Barns are beautiful

You've found that perfect acreage not far from town. The old farmhouse is in pretty good shape, and you have plans for fixing it up. But what should you do with the rest of the property? What about the old barn, the corncrib, or the chicken coop?

Having a collection of old farm buildings on your hands may seem like a big burden, but before you decide to burn or bulldoze, think about this: Those old farm buildings have been there for generations, and with a little help they could last another 50 to 100 years. Don't you need some extra storage space, a workshop for those do-it-yourself projects, or a stable for horses?

An old barn not only adds beauty and personality to a rural acreage but also can be adapted for any number of practical uses.

Most older barns were built to last, and many have large, hardwood timbers that are not available today for any price. And those old buildings hold many stories, as you will find out as soon as you start asking around the neighborhood.

The Mooters' story

Just ask Dave and Gail Mooter of Kennard, Nebraska. In 1999, the Mooters purchased a 16-acre portion of the farm where Gail grew up. Gail's father had died a few years before, and her mother, Ellen, was ready to sell the place. Rather than see the farm leave the family, Dave and Gail moved there to help Ellen.

"Because I grew up here, I had strong feelings about the place. Everything out here in the country is real important to me," Gail says.

After building a house on their new acreage, the Mooters turned their attention to the centerpiece of the farm, the Gothic-roofed barn built in the 1930s. Although the former horse and dairy barn was still used for storage, it had not been maintained in many years.

The old wooden shingles were no longer doing their job, causing the interior floor and supports to rot from moisture. Doors had been nailed shut, and several windows were broken or missing glass. The dirt floor made working in the barn impossible when the Nebraska winds filled the barn with dust.

Still, the barn was in good structural condition, and the Mooters never even considered tearing it down. Besides Gail's attachment to the barn, Dave, who grew up in the city and calls himself a frustrated farmer, believes it's important to preserve these old buildings.

"There are a lot of old structures that people are letting fall apart," he says. "I think it's a shame."

So Dave set to work on the project. "The most critical part is the roof Ð you have to get it dry first," he says. The Mooters' new plywood sheathing and composition roof cost $10,000, but they expect it to last 25 to 30 years. Door repair, window replacement, a new concrete floor, and two coats of red paint completed the job, which cost a total of $15,600.

The barn doesn't just look pretty, it also provides space for a workshop and storage, and gives shelter to the family's many barn cats. While they were at it, Gail painted the corncrib built by her father in the 1960s, and it is now used for storage of lawn mowers and tractors.

Owners of older barns can get help through a program started in 1987 by Living the Country Life magazine's sister publication, Successful Farming magazine, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The BARN AGAIN!¨ program helps owners of traditional-style barns and other farm buildings with rehabilitation advice and ideas for new uses for older farm buildings. The program has collected hundreds of examples of barns, many of them more than 100 years old, that have been put back to work for new farming and other uses.

A conservative approach

Fixing up an older barn does not have to involve drastic or expensive changes such as a new roof or new siding. It's best to take a conservative approach. Whenever possible, repair rather than replace. For example, repairing broken siding and repainting the barn costs a fraction of what covering the entire building with metal or vinyl siding would run Ð and preserves the original materials and character of the building.

As a 1987 BARN AGAIN!® demonstration project in western Iowa has shown, a good paint job, involving surface preparation, primer, and finish coat, can last more than 15 years. "That paint stuck on like crazy," says owner Ron Seuntjens. "There's no peeling, cracking, or flaking."

Although most traditional barns were built to house draft horses and dairy cows and to store large quantities of loose hay, the size and construction of these buildings make them adaptable for any number of new uses. Old barns have been used for everything from woodworking shops and art studios to family rooms, gyms, and offices.

They provide great shelter for cars, trucks, mowers, RVs, and boats. Interior posts and even the haymow floor can be removed, if proper support is added in other places. It's best to check with an architect, engineer, or experienced barn builder before attempting this type of project.

"Our barn is in great structural condition. When we get those 40-mph winds, it creaks and whistles, but it doesn't move," says Dave. "Fixing the barn was one of the smartest things we did out here," adds Gail. "The old barns speak to you more than today's tin sheds."