Expert: Richard Taylor, AIA - 7/4/2004

Question
My mother has a barn that is 20'long 10'wide and 15'high.  The barn is located in Texas. The floor is framed with 2X4's covered by 1" plywood floor, then a 2X4 plate and framed out with 2X4. Under the floor framing are 4X4 pressured treated in the center and a foot in from both side they don't run the entire distance of the barn but appear to go about half way.  They were used for leveling. On the far end one corner of the barn sits on the ground and the other side is on a 2X4 laid flat. The exterior 2X4 are rotting and the sidewalls are sagging.
What do you suggest?
Thanks,
Phil


Answer
Phil:

Thanks for your question!

Your first job is to determine the cause of the rotting 2x4s.  From your description, it doesn't sound as though there's any kind of masonry foundation.  If that's the case, you'll have to raise the barn and install one.

Any kind of wood set directly on the ground will eventually rot.  Some types of wood last longer than others, but generally, wood shouldn't be in contact with earth or anything that can conduct water into the wood.

It's not a large barn so moving it to install a foundation shouldn't be a very big job.  There are other options for supporting the barn; it could be supported on a pole-barn type frame, for example.  But without actually seeing the barn, I can't go any further with suggestions.

You should find someone in your area who's experienced in barn-building to look at it and give you an opinion on what's needed.

Hope this helps!

Richard Taylor, AIA
Richard Taylor Architects, LLC
www.rtastudio.com