Wey Timber Frames

This job became more enjoyable the longer we were there, largely due to the relationship we have with the client. The property is in “horse country” in Maryland and is situated with an old house, some small outbuildings and now, a nice barn.
The original 40’ x 60’ bank barn was a beautiful structure that was hand hewn and magnificent in its day. There was a not so magnificent, 30’ x 80’ addition out the back side that was pretty run down and in need of more than just repair.
We were hoping to take down the addition and rejuvenate the original barn but we found upon further investigation that it would be prohibitively expensive and impractical due to extensive rot and compromised joinery. The old barn and addition were meant to house horses with the stalls below in years past, but that time was over now.
We reluctantly decided it would be best to raze the old barn and raise a new one on the same foundation. Our client loved the original stone work and wanted to leave it intact but wanted the barn to have less of a massive visual impact on the property.
We decided to incorporate a shed roof section in that footprint which would pull the roof line down and give a more pleasing look. It also made room for a better view of the magnificent sunsets over the adjacent field.
We were the general contractors for this entire project. We removed the barns, repointed the foundation, ran new electric and water to the building, installed new footers in the intermediate bearing areas within the footprint and cut and erected the new frame.
We put the sliding doors inside to help with aesthetics, water infiltration and to make it easier to open the doors in the event of a large snow storm. The majority of barns have vertical siding, but we liked the way the horizontal looked in this case.
The frame is cut from hemlock. We had the timbers surfaced on four sides because of the way we were hoping to have it look inside; just a little finer than sawn. The most recent addition we have incorporated into the barn is the swing in the center hanging from the purlin. One of our most fun jobs and again an awesome client and friend!