72 YEAR OLD COUPLE BUILD A MONITOR BARN

MONITORMAN · March 04, 2012, 07:43:07 PM

I have been lurking on the forum as a guest for some time and thought that I would like to share with you what my wife and I have been building.
It has been a long project the way we are doing it. No help once we got the location leveled and the cement poured. All the rest we have done ourselves.
I wish I could say that we used the classic way of doing our joints and the framing, we didn't. However we did find ways of doing what we needed and what we were capable of handling by my self. I will post a couple of pictures here if I can figure out how this forum allows me to do it. If there is any interest in our little project, I will type more and post more pics. I feel that I may not deserve to show my techniques here as they are definitely not old school, but here it is anyway.

FRONT VIEW

NORTH SIDE

Chuck White · March 04, 2012, 08:02:03 PM

Hello Dave, and welcome to the Forestry Forum.

You will have to put your photos in your Forestry Forum gallery, then you can put them in the posts you make.

WARNING: If you delete any pics from your gallery they will also be deleted out of any posts you have them in.

This is a great place to learn and to help others, it's like one big family here.

Silver_Eagle · March 04, 2012, 09:01:03 PM

Awesome!! Thank you for sharing, please post any and all picture's. We like pictures 8)

POSTON WIDEHEAD · March 04, 2012, 09:11:25 PM

Lin and Dave......WOW!!!!! 8) 8) 8)

What a piece of art! You both are very talented. I LOVE your work.

WELCOME TO THE FORESTRY FORUM! I'm sure we are waiting to learn something from you.

David

thecol · March 04, 2012, 09:11:46 PM

that is nice my wife 2 b wants one like that u want 2 build another one ?

Magicman · March 04, 2012, 09:20:51 PM

Very nice work and Welcome to the Forestry Forum, MONITORMAN.

isawlogs · March 04, 2012, 11:06:21 PM

I like that style of building, I am planning on putting one up similar to that on the next move to be.

On a side note, we are not texting one another on here, can we use all the letters to form words. It is hard enough at times to understand what is writen let alone trying to read numbers as words and letters alone. Sorry but not all here are as litterate as others and not all are fluent in English. Thanks rant is over.

kderby · March 04, 2012, 11:13:08 PM

Monitor Barn, Is that like the USS Monitor? Are these a Southern barn? Nice structure, thanks for sharing.

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, Monitor Man and Wife ;D.

I agree with the texting lingo concern. Perhaps someday we can have texting night instead of Yooper Night. That will keep us on our toes. Until then......please spare me the texting.

Kderby

Bill Gaiche · March 04, 2012, 11:21:44 PM

Welcome aboard. I like what you are building. Have you sawed the lumber? Its nice to see what others are building. Keep the photos comming and good luck with your build. bg

MONITORMAN · March 05, 2012, 12:51:48 AM

Quote from: kderby on March 04, 2012, 11:13:08 PM
Monitor Barn, Is that like the USS Monitor? Are these a Southern barn? Nice structure, thanks for sharing.

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, Monitor Man and Wife ;D.
Kderby

Quote from: Bill Gaiche on March 04, 2012, 11:21:44 PM
Welcome aboard. I like what you are building. Have you sawed the lumber? Its nice to see what others are building. Keep the photos comming and good luck with your build. bg

Thanks everyone.
Yes, as far as I know, most of the Monitor Barns are in the horse part of this country. Kentucky, Virginia's, Carolina's etc. Not that they have to be, it just seems that way.
No, I am not fortunate enough to have the wood or the means to cut our own lumber.
The posts that we used are Douglas Fir and came from the northwest via Texas. Most of the 2xs are SYP from local yards. The cedar that is being used on the walls in a two layer application are cut at a local saw mill right here in central Arkansas. It is local grown aromatic cedar. My wife, Lin, clear coats the sticks for the inside, and stains the ones for the outside. We cut our own battens.
I suppose I need to add here that this will be fully inclosed when it is finished. I say that because of our building it our selves, I had to build this from the top down. And some may not understand that. We know that there are people that drive by, that think that it is a large car port, among other things.
Anyway a couple of more pictures. The one of the top rear, which is done, shows an octagon vent, this is just for looks. the venting will all be done thru the special vent in the ridge.

This picture is of the front inside

Enjoy

Meadows Miller · March 05, 2012, 06:42:55 AM

Gday

And Welcome to The Forum Mr & Mrs Monitor ;) ;D ;D ;D 8) 8) 8) 8) I love your workmanship on the barn thanks for sharing

;) ;D ;D ;D 8) 8)

Regards Chris

scsmith42 · March 05, 2012, 07:30:31 AM

Dave and Lin, welcome to the Forestry Forum and thanks for sharing your project!

