patrick_mccombe

Hey Axemann, Sorry for the slow response. I did put foam between the girts with a second layer on the interior. I did'nt put the second layer on the exterior, because I didn't sheath the building. I used the verticle pine siding for racking resistance which wouldn't have worked with a layer of foam between the siding and the building. I could have put foam on the roof instead of the rafter bays, but I would have needed super wide fascia and a second layer of sheathing for the shingles. This project has a rock-bottom budget and my labor is free. Thanks for the question.

Hi TD,

Thanks for the comments. I'm assuming you've seen this:

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/22091/patricks-barn-the-dirt-cheap-high-r-building

and this:
http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/22229/patricks-barn-wrapping-up-the-exterior

My own advice: Cut the sheets 3/4 in. undersize so you leave yourself with a 3/8 in. gap on all sides that you can foam in place. Smaller gaps don't seal as well; bigger gaps work fine too but waste spray foam. And get a pro-style foam gun if you're doing even a small amount of this.

Good question Mikey. I've never mixed hot mud with soft water as every place I've lived and worked has really hard water. Hot vs. cold water does make a diiference though!

Thanks for the comments Pestoman. While browsing the Deerbusters website, I saw the electric fence and acesssories. Believe me, if our lot didn't border the grade school bus stop and we didn't have a 6 year old boy running around, I defintely consider electric fence. But given the circumstances, going electric didn't seem like a good idea.

The fence maker claims the product we bought will last 10 years or more. As far as attractiveness, it's not the best, but I think it will look a whole lot better once there's a bounty of veggies on the inside.

As far as cost, I think we're going to have a total of $600 invested between the fence ($280), 4x4 posts ($220), and hardware (???).

Your point is a good one though. Thanks for bringing it up.

Thanks for the comments, Dave. I agree with you, setting-type compound is great, but some folks feel more comfortable with ready-mix. And three coats of setting-type compound is overkill for all but the most-rushed or smallest jobs.

About the same time we shot this video, we also did a video segment on setting-type compound that discusses the advantages you mentioned in your comment. The video should be available soon.

Stay tuned.

Patrick McCombe
Associate Editor

Thanks for the interest, Res. The Patrick's Barn blog and constructing the barn are both labors of love, but drafting is not, so there are no detail drawing to show you. You can look back at this post

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/21165/patricks-barn-wow-its-starting-to-look-like-something

to see what's going on with the walls. There's one layer of foam on the inside of the girts and another cut to fit in between them. Both layers are sealed around the perimeter with spray foam. As far as the roof goes: I'm cutting pieces of foam to fit inside the rafter cavities and sealing the edges with spray foam.

Thanks for the comments. The caulk Jim is using is a high-quality arcylic latex exterior caulk. It's not painter's caulk. We should have done a better job explaining that.
Fine Homebuilding's video audience includes builders, remodelers and DIYers. Our aim is to produce content that satisfies the needs and curiosity of all three groups. The Building Skills video series, as the name suggests, are basic skills for those just starting out in their homebuilding pursuits. If you feel the content is too basic for your needs, I hope you'll check out one of our our other video series, like Master Carpenter, or There's a Better Way. Patrick McCombe Associate Editor

There's more here, Intlenus:

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/21984/its-show-time

The next International Builders' Show is in Vegas:

http://buildershow.com/Home/Page.aspx?pageID=762

Two votes for fiber-cement, Cosmo, Scarecrow; at least one coworker made the same suggestion. I'll look into it. I've never worked with it, though.

I recently photographed an affordably-built house in Asheville, NC with Hardi panel. It looked good.

I agree, Firthbuilders. I realy like the look of steel ag panels, especially as roofing. It looks great on modern buildings too. There'd be a lot of waste on the gables though. I used a plain galvalume version on my last home's cross-gabled roof and had a bunch of triangles left over.

Thanks for the suggestion. I think more people should consider screw-down metal panels for roofing and siding. It's a great material.

