My husband passed away, & I have a barn full of unfinished

[DaynaJ]

projects! I'm thinking of having an auction. But the real purpose of this thread is to ask some advise. I'm going to clean out the barn & rent it out. It is a 10 year old, metal, insulated, 65' X 100'. Figure it will hold anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 round bales of hay or lots of equipment. How much should I ask for rent? It can be completely locked & secure. Thanks in advance--

[7thswan]

I am sorry for your loss. Maybe you could ask a few farmers in your area. Consider how close it is to your house and if traffic selling the bales to public will bother you OR if the renter will be useing it for their own use.

[rambler]

Here is a link to the same question on an ag site with a few random replies:

http://talk.newagtalk.com/forums/thr...ode=1#M3924118

Paul

[msscamp]

Originally Posted by DaynaJ

projects! I'm thinking of having an auction. But the real purpose of this thread is to ask some advise. I'm going to clean out the barn & rent it out. It is a 10 year old, metal, insulated, 65' X 100'. Figure it will hold anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 round bales of hay or lots of equipment. How much should I ask for rent? It can be completely locked & secure. Thanks in advance--

I would give some very serious thought to the potential pitfalls regarding renting it out before I did it. Reason being is that, if someone were to rent it and bales started disappearing or something happened to the equipment, you could be held liable since it is your property. Another reason is that I, personally, don't like strange people coming in and out of my property because things have a tendency to disappear when that happens - it only takes one to tell someone less upstanding else about your stuff and you've got a problem. A 3rd reason is that the renter could very well lend out his equipment or, if he sells hay, you could have a steady stream of strange people coming in and out. Just a few things to think about before you make the leap.

[farminghandyman]

Originally Posted by DaynaJ

projects! I'm thinking of having an auction. But the real purpose of this thread is to ask some advise. I'm going to clean out the barn & rent it out. It is a 10 year old, metal, insulated, 65' X 100'. Figure it will hold anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 round bales of hay or lots of equipment. How much should I ask for rent? It can be completely locked & secure. Thanks in advance--

First sorry for your loss,

I do not know how big of bales your talking, but my round bales are 5'x6' bales.

65x100=6500 square feet, divide it by 30 square feet per bale, (5x6) that would be 216 bales max per level, depending on height of walls 2 may be three layers,

and you would not want the bales up against the walls, so you would loose some there, (20 to 30 bales there) the second layer would be short (40 to 60) and the third layer would be short (60 to 90)

so the ground layer would be about 190, the second maybe, 150, and the third, 120 or so, my guess is about 460 of the size of bales I have,


measure your bales , and do your calculations and see what you come up with,

[msscamp]

Originally Posted by farminghandyman

and you would not want the bales up against the walls...

Can I ask why not?

[Rectifier]

Originally Posted by msscamp

Can I ask why not?

Condensation.

Sorry for your loss.

I agree with handyman, that bale capacity is very overstated. Only bale I can imagine reaching that count is "Tootsie roll" bales and they are rare.

An insulated shed is very much wasted on hay! Maybe rent to someone who fixes and flips equipment or a similar mechanic type. Or a large farmer who needs a shop near his fields. Insulated sheds are made to be worked in.

How much I can't help... rents are VERY local especially on farm buildings.

[msscamp]

Ok, I can accept that. Another question - why would there be a condensation problem with round bales when there is no problem with stacking big square bales against the sides? I'm not challenging you in any way, but I have very, very little experience with round bales and I would like to know. Is it because of the round vs square or something else?

[Use Less]

I am sorry for your loss. I can see how it could be difficult to look at everything he started and couldn't finish. There may or may not be a market for the stuff you would like to move out, though metal things that can go as scrap can command a price. Around here, folks rent space for car or boat storage in their big barns. You would check with your insurance company about your liability, and with a lawyer, to draw up a contract that would include renters' rights and exclusions. Renters could be required to provide their own insurance.

[DaynaJ]

I know we didn't have big bales, but the front 1/3 corner of 1/3 of the barn held about 350 bales from our field. Oh well, not sure how much it will hold, but is a big barn. Side walls are 16'. They built it to put semi's & dumptrucks in. Thanks ya'll for all the help!

Originally Posted by farminghandyman

First sorry for your loss,

I do not know how big of bales your talking, but my round bales are 5'x6' bales.

65x100=6500 square feet, divide it by 30 square feet per bale, (5x6) that would be 216 bales max per level, depending on height of walls 2 may be three layers,

and you would not want the bales up against the walls, so you would loose some there, (20 to 30 bales there) the second layer would be short (40 to 60) and the third layer would be short (60 to 90)

so the ground layer would be about 190, the second maybe, 150, and the third, 120 or so, my guess is about 460 of the size of bales I have,


measure your bales , and do your calculations and see what you come up with,

[FireMaker]

Sorry that you have to deal with the loss. I go with UseLess. The liability part is important. You need to be covered commercially so that when a renters kid trips and breaks a leg it is covered. If it was me I would still rent. I would just be careful to who I rent.
I wish you the best.

[Kristabelle]

You have my sincere condolences on your loss.

My best friend's mom went through a scenario similiar to this. She auctioned off most of his tools and equipment and lost a lot of money doing so. She wanted the monetary turnaround to be shorter and I think it helped her grieve. Even still, she would have made over twice as much if she had sold at least the bigger items individually. Keep that in mind, if you do not work and you are looking to sell things to pay off debts and establish a nest egg to live on.

