Homestead structures

[Deberosa]

I found this on another site - instructions for a building that can be anything from a greenhouse to a dairy barn.

Anybody else have cool plans for homestead structures?

http://www.bright.net/~fwo/greenhouse/greenhouse.html

[longshot]

those are some great plans, i printed them off cause they would make a great hay shed.

another peice of the puzzell falls into place.


ls

[ryanmercer]

Thanks for sharing that awesome find!

[AlchemyAcres]

Excellent info!

I met F.W. Owen about 10 years ago...he used to be very active in dairy grazing.


~Martin :)

[LeatherneckPA]

Imagine that!? It looks very much like the tiny little greenhouse I built Cindy a few years ago, 8'x8'x8' gambrel trusses just like that. We actually spraing for a roll of greenhouse plastic and that lasted all of the 5 years she used it. Was guaranteed to last at least 10. That was when she got sick though and we got rid of it. Maybe time for a new one?

[Deberosa]

Wondered if this idea is too outrageous or not...

Daisy and T-Bone are doing fine in the lean to on the barn and barnyard this
winter but seems they put that old barn in the lowest part of the property
and it gathers tons of water!

I am getting some of the kits for angles for framing up a building because I
have no experience in building at all so this takes all of the angle issues
out of it. ;-) The three kits are enough for a 12 by 22 building, or any
combination of buildings.

I have a nice high and dry spot on my place that would be much better for
winter housing so I am thinking of building two 12 by 12 buildings with these
kits. One would have a regular door on each side and be for storing feed.
The other I would put 24 feet away with a 4 foot opening (no door) facing the
one door on the other building. Then I would use cattle panels (I have a
bunch of 8 ft ones) and put three each on either side connecting the two
buildings giving a 24 by 12 "run". The panels would open up on one side like a gate.
This I would put on the high ground on my place and I would put a 12 by 24
(little bit bigger) tarp from one roof top to the other over the run. I was
thinking of doing this by wrapping the tarp around two by 4's and then
fastening the two by four to the roof edges of each building.

I was going to make the walls 8 ft high - and sheath it with either plywood
or house siding, whichever is cheaper. It doesn't get that cold here, just
very very wet! I was going to put plywood on the roof and cover with roll
roofing.

Kurt and I are having a discussion about the flooring, he thinks there
should be a solid floor in the stall - like one inch plywood on runners, I am not
so sure - he thinks it would be easier to keep clean. I could feed with a
manger on the wall of the "feed shed" under the tarp so most poop should end up
in the run area for cleaning? I am leaning toward a deep straw bedding only
on the stall area - he didn't like the idea of stall mats, but then he
doesn't like most of my ideas. ;-) I think the plywood would just get all punky
in no time with urine. I was thinking of framing these buildings on runners
so I could pull them to different configurations and locations...

Another option would be to skip the cattle panels and let her have the
entire pasture all winter but still put the tarp between the buildings - maybe for
a shorter distance that I could span with some kind of wood frame...


Anyhow is this a crazy idea?

[AlchemyAcres]

I think I can kinda picture what you describe. :)

The plywood is a VERY bad idea...even with lotsa bedding it can be a problem....it gets super slick and dangerous!!! I also don't like the idea of the stall mats in an open pen for the same reason.

I'm in favor of givin' 'em as much room to run as possible...otherwise you'll likely end up with a major mud (poop) hole.

~Martin :)

[LeatherneckPA]

I am blessed with a fantastic sense of spatial perception. I can build entire kitchens in my head, so I have no problem visualizing what you are talking about.

Martin is absolutely correct about the plywood being a VERY bad idea. Between urine and feces working on it from the top, and ground moisture and worms working on from the bottom it will rot out very quickly. even if you lucked out and she never slipped and fell, sooner or later she is going to put a hoove through it and panic. That's going to cost money.

