We all seem to have personal connections with barns. They are a common thread that helps tie the southern Ontario landscape together. Whether it’s urban sprawl, modern farming or neglect, the odds are stacked up against an otherwise resilient structure and we lose more of them everyday. The timber frame barn is a such a great example of efficient structure and cannot be matched in function without great expense with modern building techniques. That’s why we’re committed to saving as many as possible.

We have two general barn services to offer; Barn repair and consultation. We like to keep our barn repair limited to within a one hour each way travel radius, whereas consultations can be done within a four hour radius. Certain exceptions may apply to these boundaries.

Barn Repair

Our barn repairs usually begin with a site visit. If you’re in the immediate area we can often swing by on short notice to look at the job. We focus mainly on the structural issues and repairs as related to the timber frame. We can make recommendations to foundation, roofing, and drainage repair and recommend contractors. While we strive to use traditional methods wherever possible, many of the structural repairs we do utilize dimensional lumber, threaded rod and bolt connections, cable when needed, and other off the shelf options to keep things practical.

Barn Consultation

We have been doing an increasing amount of consultations lately. Many clients have just purchased their property and are overwhelmed with the decision of “what to do with the barn?” Others are looking to purchase property with the intent to utilize the barn in some significant way and need a clear idea of what they are getting into. We have found there is a great value for the client to have someone with a trained eye to explain how the timber frame structure works and the forces working against it in their situation. Barns are massive structures and can easily absorb tens of thousands of dollars in repairs often in all the wrong areas, leaving the client frustrated and out of money and back to the question “what am I going to do with the barn?” A few hundred dollars spent discussing your situation followed by a detailed list of items to take care of can save you much more in the long run, and can ultimately save barns! On the other hand, knowing when to say “it’s not worth it!” can have the same effect.

Contact us for more information