Thanks for the comment rurunene, but I think you're wrong. For starters, the pine siding (which is a naturally decay resistant species) is primed on all sides, preventing it from taking on moisture. The felt behind the siding is somewhat wrinkled, so it allows any infiltrated water to work it's way down. If that weren't enough, each board has two continuous drainage channels form eave to grade by means of the shiplap joint, which isn't tight together. And I have a real overhang. Destructive testing of bad stucco jobs has revealed you can do just about everything wrong and if you have a decent overhang, the building is going to perform pretty well. Roofing felt, what you describe as tarpaper, is an amazing material. It can take on water and release it as conditions change. In short, I think I'm covered.

That's right, Res. The siding is right on top of the 30-lb felt. With the first wetting, the felt wrinkles up creating a natural drainage space. I love the system because it's fast, easy, and there are no wacky details to work out. The siding is coated all all six sides and we have a real overhang. Personally, I think rain-screen is overkill in most situations.

You're skeptical?

Thanks for the feedback Doc. I believe my gun was the forerunner to the Dow Pro 14, but it's essentially the same tool.

As far as taking care of it:
I always spray the tip and nozzle with som Pam before use and when I start to notice the dispensed form is sticking to the end. Periodically (once or twice a day with heavy use) I gently scrape the tip clean with a utility knife.

The most important thing is to always keep a can on the gun. Most recently, I left a can on there for more than a year. The gun was fine, but the foam wouldn't hold it's shape once dispensed, so I tossed the can. When I read the instructions, it said to use up foam within 30 days.

I was planning to, Res and thanks for your comment and interest. However, I'm expecting this to be a multi-step project, so "done" is somewhat of a moving target. Once the barn is weather tight, we'll move inside for aditional insulation and mechanicals.

In the spring, we'll likely start with the rain garden that we agreed to build as part of the town's wetlands permit. The barn is in the "buffer" area of a small stream, so a storm water management plan is part of the permitting process.

If we have enough cash remaining, we'll build a deck and porch roof on the back of the building after that.

This is strictly a cash project; we haven't borrowed any money and we don't plan to. Although, I'm planning to seek refinacing for our home mortgage to get a lower rate, once we have the additional equity of the barn. The barn will have to be completed to the degree that it's an asset to the property and not a liability, as I suspect it is now.

Would you be interested in what it has cost so far? Anybody else curious how much we've spent?

This is good stuff, Don. Would you mind telling us how much cellulose you installed and what it cost? Where did you get the machine and did you have to pay a rental fee?

Thanks very much! I realy appreciate your tips and comments. You're not too late at all, as there's plenty of additional polyiso to install. At this point, I'm planning a layer between the girts and a second layer on the inside of the girts. We'll air seal on the interior layer with spray foam.

We have a ton of insulation, so there may even be a third layer on the walls, but my first priority will be to fill the rafter cavities after the walls are done.

I think the windows were placed lower so horses would have a tougher time seeing out of the bridge and therefore less likey to get spooked.
Patrick

Thanks for the input Renosteinke. Sadly a new spray rig is not in the budget. Although I agree, it would making coating all those boards a lot easier.

This is great stuff. Many thanks.

Thanks. As I recall, I drilled a pair of 1/4-in. holes 1 1/8-in. up from the bottom (double check, please). There's a single steel rod inside that you have to go underneath. I'm using countersunk carriage bolts with wing nuts to hold on the poplar fence because it saved a little time, but tapping for flat head machine screws would be better. I have a larger piece of butcher-block pine screwed to the poplar fence (good plywood would be fine)and a pair of 4-in wide feather boards screwed to the pine. I layed-out the holes on both sides of the fence very carefully and drilled from both sides toward the center of the fence. I got to use an automatic center punch for the first time. I bought it secondhand for a few bucks about a year ago. Cut and paste this into you browser if you're not familiar with this neat little tool: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_center_punch

Hand held or in a table?

Thanks for your thoughts Dreamcatcher. I too thought about your concerns with 2x8 sheets, especially with the 7 /16 OSB I'm using. It seems flimsy in 4x8!

