Putting Up Our Red Metal Barn Part One
So, I thought it would be fun to do an ongoing series on our red barn. This will be part one, where I tell you the why and how of putting up this barn. In the future I would like to take you along as we finish out this building. So come on along as we put up our red metal barn.
Why a New Metal Building?
When we bought this place seven years ago, there were several buildings on the property. Two chicken houses, a small barn, a metal shed and a big black eye sore of a building right in front of our house. It was semi- functional and we used it for six years as it was. However, it was ugly and falling apart…and it was ugly…did I mention that?
How to Plan for Building a Pole Barn
We knew we needed a space big enough to keep our tractor and our van. It would be great if there would be enough space for some storage and a welding area. As we talked over the plans we kept coming back to having a space for storage. We live in a 2700 sq foot house with no basement. Our attic was converted to bedrooms long before we lived here. We are a family of eleven! There are times when we feel a bit cramped or when we feel a bit frustrated at the lack of storage. So we began to dream and plan a little bigger
Why not make this barn a two story? We could use the upstairs for storage and possibly a rec room! This sounded very exciting to me! We also home school, so a place to sew and do craft type work would be a huge bonus!
How to Decide on a Metal Pole Barn
Once we decided to tear down the old building, and replace it with something newer, we had to put our dreams into plans. We love the look of old barns, however, a new wooden barn that looked like like an old barn was not in our budget. A metal pole barn with a classic look was more within the realm of possible for us. So we got a few quotes and went with the company that we felt most comfortable with.
Next we sat down and with words and pictures saved on Pinterest we showed the contractor what we wanted. We had to figure out how to spend the least money and get the most space. Leon (our guy) was so helpful! He listened and found the best way to utilize every square foot. He had special trusses built so that we could have the second story with plenty of floor space.
Our final decisions left us with plans for a 32′ x 42′ building with gambrel style roof. This gave us a 20′ x 42′ room upstairs. The color we chose was dark red. Choosing red is difficult, it can look so different as the sun moves across the sky. Leon actually took us around to different barns near us and showed us what each of the different reds looked like on different buildings. We even got to talk to some of the owners about whether they were happy with their choice. This was extremely helpful, we changed our minds from our original color due to talking to a man who regretted that his red faded to a bit of a pink!
How to Tear Down an Old Metal Building
In order to save money we tore the old building down ourselves. We just did a bit here and there and I think it took us two weeks to get it all down, organized and scrapped. Everyone in the family helped. It was actually kind of fun. Ben and the boys did the roof removal, and it was probably the hardest part of the project. They used long boards to push up from the inside while Ben was on the roof pulling up.
Cleaning Up After Tearing Down a Building
Once we got the metal off and the boards sorted into keep and burn piles. We had to clean up the site. We had to stack and dispose of all of the foam insulation. Also, some of the concrete pad had to be removed. There was another building attached to the back of this one at some point and there were remnants of that stone foundation around the perimeter. We rented a concrete saw and used brute force and ignorance to remove all that needed to go.
In hindsight, we wish we would have put in more effort to prepare the site. There really needed to be more ground work done first around the new building site. We waited until the building was up to do that and we are still dealing with a muddy mess. The site sits a bit downhill and when it rains the run-off flows toward the building. We hired the cheapest excavator rather than the best excavator and now the job will need to be redone. We are still having run-off issues….sigh, live and learn!
Framing of a Metal Pole Barn!
The first post hole being dug!! More posts in place. Sides up! Moving the first truss into place, can you believe they just used a bobcat? Putting on the first truss! Almost all of the trusses up!
Talk about hard workers, they were amazing. This was a Mennonite crew, and these guys knew how to work! Arriving right before first light everyday, they got to it. If you are local (Central Missouri) here is a link to their site. Look it’s our building on their site!
The kids had a blast climbing all over the frame that evening!
If the weather had been perfect and had all the materials come in on time, they would have been done in a matter of days. However, we had some rain and delayed materials. The windows were on back order and we were missing one of the trusses. So, I think it took a couple of weeks rather than days! I felt impatient at the time, but as with most things, I was uptight for nothing! It got done, and the weeks of waiting made no difference really.
Putting a Cupola on a Pole Barn
My favorite part…the cupola goes up!
Siding and Windows on a Metal Pole Barn
Outside Stairs on a Two Story Metal Pole Barn
We chose to have the stairs built outside the building. Our reasoning for that was to maximize the space inside. A staircase would have taken up space in the lower part, and floor space upstairs. We can see the drawbacks to the exterior stairs as we have lived with them one winter already. They do need to be cleaned off in bad weather. However, I don’t think we would have done it any differently. We like the space inside. The stairs start on the side and wrap around back to the upstairs entrance.