I too really like your style of barn, and am impressed at your spirit and attitude! Best of success to you on your project; we look forward to seeing more photo's of your progress!

Scott

dukndog · March 05, 2012, 07:37:32 AM

Lin and Dave, Welcome to the FF!!
I'm located in Avilla area north of Benton. Would love to stop by and see your barn sometime!!

Again Welcome!!

DnD

Buck · March 05, 2012, 08:13:23 AM

Very nice! Welcome to the forum. Ya'll do very nice work.

Chuck White · March 05, 2012, 08:22:07 AM

Very nice building you have there.

It almost looks like you could put in a ceiling/floor and live in the upper level!

Riggs · March 05, 2012, 08:59:11 AM

Monitorman, that is some nice work thanks for sharing, and welcome to the forum.

Clam77 · March 05, 2012, 08:19:14 PM

Very nice Monitorman!! What is going to be the end-use of the barn?? As chuck said you could live in it... or is it just going to be for livestock... or maybe an extremely nice shop??

Welcome to the forum!

MONITORMAN · March 06, 2012, 11:23:55 AM

Quote from: Clam77 on March 05, 2012, 08:19:14 PM
Very nice Monitorman!! What is going to be the end-use of the barn?? As chuck said you could live in it... or is it just going to be for livestock... or maybe an extremely nice shop??

Welcome to the forum!

We moved here almost 5 years ago, Lin loves the house, but it is small. It has two sheds, also small, but no other garage or shop. The primary use for the barn will be for storage and our vehicles. Lin will get two bays for seasonal stuff etc., closed in with cedar. The motorcycle will get a bay. The center will be for two drivers. The other bays for tools and work space. No windows down stairs so the wall space will all be usable. We plan to floor at least the rear half of the loft, but that is a ways away. Definately no livestock tho.

moosehunter · March 06, 2012, 05:03:42 PM

Welcome to the FF!
That is an awesome building
mh

DeepWoods · March 06, 2012, 05:15:19 PM

Monitorman, what a great project you and your wife have going there! I checked out your website, and I must say you have documented your work exceptionally well. I can see why it has taken as long as it has to get this far. I only wish I had the patience to do something as grand as you have. smiley_clapping smiley_clapping smiley_clapping smiley_clapping

ibseeker · March 08, 2012, 11:42:25 AM

Welcome to the Forum, glad to have you around. It's always good when someone post pictures of their project. That barn is coming along nicely, I like that style. The construction style might not be the old school way of doing it but it still looks really solid. Hope to see more!

r.man · March 09, 2012, 08:18:13 AM

Welcome to the forum Monitorman, I am completely ignorant on Monitor barns, could you enlighten me on their use, history etc.

MONITORMAN · March 09, 2012, 12:30:08 PM

Quote from: r.man on March 09, 2012, 08:18:13 AM
Welcome to the forum Monitorman, I am completely ignorant on Monitor barns, could you enlighten me on their use, history etc.

Well, I am not an historian on Monitor Barns, or anything else for that matter. I will, however, try to answer your inquiry, as best I can.
Monitor barns are normally used for live stock. From what I have read, they work best with horses. However, the real large ones that were built in Vermont and New England, were for dairy cows. If you google Monitor barns, the most famous one that turns up is the West Monitor in Richman VT. It was built in early 1900s and was a major restoration project.
The outer wings of the barn lend themselves naturally to being a set of stalls. The size of which, I am led to believe, works very well for horses. The center of the barn can be any width that the designer should wish. Usually for live stock use, the center aisle will have doors that will open on both ends of the barn. This would allow the large tractors and hay trailers etc. to drive right thru. The upper floor, if built, could store hay, and easily be fed down into the stalls, thru the knee wall openings.
The ones that I have seen in the northeast seem to have a smaller, not as wide, center roof than the ones in the south. This may be because when the snow slides off of the top roof it lands on the lower roofs, but that is just my theory. The windows in the top section I believe were always for adding natural light and venting. They also may be the reason for the name, but I have nothing that I can tell you, that backs that up. The thought by some is that you could stand up in the loft and ''monitor'' the live stock out in the fields. This may or may not be true, but it makes a good story.
In our case, it just goes very well with the house, and will provide the space and storage that we are looking for.
Thanks for asking and looking.

Clam77 · March 11, 2012, 10:01:31 PM

That sounds like alot of the older, bigger barns that we have here in Iowa. My grandparents had one that even had bottom-chuted bins for oats and other grains to be stored in a section of the double door haymow - which also had the huge gantry rail with the rope that's big enought to drag a bulldozer around and a cupalo (sp?) on top.

