16x24 used gambrel barn in Texas

[muldoon]

A few weeks ago I found a very good price on a 16x24 gambrel style barn on craigslist.  When including the cost to have it moved, it still worked out to be much less than the cost of materials and fuel for me to build it.  Anyway, it was delivered and leveled on Saturday.  It sits on 5 skids, 4x4 runners the length of the building.  These are perched on concrete blocks, with a pile every 6 feet on all five girders.  The sidewalls are 6', and the building came insulated (R13) and included a window unit style air conditioner.  This past weekend it was nearly 100 every day, boy that AC was nice last night.  For the time being this is my project to finish out both the inside and out, learning as I go on some things.  Eventually it will also serve as a storage building for materials when housebuilding later down the road.  Afther that, maybe a nice woodworking shop.  For now, its just a great place to get out of bad weather and be able to lock a few things up and leave there. 

I lost a few shingles in the move, and need to get back up there to do some patching - hopefully next weekend.  I also intend to get the hurricane tiedowns in at the same time.  I know this isn't exactly what everyone else here is working on, so if this out of place - mods please move or delete with my apologies.  If no one objects to a non build from scratch, I hope to cronicle the efforts of the project in this space. 

Here are some pictures:

[ScottA]

Nice find. A guy could live in that. 

[glenn kangiser]

No problem posting it here, muldoon.  This is for everyone who wants to share ideas and experience and discuss their project.  You share plenty and we appreciate it, so carry on.

Can't beat a good deal -- that is real recycling.

[John Raabe]

When the opportunity comes up this is a great alternative to building from scratch. Especially for that future shop, barn or guest house that you can be more flexible about.

[muldoon]

roof patchwork completed. 

[glenn kangiser]

Looks good, muldoon.

[muldoon]

between work and kids have not had as much time as I would like to work out there.  Also haven't had as much money to spend as I would have liked either.   (I guess thats the truth for all of us huh?)

Anyway, small victory - the well is in. wrapped in 8x10 slab, electricity trenched and ran back to the pole.  a schaeffer (stainless) 3/4 hp submersible pump and pressure tank is in.  One single hose bib for now but the start of a manifold is in place to do branch circuits later.  Water is good, tastes great, no smell. 







Going to work on the wellhouse shed next, have alot of the lumber in the garage now. 

[John Raabe]

Getting all the basic utility connections established is a big job.

Has the little barn stayed in place and kept things dry all this time?

[MountainDon]

Must feel good to have that done, muldoon

[Redoverfarm]

Good that you have decent water.  Everyting else can be fixed the way you like it but usually water is not one of them.

[muldoon]

Thanks for looking

Getting all the basic utility connections established is a big job.

Has the little barn stayed in place and kept things dry all this time?

Sure has John, it has stayed level, dry and tight.  I have slept overnight in it when it's been pouring down rain and in the 20's outside.  Stayed dry.  I have taken the kids up a few times each now and its where we always sleep.  The doors are still somewhat drafty, but sliding locks and clamping heavy blankets over the doors at night helps a bunch.  Sure beats the snot out of a tent.  I dont miss that. 

I have done some work inside, did most of the inside electrical over deer season, going to finish that up in the next trip or two and get the conduit ran for permanent power.  Then I can get my inside walls up.  I feel like I have been busy busy busy but not actually accomplishing anything.  Feeling good to see at least a few things starting to come together. 

Must feel good to have that done, muldoon

Sure does, it's one of those things that I have been waiting and thinking about for forever. 

Good that you have decent water.  Everyting else can be fixed the way you like it but usually water is not one of them.

You got that right, the area is known for poor water.   The geography works out to be a  very high mineral content and I know about an oil and natural gas deposit under me quite a ways down.  There are also pockets of lignite.  From what I have heard alot of the wells drilled has high sulfur content and iron.  The aquifer I hit was fairly shallow at 90 feet and the well driller knew about it in advance.  I brew beer and make wine and mead.  Having good water is extra extra important to me.     

[glenn kangiser]

That's great, muldoon.

[muldoon]

Bathroom renovation weekend.    We now have hot water showers!  yay  --  Being able to wash the sweat away at the end of a days work makes the day soo much nicer.   Took the entire family up, we had a great time and the kids are plum wore out.








of course the rest of the bathroom still needs renovating - but that will have to wait for another day.. or another weekend at least. 




Also, happy Memorial day to all our veterans, on this site or not.  Thank you. 

[Sassy]

   yes, the rest of the bathroom will have to be worked on...  but hey, that's a great shower!   

[glenn kangiser]

Looks nice muldoon.  Very public.

A shower like that is really refreshing.

[muldoon]

Sure was hot this weekend. 

I trenched in the 120 foot run for permanent power to the building, and ran the wires this weekend.   Installed a ceiling fan, inside lights, and electrical outlets.   Finished up some work on the shower above, did some brush clearing and tree maintenance.  Met some neighbors, even made time to shoot a hog one night.   ( yay free meat )



wiring this 4 gangbox with switches took alot longer than I expected it would.   


