sorted for save/recycle/trash, and tarpped if needed.
The old rule is 2 men can do 3 times the work of 1 man in the same amount of time.
So you will see progress sooner.
And that does a lot for your spirt.

True, but as I've said before there is NO money for much of anything right now. Tis me, myself, and I, along with a friend or two from time to time. Just got to get off me **** and get er done!

Thanks!
Dave

 

[depatty]

I had planned on working on the barn today after cutting a load of firewood, but life intervened.

Uncovered the tractor, got the chain saw and put it on the trailer, then went to get the wheel barrow. Flat tire. Decided to find the problem and patch it as it's been going flat quicker than usual, as in needing air 2 to 3 times a day. Unbolted the mount on one side and took the wheel off. Looked for the tire spoons and still haven't found them. They're in the barn somewhere... Got a couple of pieces of metal and got one side of the tire off the rim. Only bending the rim in one place. Tube out and inflated. 4 holes. No briars, thorns, or nails in the tire. But lots of rust. Old wheel barrow. Got a new tire and tube 2 years ago. Steel brushed and painted the rim. Continued rusting and the rust had cut the new tube. Got the patch kit out. No rubber cement.
Go to tractor store, no got, other than with a patch kit. Go to another store and they had 1 tube.
Back home, and fix tube. Use bench grinder wire wheel to clean rust from inside the rim. Notice after brushing around the stem hole that the hole was larger than it had been, lots larger. Find washer that will fit the stem and shape it to fit inside the rim around hole. Braze washer to rim. remount tire and tube. Air it up. Put it back on wheel barrow. Check time, it's 4 pm!
Go to woods and get 3 wheel barrow loads of wood and the sun is setting. Come back, unload it and the day is over.
Sitting in front of the woodburner enjoying the heat from some of the wood now, but didn't get anything done on the barn. Just one of those days...

Tomorrow is a road trip to get some tin for the shed roof. Maybe I'll get back in time to do something, but will most likely be Thursday before anything else gets done on it.

Till later folks...
Dave

 

[depatty]

Not been working on the barn due to life getting in the way. Did get the load of tin (50 sheets of 26"x11') on Wednesday. Thursday was spent cutting firewood after working on things to get to the point I could cut firewood. Friday was spent on the road again. Today I've been fighting with the computer, trying to get pictures to upload, not just here but anywhere. Thinking at this point that my ISP is blocking uploads. Got a couple of more things to try so we'll see...

Hope to have some progress reports soon.

Dave

 

[YJ4000]

We'll be patiently waiting.

Ryan

 

[depatty]

New Jacks! Got 4 Simplex 2 X 8 screw jacks with 2x4 top plates to use with raising the barn wall and roof. Should make it a bit safer.

Here's the one that is working and has been greased.

View media item 48149
The name is kinda hard to read but here's a closer pic.

View media item 48150
And a view of the top plate which looks to be make by US Steel. Don't know if that is original or not but sure does fit nice.

View media item 48151
The screws on the other 3 are locked up. I've sprayed them with WD40 and left them sitting over night. Will see if they will move today, and if not will fire up the torch and see if a little heat on the outside of the base will free them up. They were stored outside for several years so may take a bit of persuasion to get them to free up.

Got all the top plates off and replaced the hold down screws on one and some missing lock washers on a couple of the other screws. Hope to show them in action this week.

On another note, the problem I was having with uploading pictures wasn't my ISP but has something to do with an update to the OS I was running (Ubuntu 14.10). Am currently running Puppy Linux Tahr 6.0.1 and all is well.

Dave

 

[Lippyp]

Chuck em in a bucket full of diesel overnight, that usually frees stuff up pretty well.

 

[depatty]

Chuck em in a bucket full of diesel overnight, that usually frees stuff up pretty well.

Would have to go buy diesel as I have none nor any equipment that uses it, wonder if kerosene would work as well? Got a few gallons of it that is several years old and unusable for heaters or lamps.

 

[Lippyp]

Yep, that will probably work too.

 

[depatty]

Well, the WD40 overnight did NOT do anything to free the frozen screws in the jacks. Found a can of PB Blaster and hit them with that and am letting it sit for a few. Will try them again and then get the torch out and try it on one of them. If that doesn't work will try the kerosene soak overnight. Was hoping to put them to use this afternoon...