New pole barn

[STARSIX]

I am getting ready to build a shed, i have 17 cows , 1 bull and a horse.My plans were to build it 60 wide by 20 deep and use half for hay storage. Is this the best or should it be deeper and not so wide.
dont really think the cows will get in but i'm sure the horse will.

 

[Auburn_Ag]

I would build it longer, if you build a 40' x 30' that will still give you your orginal 1,200 square feet
40 feet is most common for the center area of pole barns. You could all ways come back and add side sheds and make the barn larger for a reasonalbe cost.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

I am getting ready to build a shed, i have 17 cows , 1 bull and a horse.My plans were to build it 60 wide by 20 deep and use half for hay storage. Is this the best or should it be deeper and not so wide.
dont really think the cows will get in but i'm sure the horse will.

Im sure the horse will too, and wont let the cows in if they wanted too, 20 ft aint very deep especialy with blowing rains and snow drift

 

[Bama]

The closer you get to a square the less material it will take to finish the sides. 60 wide x 20 deep is 160 feet around, 40 x 30 is 140 feet

 

[gertguy]

I would go 24'x 48' or 30'x 60'. Sixty foot wide makes for some long expense trust. Trust that long are also hard to get up.

 

[dun]

Check with your local suppliers/builder and find out what sizes are they're standards for trusses. We went with 32 wide because that was the longest truss available without going the special order route.

 

[cfpinz]

I would go 24'x 48' or 30'x 60'. Sixty foot wide makes for some long expense trust. Trust that long are also hard to get up.

The original poster was considering a 20' x 60' building. Why would you want to use 60' trusses? And for arguement's sake, consider trying to brace those 60' trusses with 20' of depth...

 

[bigbull338]

heres the deal.no matter what people say here.build the size that you can afford.as well as the size you think youll need.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

I would go 24'x 48' or 30'x 60'. Sixty foot wide makes for some long expense trust. Trust that long are also hard to get up.

The original poster was considering a 20' x 60' building. Why would you want to use 60' trusses? And for arguement's sake, consider trying to brace those 60' trusses with 20' of depth...[/quote :hat: i was thinking he was talking more of a slope shed. which be easy to do

 

[Susie David]

If I ever have to build another barn here is some of the things that I'd consider:
..Buy a pole barn kit or build it yourself from materials from the lumber yard.....the kits are surprizingly less expensive than one mighn't immagine and you can pretty much design it yourself and all the materials are delivered to your place, except the cement.
..IMO I'd go deeper than wide.
..I'd plan the poles so that I could use cattle pannels between them to make pens of varing sizes that are esaily changed just by moving a pannel.
..dirt floor or cement...huge price difference
..take into account the drainage of the property and make sure that the barn is located high enough to
drain away the rain and snow melt.
..Take into account the pervailing wind direction and locate the overhang(loafing area) on the lee
side, just like the cows to be out of the blowing sleet and rain.
..design the doors high enough so that a bale wagon can back in and stack your hay
..consider the runs for water and power
..design side doors, may not seem all that important but can be really handy if you pen animals in the
barn in bad weather.
The hard part is designing the ideal barn then trying to make the budget fit the plans.
Good luck to you.
DMc

 

[icandoit]

heres the deal.no matter what people say here.build the size that you can afford.as well as the size you think youll need.

Amen brother. The only thing I can add is, listen, read and take in advice that you get on this board because these people have been thru it all.............well, maybe not all, but, they've stepped in and had a few pies slap them in the mouth in thier lifetime...................

Dick

 

[6M Ranch]

I would go wider. When we built our barn, 42' was the cutoff before truss prices skyrocketed. Set posts on 6' centers. Plan for electricity, water and phone lines. A clear 12' path from end to end is nice for driving through. 36' width would allow for 12' x 12' pens on each side, and a 12' road through the middle. We thought about a hay loft, but it's cheaper to go bigger than higher. I don't think you can build a barn too big.

 

[T-Bro]

I don't think you can build a barn too big.

I agree with this statement. No matter how big you go, it won't be big enough.
BUT, don't build more than you can afford.

 

[STARSIX]

This is the what it looks like so far , decided to extend the front 12 feet more open on all sides .

 

[arkcowman]

Whenever you decide on your final size.... build it bigger than that.
Every barn I've ever built ended up being too small.

 

[kerley]

That is the barn I want. Was it bought from a metal barn dealer, or prefabbed on site.

 

[STARSIX]

I built it from scratch,, still needs a little bracing . it is 48 x 24

 

[harry]

" A big wife and a big barn never did any man any harm"

 

[donnaIL]

Whenever you decide on your final size.... build it bigger than that.
Every barn I've ever built ended up being too small.

I agree ..build it bigger.. We have 20x72 leanto's on our main hay barn and the 20' just doesn't seem deep enough, plus it is hard to clean out. i wish it was 10' deeper, would give them more room to move.