Barn Frame Kits

"We use only barns in the very best condition for our Barn Frame Kits."

People are always calling me to look at their barns. Mostly because they aren't using it and it is in one way or another, a liability to them. They basically want it to be gone - and more importantly, that it doesn't cost them anything to have it removed.

"Hey, let's call Anchorbeam, they'll take it away for free". True, in most cases, providing there is enough good salvageable material inside. If the barn roof is still on it and not too many boards have blown off, it might just be worthwhile. Every barn is different, you never know what you're going to get. What was is that Forrest Gump said about a box of chocolate? Anyway, one thing never changes, my hope that this day I might find a Kit Barn!

Quite simply, a Kit Barn is one that is virtually in mint condition. It's whole life, 150 years or so, someone has kept very good care of it and loved it for what it is, a hand-crafted masterpiece of virgin old-growth timber. This to me is a true treasure. Before we even touch it, I'll crawl over every square inch looking for hidden problems, assessing it's integrity and what would be involved in repairing it. Usually nothing more than repairing a broken tenon or replacing a few missing braces. Then, I'll measure each component transferring this data onto a sketch of the entire frame to scale, essentially reproducing a set of building plans in order to reassemble this barn on another foundation for a clients barn/home conversion project.

Once the barn has been carefully surveyed we submit this information along with scaled drawings to The Timber Framers Guild in Becket Massachusetts, where it will be kept forever in a database of antique timber-framed structures for future generations to use as research.

Now the task of disassembly begins. We start at the top and work our way down. The last piece the original builders put on is the first one to come off. We remove the tin roofing first, then the roof board sheathing, and rafters. Next the barn siding comes off and the barn has now been 'skinned'. This is a really good time to get intimate with the frame. You can see everything, good and bad. Is this getting too personal?

Anyway, now we will tag each timber to correspond to the earlier sketches made. The pegs are then knocked back out from the direction they went in. We will bring in a large crane now to help us disassemble the heavy timber frame. All the material is carefully packaged for shipping and away she goes!

Giving these old barns another chance at a life fulfilled is what gives me most pleasure in my business. Creating a dream home for our clients comes in at a close second!

Thanks,
  Dave Pajot
  President
  Anchorbeam Timberworks Inc.

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