want to recycle a barn.

[mopinko]

so after much wrangling, the city of chicago is going to let me build a small barn on my microfarm.

since our really core principle here is sustainability, we would like to build it from recycled parts. it is pretty much a typical small scale barn, 40' x 25'.
the midwest is littered with dead and dying old barns. they can be had for little or nothing, you just have to take them down. there are companies that demolish your barn, or sell you parts from other barns. some even resaw old timbers to true them up.
there is also a great organization here that is deconstructing houses, so anything that i might need in that dept will be available, too. (love this place. the good old stuff, brass faucets and stuff like that, for pennies on the dollar.)

so, anyone have experience with working with recycled materials? am i buying myself extra headaches that will end up costing me more in the end?

[OffWithTheirHeads]

1. Good God, have you ben to a home improvment store recently?

The lumber they are selling now days is class A shit! Warped, twisted, full of knots and splits and the hardware is all made in China by people who are not paid enough to give a fuck. Parts are mismatched or missing pieces, the whole experience of re-modeling these days sucks the big one. You have to check and double check EVERYTHING! I would love to find a building materials re cycler here in Tucson.

Are you asking for trouble by buying re cycled? I doubt that you can buy yourself any more trouble than buying new.

This is from present day experience. I just bought a house and am gutting it. Hardly a day goes by when I don't have to make two trips to the hardware store to return something that was fucked up when I first bought it.

[mopinko]

3. yup.

just did a major rehab of the back porch on my home. picking through lumber piles for a straight fucking 2 x 4 was starting to drive me into depression. so f'ing annoying.

not a small part of my whole thinking.

[Kali]

4. the Habistore has some, and Gersons

and just saw that Originate has some recycled stuff as well. http://www.originatenbm.com/products/salvaged.html

Gersons - http://gersonsbuildingmaterials.com/

Habistore - http://www.habitattucson.org/habistore/

[OffWithTheirHeads]

6. Oh Hell yeah! Thanks! Looks like I'm going to have to take some time and go shopping!

[Adsos Letter]

7. I hear ya!

We're in the middle of remodeling this place. If I need decent wood I go to the local lumber yard. Costs more, though.

[lumberjack_jeff]

2. there are a lot of good reasons to do it

But saving money isn't one of them.
Also old lumber is weaker than comparable new lumber and building inspectors want to see grade stamps.

[mopinko]

8. well, i'd be happy to break even.

and you can always over engineer.
chicago is both trying to be green, and trying to support urban farms. especially if i can get some good deals. they will be hard pressed to give me shit, methinks. (already had my share, everyone agrees.)

it would be a statement, for sure, that i need to make. so, there's that.

[lumberjack_jeff]

9. In my experience, building codes are national.

Many building officials will require that the lumber used have a grade stamp that is consistent with what the plans dictated.

I love salvage and rough-sawn lumber too, but I've had limited success sneaking it into building projects.

Don't underestimate the supply of shit.

[X_Digger]

5. Not on that scale, no.. never been quite that ambitious.

I've used barn siding for various projects, and I've re-sawn barn timbers into planks and turning blanks for furniture.

I'd imagine that the hardest part would be finding one that's structurally sound, but able to be taken down and reassembled without losing the character- a timberframe with pegs and mortise and tenon would be perfect.

[mortenstorgaard]

10. Check back

Well interesting conversation, we're looking to build a tiny house entirely of used materials one day. Be sure to check back and let us know what you learn