Clearspan Hoophouses

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dyates

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Does anyone have experience with these? You can see pictures at Farmtek.com. I am thinking of getting one of the pony wall buildings 38'x60' with end frames and roll up doors. I need a dual purpose building to store hay and occasionally run a few cows in. I might also occasionally pull something in to work on it, but no torches or grinders with the hay. They are cheaper than traditional pole barns and apparently much quicker to erect. I'm just looking for info as to how well they will last. Our place is like an experimental wind tunnel for NASA.
 
dyates":2b8hzvmi said:
Does anyone have experience with these? You can see pictures at Farmtek.com. I am thinking of getting one of the pony wall buildings 38'x60' with end frames and roll up doors. I need a dual purpose building to store hay and occasionally run a few cows in. I might also occasionally pull something in to work on it, but no torches or grinders with the hay. They are cheaper than traditional pole barns and apparently much quicker to erect. I'm just looking for info as to how well they will last. Our place is like an experimental wind tunnel for NASA.
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They are taking over here.
Cheaper than pole barns, although there are fewer configurations.
They don't add to property tax (in Indiana) because they are personal property and not an improvement to the real estate.
Con: Several went down in a big snowstorm during the winter of '06. Freaky storm which also collapsed some pole barns and frame barns. Ask your agent, but here they CAN be insured.
 
I know of several around here that have been up for ten years- still looking good
They made it thru several hurricane type winds- and one heavy snow(5 inches WET) load. The same snow brought down other traditional sheds in the area.
I noticed the darker green ones did better in the snow than the silver ones did- It melted and slid off faster.

I have an A frame with the same tarp on it- its lasted 15 yrs and seems to be ready to keep going- But we bought the same tarp to cover a "hay" stack- it ended up being long term storage. But that tarp only lasted two years before it disintegrated and turned loose in a big wind. I wonder if it not breathing underneath shortened its life.

All the buildings I mentioned were open sided.

Big bonus is the tax issue already mentioned
-When I checked them out several years ago the initial cost and tax savings wasn't enough to beat a traditional pole barn that you know will stand a good chance of being around in good shape for 30-50 yrs.
But with the price of lumber and tin now it may be different .
 
I've got one that I use to raise calves in(30x72) put up in 2003 . Been satisfied . I gave $2895 for it . I had mine finished with metal, poured concrete, electric and water had about $12000 in it when I got finished .

Larry
 

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