Saving and Old Bank Barn

[JD Farmer]

Many of you wouldn't do this for economic reasons. BUT myself I like old barns, and when they are set up right they can become very useful.
My son purchased this farm in 2012 and we have been using the barn to store big round bales, up to 200 4x8 bales can be fitted inside.

The first 2 years he had goats for 4H projects. After that he started raising 4-6 butcher hogs over the winter. Best pork I have ever eaten I might add. Finally last year we managed to get some fence rows cleared and new line fence put in around the back of the farm. So we have been wintering heifers on his place and raising a couple steers.

So this year it has been dry, less hay came off the fields in first cutting, we had the time, and decided to rip out the front half of the feed room and replace some of the rotted out posts. Started this last Saturday morning, and got several of the posts repaired or replaced, with 4 or 5 more to do. The plan is for some concrete floor to replace the old rotted out feed room floor
along with new gates in front of the stables and a sliding door into the feed room portion.
The old barn sets on rock (sandstone) and we are limited by that somewhat.
Here are a few pictures of the fun we are having.

This project will span several years, getting it done on an as needed basis and funds allow. For now, we have the roof in good shape, but there is still a rotted sill that will be replace along with some siding on the west end of the barn.

This old barn has seen several wedding pictures taken in front of it, as it sets atop a hill in Fulda, Ohio next to the Historic Catholic Church.

 

[tomstractorsandtoys]

That is a nice barn and worth saving. I came from the east and always liked the bank barns and with some reworking they are still very usable.The Amish still build new ones. Good job of saving another one. Tom

 

[Richard G.]

I think bank barns are really neat. Don't have many around here, but the is a big one about 30 miles from here.
Should have been a bunch of them here with all the hills we have.
Richard in NW SC

 

[Blackhole49]

Good job. I always wonder why more people don't keep up old barns.

 

[Traditional Farmer]

Money and they really don't fit into today's farming.And with our old barn Farm Bureau Insurance says they won't pay if it burns down if it has any type of machine with an engine on it
stored in the barn.

 

[Bruce from Can.]

I have been working with and in bank barns all of my life, and I have made them work , but I am ready for anew barn. With over 100 tie stall
dairy cows , the work load is relentless , and never ending , and also very physical. I am much closer to 60 than 50 now, and Bank barns are
not really suited to my needs anymore.
You are doing a nice job repairing that barn, and so long as it is a hobby , it will work great.

 

[52BW]

I love old barns hate it when one burns down. Great job!

 

[sms]

I think it's great you are fixing an old
barn. I have jacked and dug out under two
bank barns that had failing foundations.
One I repaired the foundation the other the
masons hired me to jack and dig and they
did the concrete.

 

[bjb in TX from Ne]

What do you mean by a "Bank" Barn.

 

[jeffcat]

Nothing like a good slate roof! So few people know how to work on one
till you show them how. Copper nails and do NOT drive them home.
Slates need to wiggle a little. Also see if you can carefully add a
copper cap. Not cheap but you will have no wind driven leaking.

 

[JD Farmer]

Any barn that is built against a hill side with upper hay area you can drive right in off the "bank".

 

[the tractor vet]

My one friend just completed this job . He and i started this several years back when i came up with a idea for a form for the base pillers . I found a bell section from some extra heavy plastic drain pipe about 30 inches long and 18 inches in dia. . We split it in half and used ratchet straps to hold it together till the concrete hardened up . We did as you and jacked up the barn with two hdy jacks cut bad out of the timber then drilled down into the foundation stones and installed 18 inch pieces of rebar then placed our removeable form over it and centered it ad filled it to the top smoothed it off and let it set for two days and remove the form . Then we let the piller set for a week then set that timber down and move to the next one . It was slow going doing one at a time on days when we had extra time . Making them round works well when cleaning out the barn with the skid steer as there are no square corners to snag with the bucket .

 

[tim s]

Now days it could mean that the "Bank" owns part of it ;^)

 

[SweetFeet]

Really nice to see an old barn get saved
rather than dozed under.

 

[caterpillar guy]

Looks good . My brother has one he is converting into a shop opened the one end and fixed the posts like you are doing only poured a wall around it to help hold the pillars solid. It will have a 25or so bi-fold door on the north end with a 169 foot ceiling. We put the west half the roof on last winter.

 

[Janicholson]

Magnificent structure. Saving the labor used to make it is a heritage responsibility. Good planning will keep it from becoming a money or effort pit. Thanks for
sharing the pics. Jim

 

[kcm.MN]

I applaud your decision to save the barn. That one certainly is a beauty!!

We don't have bank barns here, as everything is flat and the water table is so high. Probably the best "use" for an old beauty like that would be to keep as much of its original character as possible, but transform it into a house.

That first photo of the post - are ya'll replacing the post? You can also fill in the missing portions or damaged areas using epoxy. Epoxy is a great way to keep the original lumber in place.

Depending on its final use, I would probably "modernize" it a little by reinforcing the beams with steel, then removing many (but NOT ALL!!) of the inner posts. That beautiful, old lumber - some of the posts remaining can really be gorgeous when left open for display (as in the barn being a house).

Kudos to you for keeping the ol' girl alive.

 

[Ted in NE-OH]

Any wood that touches any masonry should be treated. I made that mistake when I put a new foundation under my barn and I regret it as I am
having to replace wood after 20 years.

 

[Part Time Pete]

Nice job! I love seeing old barns saved - I have almost the exact same one
Pete

 

[olgentdc]

nice ...

 

[olgentdc]

nice job of cribbin and safe too ,. the old barns are worth saving , lot better men than us built them and used them to full
potantial ,,. go to your stories and read "legacy of the old barn ".. i wrote that ,,.,,.. the property tax situation is kilin
a lot of these old barns ,, similarly back in the depression era to pad the failing budgets ,,. cities and towns ,counties
drove up property taxes on the beautiful homes and mansions in indiana , some folx had little choice to abandon them or tear
them down , they were having trouble too ,Such a SHAME thankfully ...the state took control and has extreme oversite on local
property tax ...

 

[Mike M]

Ohio in Wayne,Holmes and Ashland co. area had a rash of them burn down several years back. Now many are being bought up and torn down. Some guys are get paid half decent for them too. Many need way many more times the value in repairs done to them so they sell them. A lot better than when they got burnt down from the arsonist ,but sad to see them go.