Timber Framers Guild Forums General General Forum Questions PA bank barn restoration/renovation

I recently acquired a farm property in South Fayette, PA near Pittsburgh. I am interested in restoring the beautiful 200 year old barn on the property to maintain its structural integrity. I am considering renovating it for an occupational therapy private practice specializing in working with people with horses and other animals as therapeutic tools.
Does anyone know of any organizations other than the National Registry of Historic Places that give financial assistance for restoration of historic barns? Do colleges with historic restoration and architecture classes need projects for students? Are there any barn restoration specialists in the Pittsburgh area? I am also looking for a specialist with equine facility knowledge that could help with the design of the site plan.
Any recommendations of other avenues to pursue for help in this endeavor? Thank you.

Congratulations on your "new" barn!
I think you're refering to the Nat'l Trust for Historic Preservation's "Barn Again" program. They don't offer any money, generally financial assistance comes as tax credits or other tax incentives. It's worth checking their website though, you might come up with something that could help you.
Try a local historic preservation group or your state's historic preservation office for info on grants, loans, etc. And yes, colleges & universities need projects for students, it can't hurt to ask.
They might also be a place to check for someone with equine facilty experience or maybe your county extension agent could help.
I don't know of any barn specialists in your area, Rudy Christian is in Burbank, Ohio (330-624-7282) or your could search the Guild's membership list to see if anyone local turns up.
Good luck!

Thank you for all of your suggestions. I will keep working and researching.

Strangely enuff the National Park Service has an equine center in Rock Creek Park, Washington, DC, my home town. Somebody in NPS will have to own up to design, operation and maintenance of facilities. good luck
http://www.nps.gov/rocr/

Well I recently contacted an Amish contractor to look at our Pennsylvania bank barn. In addition to a new roof, one of the suggestions was to put all new siding on it. I was wondering if there were other options. It seems like the original 200 year old wood should be preserved, in terms of its value. Am I off base?

Historically speaking, the three R's are repair, restore, replace.
Once the historic "fabric" is gone it can't be replaced. What is the present roofing material? Keeping the place dry is the best way to preserve it. A good "hat" & good "boots" as someone?? once put it.

Do you know what species your siding is? Is it damaged or rotting? and to what extent? If you're having doubts about replacement you should get another opinion.

Not to cast any aspersions on the contractor, but any number of old barns have been demolished & "parted out" for the value of the original materials. Some species you just practically can't find anywhere else.

Other than Rudy, John McFarland is in Revere,PA (don't know how close that is to you) at 610-847-2777.

Thanks for loving your old barn & good luck.
Scott

I forgot to urge you to consider the TTRAG conference in Mass. this May. You'd be sure to meet the best "old barn people" any where, plus have a helluva good time.

Vertical siding, and any siding, for that matter, should be looked at in much the same way as other enclosure materials, the very same way you would look at the roofing. They are all maintenance items, and periodically in the life of a historic building, they will reach the end of their service life and require replacement.

As a for instance the barn I have recently been working on (30 years younger than yours) has three layers of siding on it, two layers of vertical (the second as shot as the first) and a layer of clapboards, which likewise has reached the end of it’s time, and will be, in the coming weeks, stripped and replaced.

The other sides of that same die,

All sides do not weather at the same rate, the sunniest side/s and the north tend to age faster, and all four sides might not require replacement.

Like Scott, I do not want to cast aspersions, but…

It might be that your contractor, at the same time that he sees real value to the life of the barn in the replacement of the siding, he also sees other upsides to him, beyond the potential money to be made in its replacement. Completely stripping the barn will expose all the problem areas, and make it both easier to point out the extent of damage, and also easier to effect any needed repair or replacement. Simply in every way, (from his perspective especially) a situation far easier to project costs on, than piecemeal removal of limited sections. Do you have need of some known sill replacement which would require such sectional removal?

If things are yet to kick in, take a good light out into the barns interior during a wind driven rain. It could tell you much.

Also like Scott, I’d like to thank you for understanding that you’re not so much the owner of a historic property as you are its temporary steward. It seems to be in good hands.

Hoping I answered as many questions as I planted.

Best with it

Hi Will,

My question is along a similar vein to that above. I have recently become warden of our village granary - a two bay timber framed building standing on staddle stones and equipped with (new) softwood siding on the outside and old oak claboarding inside. The internal layer was used to contain the grain. We need to make repairs to the frame and want to remove and then later replace the siding but this is nailed on with large iron nails. How does one go about removing boards without wrecking them ?

Regards

Ken Hume

I own an barn needing some restoration. Any one know of a good company specializing in repairs to the structure of large old pole buildings in the NE PA area. Wilkes Barre Scranton Areas. 18612 Two floors x 10000 sq ft split level. Local farmers seem to have died off years back removing from us a wealth of knowledge and experience.

Any recommendations would help. Thanks.