Replacing a timber frame barn

[bobj49f2]

I live on an operating dairy farm that has been in my wife's family for over 150 years. Currently my son runs the operation, I am a city boy and am not interested in farming. My wife on the other hand is a sixth generation farm girl who is involved in helping my son. My son just recently proposed to his girlfriend so things are changing. The plan is for my son and his wife to continue living on the family farm, it only makes sense to do so. My wife and I will be moving, hopefully before they are married. We have been looking for a small farm to buy so my wife can continue to raise a small herd of beef animals and heifers for my son's dairy operation. We know of a small farm nearby that has been abandoned for 5-6 years that has a house and about a half dozen out building including a barn. The owners of the farm were elderly and hadn't kept up the buildings and the barn fell down a few years ago.

We are in the very preliminary stage of looking at the farm. We haven't contacted the family that still owns it. We know them casually through my wife's church and like my wife's family, this family is one of the original German family farmsteaders in the area. Before we go too far I would like to get a idea what it would cost to have the barn rebuilt and was wondering if anyone here had experience having an original early 1900s barn rebuilt. The barn is the same as the one we have on our current farm which was built in 1905 and is built in the traditional timber frame style with only pegs holding the structure together. I have been told the Amish are very good at building this type of building. I don't really need to have it built with pegs, a modern structure is fine but I would like it to look like an original barn from the outside. I am, at this point, thinking the bottom stone base of the barn could be used and have the new barn built on top of it. I will need to check with the village to see if it's allowed. I just really want to know what kind of cost I am looking at. Any idea of Amish builder operating in the SE Wisconsin area?

Thanks in advance for any information or suggestions.

 

[930dreamer]

I can't help with rebuilding costs but would like to see some pics of the barn.

 

[bobj49f2]

Like I said, right now we're in the very preliminary stage of checking the farm out. The farm is very overgrown with trees and brush and you can't see much from the road. There are numerous "No trespassing" and "Keep out" signs posted so we can't get onto the property. We can walk down the side of the property along a train tracks and can see the barn from about 150 feet away. Nothing really to see but a big pile of barn boards and roof shingles.

 

[1967mgbgt]

Do you have pics of your current barn since it is similar?

 

[kd3pc]

building and raising a timber frame building can be very rewarding and will last almost a lifetime, if well sheathed.

That being said, it takes a talented lead and several cutters and a fair amount of equipment or people very familiar with ropes, sheaves, pulleys and mechanical advantage and a great deal of respect for safety.

You also need someone who can walk the frame and such.

It is not a job that is easily priced, per sq ft or eave height or the like.

The size will impact the job, but a minimum, you will need timber for a square and a roof structure, then multiples of that down the line. When we did them, we sized them like the old folks, 4 "maw" hay barn, or a 22 animal barn, or equipment storage.

You will need to look at the purpose you intend to use the barn, as well - as that will impact the build and where doors and loft mounts would be set.

 

[kbs2244]

There are not many Amish in SE WI.

 

[DUDave]

I just finished rehabbing my built in 1894 barn. Rehabbing - not building a timber frame. I spent more money on making it structurally right again, then I'm spending on a 42x56 insulated pole building that we are about to start!! The barn is 60 x 60. My Amish crew said my barn would cost over $400,000 today to build in post and beam, let alone true timber frame (which would be more!). No idea how big a barn was there, but it's not cheaply done today. That said, I'm sure pleased we saved our barn. Good luck to you with your life changes.

 

[bobj49f2]

Its been a while and we've found a different place. It's move in ready and the barn has been refloored and resided, just like it originally was done. The price was more than we wanted to spend but we could never build a place like this for what we ended up paying.

Here's the barn on the family farm it was built in 1905:

View media item 51509
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This is the one on the new farmette, I'm not sure when it was built:

View media item 51510

 

[sublime68charger]

Nice looking home farm and new place as well

 

[bobj49f2]

There's a sad site on my way home from work. There's a corner lot where a large nursery/ landscaping was in operation for many years and recently went out of business. The place must have started on a farm, there's a big barn on the corner. Last there a piece of machinery tearing it down. It might have been structurally unsound but it didn't look like it from the outside. From what left the wood looked in pretty good shape. Too bad they didn't call in a barn dismantled but I guess corporate America is more concerned about expediency than history. The land will probably be turned into a subdivision named "Barn View".

 

[DekeT]

I have an friend with a large old barn he kept up with modern roofing, interior structural support, and steel siding and trim. He says it has cost him $50k to maintain the old thing. It is sad the see the old ones go but saving a barn is not for the faint of heart or light pockets.

 

[kbs2244]

It will never make dollar sense.
A sad but true fact of modern life.

 

[yeldogt]

Fixing and old barn will cost more then building a new one ... I spent more then I care to think about on the one I did.

In Bucks and Chester County PA we have many that move old barns turning them in the residences -- it's always cheaper to have a new one designed and built.

 

[Kaizen]

you said fell down. that can mean a lot. if the roof partially caved in that might be just some beams and roofing. you could do that with new wood and metal fasteners.
however if its a 3 story barn and the foundation caved out then its not worth it. If you are doing this for money and not love.....well love of a family barn....build new and most likely metal. Put it in a different place if the existing one isn't a total wreck and take precautions to keep it from deteriorating. When one timber goes in a timber frame it causes all kinds of unexpected things to happen so you really need to know what you're doing. Not to mention a crane.