Is This Barn Salvagable?
 

Ok my Son is wanting me to Farm his 40 Acres or he is going to sell it. He has this Barn, few years ago a Tornado ripped all the Metal off one side.

If we can get the roof on would like to put equipment in there.

He is wanting something for a Fast turn around. He is thinking Elderberries and maybe other Berries. I'm also thinking Honey and Sorghum Molasses.

big rockpile

Heck yes its salvageable. It looks square. one roof looks good. Depending on how long the other roofs been off is whether it is salvageable or not,. IF that sides shot, Maybe amish crew can still replace it reasonably. you couldn't build another to replace it, LIKE IT, for $10Gs. Looks like somebodies taken the hay track out of it. Id like to find a barn that size on any place I end up buying in Okla. You don t find them that big and old and open here.
Id build sheds on 3 sides to brace the barn. Id tie the back shed uprights to the frame with heavy cable and clamps, so as to support both the back and front ends. Upi cpi;d put machinery in the sheds, and still put hay in the barn. 40 acres, Theres got to be some hay ground there somewhere.

Another picture inside.

big rockpile

Has it got a loft, or partial loft? My verdict remains the same.

Looks like it should be, but time is ticking by....

Depends on the structural members, vertical columns and the 2x outer framing, from the pics they look serviceable yet, unless rot has set into the tops of those roof rafters.

Paul

My Father just sided and roofed a barn in sheet metal for under $2500, if I recall.

Awwww, I cleaned the pictures out of my device. Durnit. The V on it is more squared than usual sheeting, and it was considerably less expensive than the standard metal roofing... If that is something in which you're interested, I can get the name and supplier on Monday when I see him.

It looks good from the pics, but a handful of pictures can't always tell the whole story.
I would stand back and take a good look at it, is the roofline straight? Are the walls straight or bowing in/out?
If all looks good, inspect all structural pots and beams, if they aren't rotting, then I would say go for it.

If it's still standing,it's salvagable. You should see what the Amish can do for you. Cables and turn buckles can sturdy things up.

Forgive me for asking the not so obvious, but you start off
 

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with asking ONE QUESTION: Is this barn Salvagable? And then start bringing
into the conversation, items that have little relevance from what I'm able to decipher.
It sounds like your son is attempting to either blackmail or guilt-trip you into helping him
keep 'his' farm, by getting YOU to farm the land.....is that the correct interpretation?
If it's HIS land, why should you care whether he decides to sell it off if YOU won't work it for him?
Makes no sense to me and if he's making you do the work on the place, you're not making any dollars or cents!!!
Who gets the money in the end for YOUR doing the farming on HIS place? Will you being 'sharing' any profits? What about the losses?
And who's machinery is going to be stored in the barn, if it can be repaired?

But the real kicker that has me stumped is your final paragraph;
are you talking about what your cash crops are going to be for the farm?
Never heard of anyone planting elderberries for a quick cash crop..... and you
certainly aren't going to get-rich-quick trying to raise bees for honey!!! :hair

If you could "translate" this, it might make understanding BRP 'speak'
a bit more easy for many of us......or at least for me, it would.:bored:

BTW: From the pics, the barn looks good and would probably be worthwhile fixing.
But only those doing the work and paying for materials can make that final determination.

Around here 40 acres will get you a quarter of a million, are you going to make that on Elderberries and honey??

The parts shown in the pics looks quite repairable...but as Rambler said....the clock is ticking.

The real question, and no pics, is what it's sitting on, and how that part looks. THAT is the expensive part to replace or repair if it needs it.

Oh my, yes. The barn is shot. The land doesn't look good either. Would love to help ya out so I'll take barn and all 40 acres off your hands for say, $1000. lol

As long as the foundation is good. Like FrmBy Bill said, use cables and come-along to square up before replacing any wood and metal. Should have you a nice barn for $3-4K depending on how far you take it.

Pictures say "yes it's salvageable."; however, it is hands-on and careful viewing of the structural parts that would make that decision if it were mine....and I definately would NOT hold it together with cables!

And adding onto questions that copperkid3 didn't ask - if I remember correctly big rock pile - your health isn't the best.

I would have to wonder how you think YOU can farm this place? There isn't going to be any "get rich quick" scheme in farming. I know for a fact that honey is not a get rich quick scheme. Have you ever had any experience with honeybees?

And growing ANY kind of berry - unless you are talking strawberries (which takes a year) - is going to take several years before any income starts coming in.

And before the income starts coming in - you have to buy the plants, plant them, tend them, etc and with any kind of crop growing, you have good years and bad years.

And if my memory serves me correctly, you don't have the best relationship with ANY of your children.

Trying to figure out if you are really that foolish, or just that crazy!

As I said, build 3 sheds against the 3 sides of it. These sheds should be made with upright poles sunk into the ground at least 4ft. They can be any width useable. The back shed needs to be cabeled to the main timbers at the back to keep it from falling forward. These sheds/renforcements, will force the barn timbers to stay as they were built, not fall to the sides OR forward or backwards.
I wonder why someone would take the hay track out of a still standing barn without removing some of the cross pieces the tin was nailed to.??

What a cool old barn! Sure wish I had one of those on my property to fix.

Seems like livestock...cows or goats, would bring a good return. Nothing is really quick tho, is it?

OK he was going to give me a cut off it.

He was going to plant Blueberries until I told him it would be at least five years before he would see any money back. The Elderberries I came up with I believe can get crop first year. They are starting a New Market for them,just have to cut the Heads off and ship them.

