Was driving to the jobsite the other morning and spotted these barns. They have a gambrel roof with three slopes rather than the usual two.
I’ve seen a couple other barns like these in the past and thought maybe they were unique. But these are now the third and fourth I’ve spotted on the M-15 corridor in Michigan. Usually I see a barn in my travels and don’t pay a whole lot of attention to it if it’s a common ol’ gambrel roof. But now I wonder if I’ve been missing barns built like these.
Are they common? Is it a regional thing somewhere besides here?
I wonder how they framed these barns. I would like to pay this farmer a visit and see if I could look into one of ’em.
-Sawdaddy
Edited 9/9/2006 10:31 am ET by Sawdaddy
Replies
They are influenced by the Dutch from the east coast settlers..common in PA.
Often described as a Dutch Hip, and lacking the ostentaci of a true Mansard..
Gambrel is as you expected to see, two planes per face.
My GGpa's Barn was framed in 1750 abouts, sold to the Amish in 1967, numbered and lettered and rebuilt 100 miles away...all with a crew that brought thier workers in buggies pulled by horse teams..wives and youngins drove the teams, the men slept on the 2 day trek...then worked 22 hrs for 3 days straight as the "statistical support" team of wimmen, set up the camp kitchen to fed them.
They loaded the barn, drug it back to Lancaster( did I say 100 miles?, I lied, it was closer to 60) and re-erected the approx. 60x120 hewn frame...pegged and lapped joins.
I was 7 YO..at the time, and helped the men when allowed, but mostly caught the snapper turtles for the soup they ate.
That was my introduction to Architecture and concise planning that is instilled in me to this day.
A tourage of Pa Dutchmen, can consume a sheetload of turtles when they break from a fast.
Working from " can't see to can't see" is a long lost attribute.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
" If ya plan to face tomorrow, do it soon"
Google shows something different for a dutch hip.http://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/displayfaq.php?faqNumber=749http://www.easyrafters.com/dutchhip.htmhttp://www.easyrafters.com/dutchhip.htmIt is a hip roof that ends a little short of the peak so that there is a small gable roof showing.And I was thing that the duch hip was the oposite.That is a a gable roof like, but with the top end of the gable clipped off with a short section of section of hip roof.
Thanks for the effort to clarify..
Just goes to show ya, I ain't perfect ( yet).
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
" If ya plan to face tomorrow, do it soon"
In Iowa the ones called Dutch hip were gable type but with 2 main planes; upper one about 5/12 & lower one about 12/12. then frequently there was another one about 4' wide about 5/12 at the tails. The whole purpose was to be able to get in more baled hay (or loose hay originally) without the ridge being so high. Before the hay mows had trolly tracks & rope lifts the hay was pitched into the mow in stages with hand pitch forks.If you have a problem, don't just talk do something to set it right.
Jim Andersen
I thought the Dutch improvement to the gambrel was a small third slope near the tails of the main steep slope. As I understand it, they did this to help ventilate the haymow. These types I see all over the place.
The barns in the pic have three large slopes, plus that little slope at the bottom. I've traveled all over Michigan and haven't seen much of these here. This style must be more common in other parts of the US though?