Support From Ages Past

One of the more interesting aspects of this project was the attempt to preserve not only the wood, but the actual structural integrity of this barn. In so doing there was a lot to consider.

The original building, as mentioned below, used original lumber grown and timbered on the farm and cut to "actual" measurements. Thus a 2x4 was a 2x4 and not a 1 7/8ths x 3 7/8ths. (And we wonder why folks have trouble with numbers?)

Anyway, as you start mixing "nominal" and "actual" wood you end up needing to adjust for sheetrock, windows, and anything on the exterior. We also shored up the existing 20 ft., 2x10 spans with new 2x10s which was fun to attach the flooring to.

Of interest in this blog was the decision to expose many of the supports in the upper sections of the barn. Those 2x10s pictured here were originally supposed to be sheetrocked. But when looking at that proposal, the interior space started looking rather more like a peak in a pyramid than a barn and would have added two more odd angels to the sheetrock.

As such, we decided to expose those original supports in the office and above the main living area. These beams were not altered or cut. Some still have bark and many are slightly warped with age, but they are the actual support structures put in place in the 40s. And yes, that pine is hard as nails.

We did have to spend a great deal of time wrapping the wood to protect it during the sheet rock and painting process. Once unwrapped, the wood had to be hand brushed to get the dust and debris off. The finished mix of old and new only serves to compliment the wood floors and hay hook previously mentioned.

The pictures just show the progression from the skeletal frame where you can see the supports, to the wrapping and then the finished exposed beams looking up into the office area and down from that area.