Home Forums Miscellaneous Topics Rural Living Barn decisions

Well after suffering a harsh first year harvest in SE Kansas I have to make some choices in my winter barn building enterprise. Flat ground off of the floodplain trying to decide on a free span steel vs Morton building vs. DIY pole barn... if going either of the first two routes I have to make an early decision on doors and side wall height.

If I take door #3 (diy) I still have to make the same choice just not quite as quickly. For some of you midwesterners what side walls and door dimensions do you prefer and why? Currently leaning towards a 40x80x14 with in line (pull thru)16' doors (80' way) and one 12' door also in the end wall.

I was just told the other day that 14' side walls won't cut it for pulling in bigger equipment. Although I am currently share cropping and my riding mower will quite easily fit in a 14' wall I do not want to under build as it is not that expensive to add 2 more feet . Although anything adds up quickly at the current price of lumber.

Also weighing my options of doors themselves with garage style, single slider barn door or double sliders. If I go sliders I may have to have my 12' door on the side wall instead of the end wall. Not a huge issue as I see it.

any regrets you guys have had post construction that I should avoid?


Some of your harvests on the soybean thread has me thinking I bought the wrong piece of ground!! Hoping the deer harvest goes better.

Always build bigger than you think you will need

This is what we had built, 36x72.

It's mostly for working cattle, with a heatible room.

A semi truck needs a 14’ clearance, and you can’t get a 14 ‘ door in a 14’ wall. I would not build anything that needs to be able to hold equipment with less than 14x 14’ doors. Even if you don’t plan on anything that big, it can become a negative for prospective buyers in the future.

Wall height is cheap. I’m not a fan of sliding doors. I like steel on pony walls. Matter of fact, next building is going to be full height concrete walls, but that’s a different story.

Lower wall poured?

Yes Barry, with cattle on both sides, it seemed better than fencing both sides.

Richard, that makes my cattle working facilities look awful primitive. I'm envious.

It's a long term investment James!

Wow


Mine are rather primitive. That is amazing Richard.

I'm working my way out of the cow biz, that looks like way too much work.

I want to see a picture of it a year from now with all the cowshit splattered on the ceiling

I'm not sure how cost effective it is?

It isn’t, until you start looking at the real cost of labor, the cost of injuries to people and livestock. I don’t know about you cow guys, but in my line of work, the people part of the business is getting more and more expensive and difficult to manage. The lack of available labor seems to be factoring into every investment and operating decision we make. Someone getting hurt would absolutely cripple us at this point.

Still to wet to pick corn, we are pluggin' away at fence on the south side of the barn.

The corral, it's not great, I guess it's OK.

Seldom does Dutch post something I don't agree with so I just figure it has already been said. I prefer sliding doors whenever possible. You can always build an external frame if the doors extend past the sidewall when open. Roll up doors are nice but like was said before the wall has to extend above the door. Roll up doors over 12' wide usually have to be wind rated and get very expensive. Additional height is probably the least expensive option you can add. Most of your expense is in the floor and roof. Wabigoon's concrete sidewalls were a good example of planning ahead for a cattle facility. They also work well for equipment sheds and shops.

Different strokes for different folks — but I’m curious why you prefer sliders.

I grew up with sliders and swing doors on the barns, and I dislike both of them for two reasons. One, they are a PITA to open and close in the winter time, either because of ice on the rails or snow buildup on the ground. Two, they are hard to get a good seal around. I’m usually heating the building, like in a shop or grow building. Even in an unseated shop, having dust, wind, snow or mice blow into the building is no fun.

Of course, the ice and snow issue may not factor very heavy in the decision in Arizona, lol.

The OP is in SE KS, we don’t always get snow in winter. If we do, it’s a few inches 2 or 3 times a winter, and usually melted off in a few days.