I am sorry you already sent for the kits. Building one of these sheds is no great obstacle, and one must start somewhere in their quest for self-sufficiency. You local Tractor Supply Company, Lowe's, or Home Depot is going to carry a book titled Building Small Barns, Sheds, & shelters by Monte Burch and Garden Way Publishing. this book can help you design and build virtually any building you might need on a small homestead. It even has plans for 6 barns, a root cellar, a smoke house, poultry, pig, and rabbit housing. Worth every penny of the price PLUS the gas to go buy it now, before you even start with your kits.

On skids is a great idea. 4' should be wide enough for the door and will minimize drafting. For conserving materials I believe you could probably get away with only 6' walls topped with a gambrel roof. After all, I doubt that your cow stands any taller than about 5'. I wouldn't bother with the cattle panels. Let them have the run of the entire pasture.

I've been reading a lot lately on rotational grazing, set stocking, and "managed intensive grazing". I think a simple three sided shed with a deep layer of straw (18-24") would suffice and you wouldn't have to move it. Just keep piling in fresh straw all winter long. In the spring you clean it out and you have aged manure/compost for the garden.

Google search those terms for a better idea of what I'm probably not explaining very well. But definitely go buy that book!

[machinemaker]

I agree on the plywood and add that I have seen animal chew it and also that when they do put a foot through it it breaks so that the splinters are like a barbed hook and they can't get their leg back out and panic. but OSB wont do that, but still gets slick
kent

[Deberosa]

Good, I can safely nix the plywood idea! ;-)

I am with you guys and I think a whole lot of straw and put more in all winter is the best - works for chickens so why not cows? *Then I can pull the shed to the side in the spring and scoop up all the goodies! *Kurt has this idea of needing to clean it down to the base regularly.

I was wondering about height. *The cows are only 4 ft tall so 6 ft at the sides should be plenty.

Since I figure confining them is not so good, I can set the sheds side by side or any configuration really - maybe have a larger eave on one shed and feed under that eave to get things out of the wet. *Then the stall would only be for sleeping and won't get so messy anyhow.

Leather, it was a book from the feed store got me started on this idea. ;-) *But I had How to Build Animal Housing. *Great ideas and SOME diagrams... * ::) *I like to visualize the complete design and how it goes together and the diagrams just leave out the most important parts where things are connecting! *It's like "and then a miracle happens". ;-) *Being a novice who has never really built anything I just can't see how it goes together and then Kurt and I end up debating on how to get it to work. *;D * I thought building these with the connectors for the first project will help me to see how things go together for future projects. *I 'll look for the other book too - I went through all of my books and the web and can't find a good step by step pattern for a novice.


Thanks for the input!

Just had another idea - I could make a temporary wind break for the front side of the stall - just a sheet of plywood supported by t posts on both sides - that way I could just remove it and shovel out the compost in the spring with the tractor! If the peak was facing that wall (and it should for rain run off) then the tractor would fit in there nicely with 6 foot walls.

[LeatherneckPA]

Deberosa, pick up any Sunset Publishing book on backyard structures or sheds. They do a nice job on the basics. If you ordered the kind of kit I suspect you did you won't learn much from it. It will consist of steel sleeves into which you will insert pieces cut to lengths they tell you to, they are square cuts. No angles, little if any joinery. Some are just plates that you bolt pieces to.

Anybody with a minimal interest can build a decent shed using the Sunset books. Look at issues of Family Handyman magazine. Also good basics, and they color code the illustrations.

[Deberosa]

Deberosa, pick up any Sunset Publishing book on backyard structures or sheds. *They do a nice job on the basics. *If you ordered the kind of kit I suspect you did you won't learn much from it. *It will consist of steel sleeves into which you will insert pieces cut to lengths they tell you to, they are square cuts. *No angles, little if any joinery. *Some are just plates that you bolt pieces to.

Anybody with a minimal interest can build a decent shed using the Sunset books. *Look at issues of Family Handyman magazine. *Also good basics, and they color code the illustrations.

Yes, I have a shelf full of sunset books on building and a garage full of tools I've accumulated. I guess I will just have to get some wood and experiment!

