Dairy Barn Restoration
Before
After
A daunting undertaking
To preserve and rehabilitate the existing Dairy Barn, which is designated as a Class 1 Historic Structure. This very large bank- barn of stone masonry and wood frame construction is believed to have been constructed in the mid-19th century and expanded in several subsequent phases. The building consists of a rectangular gable-roofed main block with shed-roofed side wings to the east and west and a shed-roofed forebay across the entire width on the south side. Three Marietta-style silos, of concrete stave construction, were located on the north side of the main block. Two gable-roofed bridge ramps of wood frame construction provide access to the upper floor level of the barn from the north. The interior wood structural framing of the forebay had been seriously compromised. Long-term intrusion of rain and stormwater runoff on the north side of the building has caused significant deterioration along the north façade of the main block, exacerbated by the position of the silos (particularly the center one).
The work included the following.
The upper portion of the center silo to be demolished, while the center silo base and the east and west silos will be retained. It is believed that these silos were added to the barn in the 1950s. Two gable-roofed bridge ramps were then constructed on each side of the center silo to provide access to the upper floor of the barn. This configuration has resulted in the conduction of water around the silos and down into the deep well, saturating the north stone foundation wall of the barn’s main block. This in turn has led to deterioration of interior wood floor framing members that are set into the foundation wall. A new shed roof now connects the two north bridge ramp structures and weather-protecting the opening where the center silo was removed.
The existing wall and roof framing of the forebay was originally undersized, and severely stressed, and had failed in places. An assessment made in March, 2016 described the forebay as “poorly framed and a Fall Hazard”. The existing framing was replaced with new structurally sound timber-frame construction to match. The siding was removed to facilitate reconstruction of the timber framing. The condition of these boards varied, but those that were reasonably sound were used on other projects on the property.
The glass panes were replaced and the steel components carefully cleaned, repaired and repainted.
The circular stone columns supporting the forebay on the south elevation were originally covered with stucco. Over time, the stucco has spalled or broken away from the stone. We removed all of the loose stucco on these columns and repointed them.
Lastly, the green aluminum roof was replaced with gray metal roofing.
with
Before
After
After