. . o O ( All that work for three little circuits... ?)


very worth it.   
The extension cord is the old "power source".  it has since been removed. 


Up next is interior wall finishes.

[muldoon]

Boy I dont know how you guys build from nothing in months.  I have been working on this 1 or two weekends a month and still way behind.  Thought it might be time to give an update on the little things that have occurred since the last post.

I raised the loft so I would not have to duck my head to pass under it anymore.  The sidewalls on this gambrel are 6 foot, and I am 6'1" - even though I clear barefoot, I tend to scrape with my boots on.  It hurt so I raised it, I also shortened it a bit and finished it out with some 3/4 plywood decking. 

In the picture, my buddy Adam is helping with this job. 




I also removed the gray shelf you might see in one of the above pictures as it would hinder the ability to install wall coverings.  I wound up making some new shelves with 1/2" all-thread, 2x12's and hardware.  They are very solid, and adjustable as well. 





As noted in another thread, I built a home made HD TV antenna and took up there and mounted in the loft.  Works well, and is pretty much a built in now. 





Also, quite a good bit of maintaining pastures (damn mesquite), grooming and manicuring paths and walkways, and trying to reverse years of soil erosion with a combination of irrigation control (tractor work) and coastal grass. 







After getting the pastures in better shape I also did quite a bit of work on fences around the place.  That job looks so simple, but whoo - it wore me out.  After getting the fences in shape and securing some things around the place I began letting neighbors cattle graze the property.  What a neat site to see cows, and they do a great job on keeping the grass down as well.   
They are there off and on as they are rotated through the fields.   I am also on my way to getting the tax agriculture exemption for this effort. 







Hope to have more "real progress" on the place soon.  Having fun as I plod along tho.  Thanks for providing the place to post my little adventure and thanks for reading about it. 

[Redoverfarm]

I have always said that farming is a full time job.  Livestock is the best way to keep the undergrowth from becoming a large problem.  Even then you have to manicure what they decide not to browse on.  In this area it is multi-flora rose which is nasty ( with capital N) which will consume a very productive piece of land into something that is of no value.  Even when it is young the rose buishes are palatable to cattle.  Sheep are the best cleaning animal to eat unwanted vegitation.  But they can also devistate grassland if left without roatating them periodically.  In this area there was a great sheep prioduction area.  With the fallen price of wool and coyotes the farmers have eliminated the majority of the sheep from their farms.  Once there was grassy hillsides and now multi-flora rose everywhere. I have been battling this for several years.  Spray every year or so and then brush hog in between.  If you can keep it down to where the leaves cannot collect the neutrients it will eventiually die down.  I don't think it every really dies completely.  So Muldoon keep after it a little at a time and it will once again bloom back productive.  

[muldoon]

I just keep plodding along with excruciatingly slow progress. 

I brought the cedar for the ceiling in, and got it staged a few days ago.   





With assistance from my helper, we started putting up some 15# felt backer paper.  About 40% finished with this part now, it takes longer than it looks like it should take.   

[Redoverfarm]

muldoon is the cedar for the ceiling or the walls as well. Nice looking helper.

[muldoon]

ceiling primarily in this load.  I did buy some extra, and after completing the ceiling I will need to evaluate if I have enough to do a single 24' wall or one of the gable ends instead with the leftovers.  perhaps just the back wall of the loft. 

I need to do some more work before I buy the materials to finish everything inside.  I have two crappy hand-me-down 110 window AC units and I intend to replace both of them with a single 220v combined AC heater.  In doing so I will need to close in one opening one of the AC units currently occupy and make the other one significantly larger.  I dont want to start the finish wall work on those two walls until I get that work sorted out. 

[muldoon]

Got the rest of the ceiling felt paper backer in, and started on the cedar ceiling this weekend.  Its fresh cedar boards, milled locally.  They have been acclimating for about 2 months now.  I want to look into some scaffolding, doing this with the ladder is slow back-aching work.  Only got a few courses up as I worked on other things most of Saturday.  It was raining cats and dogs and the area was under flash flood watch for the first half of the weekend; because of that I was unable to bring the table saw. 









Also, I got the corner studs installed.  Someone donated a free working microwave too.  sweet. 

[Redoverfarm]

Yes ceilings and long boards are a real pain unless you have some scaffolding.  I see you haven't got anything on the walls yet. SO you could make a scaffolding off of the studs to a double 2X for legs and use deck screws to put it together.  It doesn't appear that you have that much heigth so anything to get you within arms length while standing would work. As for the middle just make two extra legs and attach them to the cross pieces that you originally had to the studs and detach them from the studs and move it to the center.  Now you have a platform (2X material and plywood)with four legs in the middle of the room. Doesn't take much to hold on person up and with putting them together with 3" deck screws you can take it apart afterwards and use the material in it your build.  Just a thought.  

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[John_M]

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[RainDog]

That ceiling is going to look great. Can't wait to see it finished.