New barn
- Thread starter yoderjac
- Start date
Bill
Administrator
Do not do this in a box stand that you are not going to check on for a few months.
TRUST ME!
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
Do not do this in a box stand that you are not going to check on for a few months.
TRUST ME!
I just keep a small container of rat poison in my box blinds. No chance of someone's dog getting into it in there unlike my barn. I can just imagine the mess!
SWIFFY
5 year old buck +
Do not do this in a box stand that you are not going to check on for a few months.
TRUST ME!
Ive heard if you use antifreeze in the bottom they will not rot... I cant say from experience but I know people who have used the "walk-the-plank" type bucket traps and caught 30 at a time.
Tell me how it works :)
cavey
5 year old buck +
yep... build it 3x's bigger than you think you want that way it will only be half as big as you need.
hillrunner
5 year old buck +
One thing to think of if you are a northern climate.
Insulting under the slab can cause problems in a pole barn. Since you do not have a footing to insulate, there is no barrier to stop frost from creeping under the slab. With a non insulated slab, the heat from the building will keep the frost at Bay. With an insulated slab, the frost can creep in around the edges and cause the floor to heave .
Insulting under the slab can cause problems in a pole barn. Since you do not have a footing to insulate, there is no barrier to stop frost from creeping under the slab. With a non insulated slab, the heat from the building will keep the frost at Bay. With an insulated slab, the frost can creep in around the edges and cause the floor to heave .
SD51555
5 year old buck +
Build it longer than you think. I sat with a builder and he explained to me that your costs for ends, doors, and windows are about fixed whether you go 48' long or 64' long. To make it longer, you just need a little more concrete, a roof truss or two, and some extra roof and sidewall steel.
4wanderingeyes
5 year old buck +
Jack, I pretty much am doing this exact thing. A few notes, the bank does not consider it a home/house there for would not be considered for a house mortgage. But we didn’t have to finance a very large portion of the project.
My plan for it after the house was built was similar to yours, friends and family can come and stay there when they visit, also we do have elder parents that maybe looking to move out of their homes and may need some assistance in the near future, and don’t want to go to an assisted living. We also figured as we get older ourselves, we could rent it out, but permits in our area only allow 1 living area per property, so that may be an issue down the road if we decide that route. If I were to start over, I may have decided not to build in the trusses as a bonus room. It certainly has increased the costs way more then just doubling the lower area and making the living quarters on the main floor. Either way, it’s to late for me to change my mind, and so far I like it.
My plan for it after the house was built was similar to yours, friends and family can come and stay there when they visit, also we do have elder parents that maybe looking to move out of their homes and may need some assistance in the near future, and don’t want to go to an assisted living. We also figured as we get older ourselves, we could rent it out, but permits in our area only allow 1 living area per property, so that may be an issue down the road if we decide that route. If I were to start over, I may have decided not to build in the trusses as a bonus room. It certainly has increased the costs way more then just doubling the lower area and making the living quarters on the main floor. Either way, it’s to late for me to change my mind, and so far I like it.
Mortenson
5 year old buck +
I'll second the building it 1 size longer than you intend if at all possible. You'll fill it. Our shed would've been a good chunk more coin to go from 66' to 72' wide, but adding length was reasonable. Should've been a no-brainer to go two trusses longer, yet somehow we didn't. Major regret.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
Yes, I had that conversation with the builder. Length is less expensive than width and he said using multiples of 8' is also more efficient.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
I don't think there would be an issue with a mortgage here. Folks are building barn homes here and I'm sure they are financing them. In my case, that doesn't matter. I hope to build the barn out of savings and only finance the house after it is built if rates are good at the time.
In our location, you can have a second dwelling unit on the parcel (mother-in-law suite kind of thing). I think the zoning requires longer term leasing so you can't do Airbnb without a variance. We probably don't need the rental income, but it might be something we could do if things change.
Thanks,
Jack
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
I could park a trailer in the barn and be fine with it for a year...My wife...not so much!
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
For folks with heat in the slab, is that the only heating/cooling system you have? In my area, cooling is probably more important than heating but they are close. My first thought was to use a heat pump with propane backup. That lets one system do everything. If you have in-floor heat, I presume it is water based. Would I have the cost of one system to heat water for the floor and another system for AC and such? Is there a difference between in-floor heat in a house say with a basement as opposed to a barn on a slab?
4wanderingeyes
5 year old buck +
In floor heating is the way to go to heat your house, no doubt about it, but it isnt much for cooling it. You can hook it up to a geothermal system, and then use it for cooling as well, but rather then using the tubes in your floor, you would be better off running them into a evaporator so it can remove moisture from the air, rather then just cool it.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
Yes, the further north you go the more it makes sense. The longer the heating season and the shorter the cooling season, the faster the efficiency of in-floor heat pays off. The initial cost is higher because you need a different heating and cooling systems. I'm far enough south that it would take a while to pay off for me. I'll probably do it in my house and I expect it will be tight and I'll benefit from it more, especially with high ceilings. For the barn, I'm slowly talking myself into a heat pump with propane backup. That is one system that covers both heating and cooling. The living space is only 560 sq ft with 8' ceilings so it isn't much volume.
What guys have me thinking about on this site is putting the PEX in the slab of the living area of the barn and, of course, insulating below the slab. I'm just wondering if there is some inexpensive way to use it. I was thinking that if I could drive an old electric water heater and circulating pump with a solar panel I could use the cement to store heat during the day. I realize the amperage put out would be low and it wouldn't produce a lot of heat, but any heat is less work the primary system has to do. It may not be practical. Another thought was to use passive solar for collecting energy but that seems like a lot of headache.
Maybe I'm making a mistake by not heating the slab in the barn living space, but the PEX should only be a few hundred dollars for that size room and if I install it, I can always change my mind.
With the heat and humidity in my area, there is no way radiant cooling would be practical.
Thanks,
Jack
4wanderingeyes
5 year old buck +
Yes I put the pex in my floor in my garage. I have about $3500 into pex , the manifold, and the poly under the slab. Then I am putting in a propane boiler for now, then later I will either get a wood boiler, or a geo thermo system for the house.
