I’ve been asked to bid on demolishing a barn. It’s core is a 2 story notched beam (log cabin type) area about 15 x 20 with extensions out from there. It is termite infested, missing about half of its sheathing and mostly made up of three tall empty sections (small joists 20 feet to an outside wall studs). The roof is covered in several styles of tin (?) sheeting, rusted through in many places. There doesn’t appear to be much or any salvagable wood in it. The few remaining floor boards are rotted, eaten or in pieces.
I’m considering taking what little remains of the floor and sheathing and burning it (since it’s legal here in western Ky). I don’t know how long this should take, what to charge, or what to do with tin. I presume I could have it down in a week or so with some part-time help? Or am I way off? What are the gotchas? Any thoughts/advice?
Replies
I'd call all the local fire departments to see if they wanna burn it down for training.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
had one that we salvaged all we wanted for a restaurant after which we pulled it to the ground
then we advertised the tin for sale for a dollar a sheet (old farmer told me that trick)
they use the tin for making wind fences around barn yards
of course the farmer who took the tin under counts the sheets and feels good he beat you when you probally would of had to take it to the dump and pay fees
at that point we hired the local volunteer fire dept to burn the balance thus they had the liability in case of accident (it was about 100' from house) then we dug a hole and buried the rest
the farmer who gave us the barn for the taking had put in a penalty clause for completion and even though our customer had a heart attack just before starting which delayed us he kept the check
he got his comeuppance when he appeared at the demolition my customer had on site a crew of volunteers who were paid in booze from a draft machine on a pickup hooked to a rv where the liquor was handed out
the customer gave the farmer vodka drinks trying to get him to refund the deposit but the farmer wouldent budge and as a result the drinks got stronger and stronger till he could barely walk at which time he decided he was walking home across the field
he only had to go about a 1/4 of a mile in a straight line however he must of done 2 miles he was so drunk
i met him about a month later and all he could say was " boy you guys sure know how to wreck a barn in style"
The first thing to keep in mind is that demoliton it dangerous, espcially on a rotten structure. A good friend of mine whos a farmer was badly hurt during the demoltion of a machine shed. He were up on the roof stripping tin when it collapsed and he fell 30 feet and was buried in the debris. I drove by about 10 minutes after the collapse and noticed that a wall had fallen into a hydro pole so I stopped in to offer help to get it down. I then realized he was buried inside and called 911 and frantically worked to get him out. After 5 minutes of ripping and tearing I got a small path to him.When the fire department arrived it took an hour of work to cut him out. He suffered many broken bones and had a collapsed lung. He was lucky to be alive. He survived and the last demolition job he did I used my High hoe to tear the building down. Scary story. Something to think about old farm buildings are not to be messed with.
As for advice on tearing it down. I'd use a high hoe or failing that a loader to push it over. If you have the space dig a large hole on one side of the building and push the barn into that hole with the high hoe and then bury it. Whatever you do be careful.
Good point -- if it's unstable, push/pull it down, rather than attempting to disassemble in place. Even if stable at some point in the disassembly it'll be safer to knock it down than take it apart.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
on demo work .. i always get a price from my excavator..
he can usually have the whole thing in a couple dumpsters in a day.. and dig the foundation out ( if needed )
on site disposal is harder and harder to do ...Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Ron, I would like to offer you a resource of mine. These fella's tear down old barns and make furniture out it. I use the barn board to side new sheds to look old. If anyone can best tell you how to best approach your situation, they can. Tell them that Dave from Dave's Home Repair referred you.
P.S. If there any good timbers hang on to them. They are worth a small fortune in the right area.
http://www.hingednhewn.ca
Dave
A big excavator with one of these can make short work of the job. Probably eat it up in a morning.
View Image
Why dont you just push/pull the barn down, salvage the tin - good prices for metal right now and burn the remains. Bury the ashes and nails.
Doesnt sound like more then a couple days work.
I dont know what you should charge, you need to know what you have to make.
Doug