She also had a medium sized barn that he had let a neighbor use to store their stuff. He charged them a small rent and they both kept keys to the lock on the barn. The neighbor had no legal right to the barn other than the signed agreement that they could rent it to store their things. He did have a couple old Chevy pickups in the barn that he was restoring before he passed on. Shortly after he passed, the neighbor took it upon themselves to change the locks and caused a huge kerfluffle about it all that resulted in legal matters. When they finally got them out of the barn and the agreement annulled, things went missing and it all just turned into a mess. She's since sold the property completely and tore the barn down in an act of defiance so they couldn't use it at all.

So the point is - know your renters and outline every detail of the agreement. If you want to house any of your own property alongside, then document it. As others have said, check on your insurance. Keep up with it as well. I would make regular visits to make sure you always have full access and there's no maintenance needed.

[Cash]

At the risk of sounding like an echo, first and foremost check your insurance coverage and revise it to include renter liability coverage. You might need commercial-level coverage.

Second, consult your attorney and have him/her draw up a rental agreement laying out rights and responsibilities for all parties, including who has keys and when the barn can be accessed.

Third, if you don't know the renter, require references and check them. Get first and last month rent and a security deposit large enough to make the renter think twice about doing anything stupid.

Fourth, keep your own equipment and belongings out of the barn and out of sight and under lock and key. One casual comment by a renter to the wrong person could turn into missing lawn tractors, vehicles, and other goods. This happened to a good friend of mine just two months ago, and she is still arguing with the insurance company.

[rambler]

Originally Posted by msscamp

Ok, I can accept that. Another question - why would there be a condensation problem with round bales when there is no problem with stacking big square bales against the sides? I'm not challenging you in any way, but I have very, very little experience with round bales and I would like to know. Is it because of the round vs square or something else?

Perhaps it is a location thing.

Here in a humid summer, all hay needs to vent and breathe, it gives out water vapor for several weeks of not months. Small square, big square, round, all do.

You really wouldn't want hay in a tight insulated building here, that would just be a disaster! It would be raining inside the tight building 'here'.

Perhaps you are in an arid part of Wyoming, and things are different there, the hay is real dry to begin with as is the air?

Paul

[Tricky Grama]

I am so sorry for your loss. Prayers & good thougts, hope things turn out well.

Patty

[simi-steading]

Originally Posted by rambler

Perhaps it is a location thing.

Here in a humid summer, all hay needs to vent and breathe, it gives out water vapor for several weeks of not months. Small square, big square, round, all do.

You really wouldn't want hay in a tight insulated building here, that would just be a disaster! It would be raining inside the tight building 'here'.

Perhaps you are in an arid part of Wyoming, and things are different there, the hay is real dry to begin with as is the air?

Paul

Also don't forget the risk of fire from wet hay...

[Allen W]

I would look into converting the building for RV and boat storage. No way would I rent it for hay storage, to attractive to rodents.

[fishhead]

I know someone who is renting out turkey barns for boat storage. He said the customers have to supply their own insurance just like any other renter.

He does very well but he's in a very good location.

[sidepasser]

Hi,

I am a horse person and have bought many, many tons of hay over my life. Have seen pretty much every type of set up, from small squares to large rounds and large squares.

1. You don't want any more condensation on hay than you have to have. That said, yes there are folks who leave their large rounds in the fields. Who buys that? Cattle folks primarily in my area. Horse people mostly won't touch it if it isn't in a shelter as mold = colic = large, large vet bills.

2. If a person goes to all that trouble to put their hay (any hay) under a shelter, most will put it at least 3" inches away from a wall, most I have seen do at least 4-6". It keeps water from dripping into the hay and causing mold. Also reduces fire hazards as wet hay can spontaneously combust (especially those small squares!). So most have some air space around it.

If I were you and you wanted to rent the shelter to a local farmer, I would first find out what the intent is. Is the farmer going to sell the hay commercially? i.e. are you going to have random people driving up to buy hay? Or is he going to store his OWN hay there? If it is his own hay, I would be far more willing to rent the shed.

You would probably do well to call a trusted friend who is farming and get their advice..preferably someone who bales and sells/stores hay. If you can't find one of those, then ask your local feed store or co-op. The one your DH dealt with would be best and ask their advise concerning what type of "tenant" you could get for the least amount of "trouble". One thing I think would likely be a good option is to find a farmer/horse person who wants to lease the shed to store equipment in.

That is low risk, low intrusion on YOUR time/land. A farmer who has a large combine/tractor/hay baler, etc. might rent it for less than one that is selling hay, but you won't be dealing with random people. A horse person might rent the shed to store their huge living quarters horse trailer in to keep it out of the sun. Might have to deal with them weekly, but as long as they pay, they wouldn't be bringing random folks on your property.

Good luck, and you can do this, just be careful who you deal with, get references and ask for deposit, first and last months rent.

and get EVERYTHING in writing!!! Use a local attorney and make sure it is all legal and you are protected. I cannot stress that enough! (oh and check with your insurance, many will not cover a "commercial" operation and may consider leasing the shed as "commercial" use. Farm Bureau has a heap more sense than many when it comes to things like that, so be sure to check in advance!

(oh and you might make the renter take out insurance for the contents..especially hay and expensive equipment).

[bigjon]

sorry for your loss,prayers sent.