They make wonderful old barns if they're kept up - I think theirs was built in the mid to late 1800's with the farmhouse. I should go back and get pictures of it - an Amish family bought the farm and uses it now..

My grandparents barn didnt have the windows up top, but the few that I've seen that DO have them have the sliding wooden slats to pull across them to protect them for when hay is loaded in.

Lookin4lunkers · March 12, 2012, 10:45:10 PM

Beautiful barn, I would put a sign on it that said "dog house" so I could spend all my time there

MONITORMAN · March 13, 2012, 12:20:09 PM

Quote from: Lookin4lunkers on March 12, 2012, 10:45:10 PM
Beautiful barn, I would put a sign on it that said "dog house" so I could spend all my time there

I understand what you are saying, but since I am rarely in the ''dog house'' I will most likely use some other name.

MONITORMAN · June 22, 2012, 11:50:06 AM

Hi again.
Just posting an update picture of the upper portion of the front of the barn.

Monitorman, please upload the latest photo to your Forestry Forum gallery where the others are and replace this note

Now I can start on the walls.

Thanks for looking hope you enjoyed the picture.

Woodchuck53 · June 22, 2012, 11:57:27 AM

Fantastic looking barn. If I didn't have all I need I might be tempted to have me one of those. I really enjoy your pictorial history of the project. Stay safe. Those ladders can get us at our age. Chuck

sandhills · June 22, 2012, 12:40:06 PM

Very nice! You know I was thinking (and that's dangerous) see'n how your so good at it and all........ ;D

Dave Shepard · June 22, 2012, 05:19:16 PM

Very nice! I like monitor roof barns, but there don't seem to be any around here. I've seen a bunch in Vermont.

MONITORMAN · June 23, 2012, 11:11:58 AM

Quote from: MONITORMAN on June 22, 2012, 11:50:06 AM
Monitorman, please upload the latest photo to your Forestry Forum gallery where the others are and replace this note

I'm sorry, I totally forgot that this forum requires that you have to load your pictures to a separate gallery. I am, and have been, on several other forums and none have required that the pictures be handled that way. When I posted this, I used the preview feature and the post and the picture loaded and looked just fine. If it had not I would have corrected it at that point.
I also checked the thread after that to be sure it was ok, as I always do, on all my posts, on all forums. No problem. So apparently you can link off your own web site as I did, and have the picture show, as all the others seem to. I don't see why then, the need to have a separate place where I am required to store my pictures. They are already on a public access server.
The purpose to post this was only so others could see and enjoy the work that we have done. We are too old to be going thru a bunch of hoops just to please someone that has way more time than we do. I did that for too many years, try not to do that any more. Especially when it is in red.
If anyone is interested in seeing the pictures check out the link below. Thanks and have a great day.

FORUM PHOTOS MUST BE IN A FORESTRY FORUM GALLERY. OFFSITE LINKS TO PHOTOS ARE NOT ALLOWED.

Jeff · June 23, 2012, 11:28:04 AM

I have sent you a private message explaining why this person (me) with to much time on his hands requires photos to be in a Forestry Forum gallery. Now, back to my wife that just had thyroid surgery, back to the email I have to address complaining about a copyright violation because a member linked to a photo on another server, back to the muscle relaxer bottle to help with the headaches I get from the pinched nerve from all of the time spent on the computer keeping this website going. Yes you are 72. By looking at your work, it is impressive. You just might be able to beat me in a foot race or an arm wrestling match and you are 20 years older then me. I'll not belittle your work and I sure wish you would not belittle mine by saying I have to much time on my hands.

MONITORMAN · June 23, 2012, 11:45:33 AM

We are truly sorry that the members of this forum will not be able to see our project.
There are many other ways to see it, but why list them when they will be edited anyway.
End of discussion.

beenthere · June 23, 2012, 11:58:25 AM

We win some, we lose some. Mostly win.

Jeff · June 23, 2012, 12:07:24 PM

Quote from: MONITORMAN on June 23, 2012, 11:45:33 AM
We are truly sorry that the members of this forum will not be able to see our project.
There are many other ways to see it, but why list them when they will be edited anyway.
End of discussion.

In 1% of the time it took to complain about the rules you agreed to when you joined, and to come back and again stamp your foot on them again, you could have easily clicked a button, had the photo upload, clicked another, and had it appear in the post. You did it in the first post you made that contained several photos. The red lettering was simply so you would notice right away that the post needed edited. It should have been green or purple I suppose.