[johnjmw]

Since I am still trying to build my house, I keep going to www.earthshelter.com but they are kinda costly if you have the work done by others. One email from the company suggested that the finished home would be in the area of $100-$150 per square foot. I've looked into the price of the kits and the cost of cement and cannot see them being that high. One of the bigger models would be great as an underground barn or horse stable.

John

[solarman]

I designed and built my own solar cabin. Its 14x14 and aprx 200 sqft main floor and aprx 200 sqft loft. I have a bathroom with shower, large kitchen area, dining area for 4, and living area downstairs and a bedrrom and office upstairs. The cost to build was under $2000.

peace, LaMar

[cordwoodguy]

CORDWOOD IS AN EASY HOMESTEAD STRUCTURE TO BUILD.

CORDWOODGUY

[homesteadingnky]

Thanks for the link! We're going to build a greenhouse soon and this gives me something to chew on. I appreciate it!

Homesteading Dad

[WileyCoyote]

Now dat's whut ah'm talkin about!
I really like the double insulated walls. I had a Visqueen-covered homemade wooden greenhouse when I first started 12 years ago, but it rotted very quickly in the wind and hot sun, and tore easily in less than 4 years. It did ok while it was up, but then I went for the rippled hard plastic one, and it has been standing for over 8 years without a problem other than I have to bleach it every spring (after the plants are out) to clean off the green mold that grows inside and out. Since we are moving to where the winters are much colder and snowier, I have been racking my brain and swarming all over the Internet trying to figure out what to use that will be structurally sound and protective of my baby plants in all weathers. I want to build a "Zomerhaus" too - where I can grow and keep my tropicals and oranges in pots year round.

Debbie, Hubby and I have been discussing the pros and cons of barn flooring too. He wants a cement pad, but I don't like them under hay, cow poop and urine - I think it will become too slick as well and hold, not diffuse, the waste and fluid. I like dirt because it absorbs and diffuses. Not, obviously, though, where there is standing water! Can you bring in dirt and grade the dirt floor of your next shelter - slope it, maybe, to encourage drainage to the center?

We have pretty much decided on a cement pad under the tractor/workshop only, to provide for capture and containment of fluids and spills, and to give him a hard and secure surface on which to work.

[LeatherneckPA]

Wiley, the concrete floor is very hard on the feet of livestock also. Look at any professional stable. All of the stalls have packed earth floors over a pea gravel substrate, never concrete.

[WileyCoyote]

Thank you, leatherneck! Ah bin tellin him that, but he swears that he saw a larger milking operation where the stalls had cement floors.

[HockeyFan]

In the past, I've seen some reasonable little structures built with sturdy corner posts and filled in between with used pallets (which we can generally get cheap or even free). The great thing is, there are so many solutions and so many different types of needs on the homestead. and it all depends upon how much money you have to spend, or how much effort and time you have to spend. Either way, you can get what you want.

[LeatherneckPA]

Thank you, leatherneck! Ah bin tellin him that, but he swears that he saw a larger milking operation where the stalls had cement floors.
Wiley, those larger operations are on concrete because it's easier to clean and they don't give a hoot about their animals. Only thing that matters to them is production and less physical labor, neither of which is ussually good for the animals.

[mtnest]

If you are thinking to put the structure on raised footings/blocks, why not excavate under where the stalls will be positioned above, so that the ground slopes to specified areas outside the piremeters of the building. Pour the slope with cement( to ease "run off"), use "deck" style floor in the stalls so the urine can pass through to underneath and what solids you don't scoop can be hosed down through the floor. The cement slope below will direct the "run off" to areas out from underneath the barn so it can be scooped up and used. not sure I am describing this well at all.

[mtwildflower]

[ *You local Tractor Supply Company, Lowe's, or Home Depot is going to carry a book titled Building Small Barns, Sheds, & shelters by Monte Burch and Garden Way Publishing. *

Do you have that book and if so, do you have the ISBN#? If you go to half.com and punch in the ISBN, you can probably get that book for a fraction of the new price...and have a good chance of it being in excellent condition besides.

I love half.com