I was felting the shed roof last night and I put up some roof jacks on the main roof. I only have four, so I may have to get a few more.

I think it will be relatively easy once I have the first course down (I already have most of the first row on both sides). I plan to nail some cleats to the rafter tails to help me place the remaining first row sheets.

What a great idea, Andy! You may have saved my life.

Thanks Don.

I'll have to think about that for a while. I've never built a post-frame building before, so I'm learning as I go. I like how the girts make it eay to reach the higher parts of a post-frame building. It makes construction easier.

How about some photos John? Where is the house located?

Amazing writing, Larry; it made me cry.

Your plans are great Don and thanks for commenting. Maybe other readers considering plans like the ones I bought will have questions for you.

Yes, I'll be posting regular progress updates. The first batch of framing lumber is scheduled for delivery tomorrow; just in time for the long weekend.

Thanks for the kind words, Ryno. I wasn't familiar with lumber link connectors, but a quick web search filled me in. Looks interesting; you're planning to use them?

The connections spelled out in my stock plans are pretty conventional--nails and lag screws generally.

Thanks Andy. I'm so grateful for your help. I'm looking forward to the next pour, as I learned so much. Let me know when and how I can help out with one of your projects.

Thanks for your interest Pete577. I'll give a rundown of the specs and budget as part of the next post. I should have it up in a day or two.

I've been traveling for the magazine, so I have a little catching up to do first.

Hi Benito 9,

Diamond plates do lose their adbrasive qualites as they age. In fact, the diamond plates in the Fine Woodworking shop have lost almost all their grit. My plates which are about two years old seem the same as when they were brand new. But it's true, even the coursest plates are pretty fine, so if a chisel is nicked, I first use a grinder to file away the damage. Sandpaper works fine too, but I like the plates beacuse they're so light and portable. Carrying around a piece of glass or granite seems inconvenient to me. Do you travel with your sharpening setup? Do you use a honing guide?

The press release didn't say what they were fixing, OKD, maybe because the engineers at Festool are a little embarassed. Perhaps they've had numerous failures with the European version that's already on the market?

Great stuff, Larry

Thanks

You're right, BobboMax. I should have said eccentric. And for those of you who might be wondering: it is the same word as the one used to describe somebody who's a little unusual. I just looked it up.

Thanks for the catch.

Greengiant,
Thanks for the input. That transition has been the most difficult part of the design. Here are the two problems I've identified. And Yes, I'm a firm believer in roof overhangs so I don't think I'm willing to eliminate them altogther, but I'd love to see some options.

Here are another couple reasons for the design.

1. The shed roof needs to have enough pitch for a conventional asphalt shingle roof. Although you can go lower than 4/12 if you hand seal the shingles, I don't really want to. I think 4/12 is the pitch shown.

2. I thought about dropping the shed roof (Matt even drew it in SketchUp)so it's below the main gable which would have eliminated that awkward transition altogether. Admittedly, this looks the best , but it means I'd have 24 ft.of additional overhang to build (and pay for) and it would be very hard to paint the soffit in the future.

If you send me the photos I'll be glad to post them on the Editor's Notebook Blog so others can weigh in.

Thanks again for the feedback! Keep it coming, please.

Good stuff, Larry. Thanks for sharing.

You shoul contact Ryobi Customer Service at (800) 597-9624 between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit their website at www.ryobitools.com

Hi Larry,

I loved this glimpse into America's recent past. It's great writing and a very good story. I'm looking forwad to the next installment.



Patrick McCombe

Thanks for the feedback, Chris. I'm very happy with my Husky chainsaw. Between this and the one I had previously, it's like night and day.

At 26 pounds and 69 decibels, this Thomas is tough to beat.

Of course it costs more than lesser tools, but I'm sure you can afford it, Justin.

http://www.thomasairpac.com/products/airpac/airpac_electric/T-635HD/t-635hd.jsp