Barn design?

If you want to leave possibilities for solar, I would also price out a monoslope roof of some kind, either trusses or rafters or some combination, so that the entire slope is south-facing, That would let you have say the north half of the barn much taller inside and you could make the south end shorter for short implements, rabbits, etc.

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It's so hard to forget about my winters here..... So much of what you are doing is totally wrong for a snowy winter climate, I have to be careful what I say! Door locations and such are way different on what we can do practically.

Up here where we have snow loads, buying trusses is cheaper than trying to make your own. The truss makers are extremely efficient on standard sizes.

Menards is a popular lumber chain up here, they show a 3/12 40 foot truss on 9 foot spacing for $196. That would be for snow load up here, I'll guess yours are cheaper.

Paul

Paul

I understand, lots of things to think about. I don't put my solar on the roof because of winds and getting older, having to get up there....James

two problems with monoslope roof,
1. monoslope acts as a sail in a hurricane, especially when there is no siding
2. to run 60 ft from the south side of the greenshouse, 10 ft high wall, to the north side of the barn with a 3:12 pitch results in a 25 ft high post. I have 30 ft posts and 5 ft in ground, 25 out is not good enough in this soil...as i understand things.

And you made me think of another issue. I just did some quick checks, 24.5 degrees is optimum for solar efficiency in my area. 5.5:12 gets me right there and 5:12 is close enough. To start with a 10ft greenhouse and run 20 ft of greenhouse and then 20 ft of barn to a center ridge, that results in a 26.7 ft high ridge. Argghhhhh. That might be doable with the right clear span trusses. haven't found any online yet at Lowes or Home Depot. Still looking.

Cesumpec, I have a 32 X 48 shop with two 12 wide by 14 high doors, and 20 foot high ridge line as limited by county ordinates or I would have gone higher. It was originally intend to store my RV and my Dad's RV. I now longer have an RV but Dad still keep his on one side. I can pull two pick-ups in end to end and if I really squeeze I can put a third car in a middle row. So I basicly have a 22 by 48 workshop. This was way more than I intended, but it is still to small some days. So right now, I have a dead pick-up in the back and the snow plow pick-up in the front by the garage door and a Toro grounds master mower along side the dead pick-up.

There is a work bench across the back on my side and tool storage all along the 48 foot long wall. About 2 foot wide shelving and other work bench and parts washer and welders and stuff like that. I have room to walk around all the vehicle. Except the mover it is sandwich up against Dads RV. His RV sit way to one side of the building.

I need more room for tool storage and workbenches. I don't want to give up any more floor space for parking vehicle. I am considering adding a tool shed out the back, but I have way to manny other projects to do first. Like put siding on and real garage doors.



Note: the date is wrong on the picture, I was not poaching deer.

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In my area I would face the slope side of my building sw/ne for maximum sun exposure in the winter. In the summer the sun is on the north side of things.

So could one increase the rafter width and increase the distance? I just observed a new horse barn with no traditional a frame trusses. Not quite sure how far apart the posts are. But I have seen warehouses with very wide post spacing and flat roofs made with wood.

found a place not too far from here today that can deliver thirty 5:12 trusses for $2400 or an average of 120 ea. That gives me 3 foot centers which they say is plenty good as long as I don't want to hang a ceiling, which I don't plan to do. The two end trusses are built up more but I was having a hard time visualizing what he was telling me because I don't speak fluent construction.

That is a 44 foot truss with 2 ft overhang and 40 ft clear span. It seems too good to be true so I need to do a bit more checking.

Studhauler - your barn has 1536 sq ft, mine, if dimensions hold, will be 2400. So based on all the stuff you pack in there, I think I should be OK. And I'm building on the lot such that I can later put a 20 x 60 lean to on the north face if needed. If push came to shove, I suppose I could also extend the main structure to the east, but that might get a bit more complicated.

You mentioned "snow plow pick-up". snow plow? I really can't understand what you are getting at. It must be some sort of typo and you mean there's no plow to pick up. Snow is something I've heard of but I worry more about this happening

They put more braces etc in the end trusses because they'll have strapping or sheeting and steel attached to them as well as having the overhang of the roof strapping and steel on them.
My trusses are 5.7:12, works good here, I'm sure it's overkill there but the price is right as long as you can walk on a steeper roof like that.

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my shot is 30 x 40. i embeded plate w/rebar welded on one side in the slab at corners and mid point on sides and ends. welded up post and welded plate on end to sit on plate in slab. stood post on plates and squared and welded to plate. took rafters and laid on slab and welded peak. raised to top of post and welded at top of post. two end rafters have center support post. center rafter spans entire width. ran purlins across rafters and covered w/26 ga roofing. has worked for me. got a lot of structural metal as seconds and have less than 4k in 30 x 40 w/10'side walls and skin metal. plus slab.

Well done. Photos please! If you can get some close ups of your construction techniques that would be great.