Finally, here is the whole outside view! We are very pleased with how it turned out! The x’s on the side are merely decoration, but we thought it really pulled it all together.
Thank you for stopping by, stay tuned for Part two where I show you the inside of the barn and the upstairs!
You’re right, the new barn is much prettier. Plus one id actually feel safe letting my kids into😅. I can’t wait to see what the upper level of the barn is like!! As well as the inside lower level….any animals in there?
Love it Jenn, what a nice post!! It’s so clean and crisp. Not that I don’t love old barns, but sometimes we need functionality over looks. There were a few pics that when I hovered, the whole thing turned into a Pinterest button. lol gotta love glitches!
Keep up the good work new friend.
Jersey xo
How fun! And so much work! It’s looking so good though. What a fun space. Excited to see more!
It’s soooo pretty now! I really loved the part about tearing down the old one, as we have an old house on property that is gross. I go shall try brute force and ignorance.
This is so exciting! Love the red y’all decided on. Can’t wait to see the inside, especially the upstairs! Thanks for sharing this journey:)
Oh my goodness!! What a gorgeous red barn!! All that storage will definitely come in handy I’m sure! Sounds like y’all had a great contractor so you didn’t end up with a faded pink barn in a few years!
Nothing says farmhouse to me more than a red barn!
What a beautiful structure and you all built it yourselves!
Job well done.
Happy day friend!
karianne
So cute! Great post. Cant wait to see the inside. We put up a building last summer for our farm food service. No walls in most of it but similar idea only we did it all by ourselves…and with a volunteer team from our church. A good old fashioned barn raising! Your kids must love all that space for playing this winter!
What a gift to do it yourselves! Good for you!
What a wonderful upgrade! Love the red barn and can’t wait to see the inside!
What a great way to gain space with the second story. And have it’s own exterior stairway was a great idea!
Oh my gosh!!!! I just love that red barn! My husband has been wanting a pole barn house for a while! How about a pole barn, barn house!!! I would totally do that! Just add more windows! Loved seeing the process!
Thank you for visiting! The barn is a dream come true for us! We are still finishing the upper room. Reveal post coming soon I hope! We need to add on to our house, but have considered just putting up a Shop/house building too. So much to consider. An actual pole barn is not meant to last a lifetime…bummer, so as a house I don’t think it’s the best choice.
Love the red siding!! Great job!
Who manufactures the red siding and what is the name of the color? It is gorgeous! We are planning a garage and I’m struggling to find a red that I like.
🙂
Good question, the red called dark red. It was manufactured by Martin Metal which is local to us in Central Missouri. Red is so tricky, the builder drove us around to see different buildings with each red and what they look like after a few years of fading. The original color we picked eventually fades to a pink, um no thank you!! He talked us into this color and we couldn’t be happier!
Hi love the barn just gorgeous! One question. Did your shop doors come with the hardware and windows or did you do some kind of faux look? Trying to find something to add character to our plain white roll up shop doors. Thanks!
I replied by email, but thought I should comment here too, just in case someone else had the same question. The windows are real, but the hardware is faux. We got the magnetic hardware from Amazon. They are super inexpensive and hold up to the wind here.
LOVE your barn!
We are going to put up a red pole barn as well. The red is so hard to decide one! What is the name of your red metal?
Thank you! We are so pleased with how it turned out! Red is super tricky! Our builder took us around to all the red barns in our area and showed us how the different colors looked in different light and on different buildings. We thought that we wanted one called bright red. However, he warned us that when it faded it looked pink. He was right! The one called “red” was more orangey. We chose the one called “dark red”. It really is perfect!
Hi,
Great little barn and great tips, thanks for aharing. Could you share approximately what a barn like this costs in Missouri? Also did you put a concrete floor in and if so how much was that? Thanks!
Love your new barn… we’re re-roofing our old red barn..we decided on the color grey..can you share the color name of your grey roof??.. thx.!!
Sorry for the delay! I think the color is called charcoal, but I cannot find the paperwork that states it. It is a grey with a hint of brown to it. Each manufacturer will have different names too. I hope that helps some!
thanks so much for your inspiring post! We are purchasing a property with a large metal barn/workshop on it and I’m super excited about the possibilities. However the barn is currently used for commercial vehicle storage and maintenance, and it smells of gasoline. I’d love to build a loft in it but I’m worried about the smell. I am curious how storing your tractor and Van in it have affected the loft space. Can you smell the vehicles and the gasoline from the loft?
Great question! We insulated the ceiling downstairs with mineral wool insulation. We don’t notice a smell on a regular basis. If the tractor has been pulled in or out of the barn we will sometimes notice a bit of an exhaust smell. Also, we store hay down there and after we get fresh hay, I can smell it a bit upstairs as well. I really think insulating the ceiling helps a lot with keeping the smell down though! Hope that helps!