Yes have to buy plants,work ground up,plant irrigate and care for them.

I know work and no my health isn't that good but I know more about farming than him.He is letting me hunt here.

If Iwas him it being right at City Limits I would Subdivide and sell it that way,then buy something else.

big rockpile

Is this the same son who bad mouthed you so badly about the river trip?

Elderberries...think medicinal ones! Get a business license and start supplying wholesale. As for other berries, I would do some research on the types in highest supply in your locality. It won't be inexpensive to purchase bushes big enough to produce quickly. Right now is the best time to get them on sale!!! I bought 4 year old blueberry bushes for only $10 each, on sale here locally. When I get paid next, I'll be going back to see if there are more perennial berry bushes available.

As for medicinal herbs, I'd research the demand in your area. I found out that I could dry and sell Horsetail. Funny thing? There are thousands out there growing organically... If you have a demand for Comfrey, could grow that. Do a little research, you might be surprised at what you find out. A Chocolatier is paying a farmer I know personally, to grow Chocolate Mint. I am the one who provided her with over 100 plants. If you get licensed, you could also provide local nurseries. I was asked to provide Comfrey Bocking14 to a nursery in my last County. I decided not to, as we decided to move.

I can't comment on the barn, expect to say it looks cool!

As for the rest, big rockpile only asked about the barn and the farm plan. I consider it to be a bit disrespectful to bring in other topics unrelated to his OP.

Christie Acres,
Great comment!
The lack of respect is why this forum is going down hill. I seldom post on Homesteading today and do not read many of the posts.
glenn

It's a family. Many of us have known Rockpile for YEARS. We ask because we don't want him hurt AGAIN.

Doggone if we don;t even sound like family!! Sounds as if we're all sitting around the kitchen table.
Rock, have you thought of strawberries--and sweet corn? That's 2 things that were sought this rear in our area. Get sweet corn with different maturity dates and you could provide all summer. Selling would be easy, with all the farmers markets-and Facebook. Strawberries could be a pick your own crop. AND, plant winter squash, and pumpkins with the corn-Turnips in another plot. These are items that sell readily in our area-and many more people are turning to winter preps.

So whats he going to do with the other 30 acres. U have the barn, Id say put what you don't use for garden truck for square baled horse hay. You can store it in the barn, and sell it out as needed. As, I imagine, The horse people in here can/will tell you that good lespedezia/brome/Timothy mix hay sells HIGH.

Elderberries take as long or longer than blueberries to get up to production, not sure there's an easy to find market either. That is around here anyway.

This is where I got the idea on Elderberries.


http://www.riverhillsharvest.com/

big rockpile

No this one is ok works hard and has plenty and don't hardly ask.

I have 5 Sons.

big rockpile

Feel sorry for you. Have one, and hes OK, But he as a recommendation, I wouldn't want any others. lol.

I grow and have for years Elderberries, and you ain't going to get that kind of crop within the first five years.

We've had regular updates on your health and are you sure you would be physically able to take on farming?

I wouldn't make a recommendation about whether that barn can be salvaged by just looking at a few pictures. It does seem like it might take a Sawsall surgeon, though, to dismantle it completely--then sort and salvage the materials--then recut them into good lengths, and design a new barn of a smaller size or design that would stand a better chance of lasting through the coming years. Just a far away view, not closeups, lead me to believe the lumber, especially in the shed side, is softwood, not hardwood. If so, there may be considerable rust rot and end splitting from non-galvanized nails used, forcing you to cut them into shorter pieces to find good wood--that's why I would want to dismantle it and start fresh. You made no mention of the foundation, either, so that would be a big factor. I would expect the sheathing stringers to be pretty soft by now as they have been in use a long time--as shown by the old asphalt roofing under the galvanized, but rusty tin roofing. The boards exposed to the rain, surely would be pithy by now, and I would want to replace them.

From what I read in the website you mentioned, there would be a big investment in handling equipment for sorting, washing, and destemming--along with planting and cultivating, especially if you sell in volume or to the public. If you were to slap up some kind of temporary fix to the barn, then you might not be allowed to invite the public to pick, or to make syrups, wine, etc, etc....without a clean (concrete) building to use or pass the enevitable legal permit stuff.....

And you didn't mention termites, powder post beetles, racoon nests, and all that which can go along with a derelict barn.

Good luck in your plans, but I would caution you to not make a farming/ selling business decision alone on whether a barn can be salvaged. It would be just one factor in a well thought out business plan....



geo

I love ond barns--check the "bones" to see if it can be saved. If they are rotted out--all, not just one or 2, sure. We did it to a barn 60 years ago-and it's still standing.
As to Rock's health, it's like mine, we would last longer if we sat around and rested a lot--but dreaming-and trying-is what makes life worth hanging on to..

The skeleton is what to really look over well. The same Amish/Mennonites who could build you a new barn may be a good source of info on that. With all the board floors, etc., inside, I'd err towards the idea that the frame is substantial, which would be good news.

BRP I love old barns and that one reminds me of the one on the farm where I grew up. I will just tell you what a tradesman told me when we were having foundation work done on our last place before this one, a 100 plus year old Victorian. I had asked him if the maid's quarters could be saved and he looked at me, spat tobacco juice and said "anything can be saved if ya got enough money". My suggestion is to check it out carefully, make sure the foundation is good, and all the other advice given, then determine exactly what kind of money it is going to take to fix it then go from there. I guess the million dollar question is, what amount of money are you willing to put into it to save it?