Expanding a Barn

Organicfarmer1972 · Aug 4, 2010

A few years back I had built a 30 wide by 40 long barn. Later added a lean too on the long side of ther barm to pull equipment in.

I am considering changing it by adding an outside wall to the lean too, and open up the inside wall. This would make it a 55 ft by 40 ft. open area.

Ther original barn has I beams in three sections

spaning 30 feet across acting a a truss.

I've been told that if I remove that one wall, then the entire building will be unstable even after everything the other walls put back on.

Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated,

I'm in central Texas in Hill County

paul · Aug 4, 2010

If I understand right: Yup.

You had a basic structure 30 wide, 40 long, I beam posts.

You added a 25 foot wide by 40 long lean to which is open along the side.

You'd like to close up the open wall, and remove the I beam posts of the original structure.

What would hold the roof up after you remove the I beams????

It would fall down.

--->Paul

VADAVE · Aug 5, 2010

I didn't understand the way Paul did--I thought you said you wanted to remove the sheet metal from the inner wall. If that is the case it should be fine; however I would suggest you put braces in at least one of the sections. The braces should form an X and be fastened together in the center. Given you don't already have braces--of course.
I did just this to one of my buildings--it's fine.

showcrop · Aug 5, 2010

I agree with Dave, except that from construction that I have seen of 300 year old barns, while you would need diagonal bracing, from about 2/3 up your posts should be adequate and leave you more opening. they should be on each post though.

Organicfarmer1972 · Aug 5, 2010

Actually I meant to say that I would be removing only the R-panels from one wall and moving them to the outside of the lean-to, I wouldn't touch the I-Beams.

The poles are all 3 inch stem pipe placed 4 foot in the ground at 10 foot centers and the I-beam spans those poles.

If I removed the R-panels, I would still leave the upper c-channel between the poles but remove the lower two so that I could drive equipment through them,

Would that make it safe then?

Thanks for all the replys guys!

paul · Aug 5, 2010

You did say 'open area' so my line of thinking.....

Many times the sheathing is part of the structure, to keep it from leaning one way or another. Since that wall was engineered to hold the building, I'd be concerned about not having any cross bracing. If you are able to put up some x bracing as others mentioned, I'd think it would work. I wouldn't want to leave the poles totally bare top to bottom with nothing to prevent racking of the building.

Not an engineer, just a simple dirt farmer.

--->Paul

Brother Dave · Aug 5, 2010

If the 3" steam pipe poles are securely welded to the bottom flange of an I-beam every 10 feet, I can"t see that removeing the R panels and relocating them to the new out side wall would hurt the structure. The welded pipe and I-beam frame would be very rigid without the R panel. My only concern would be the force from the roof and wall load from wind that would try to force the frame left or right when you are looking down the long end of the frame. But, an R panel would not help with that.

Brian Love · Aug 5, 2010

I would only open 2 sections and x reinforce the 2 remaining depending on where ya live there is wind and snow load and maybe even seismic and you already added a lean to roof load to existing wall

Expanding a Barn

Organicfarmer1972

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paul

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VADAVE

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showcrop

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Organicfarmer1972

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paul

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Brother Dave

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Brian Love

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