We were skeptical at first. If we didn't have photoshop to really envision it in advance, then we likely wouldn't have gone that "bold".... But now that its winter, the yellow is really inviting and warm in the landscape.
Saunders, you never stops to amaze me. Such a team player. You are so thorough in your work. glad your parents were there to help you. Thank you papa and mama for helping your son.
You two are amazing! And Sander, you are a such detail person with brilliant mind and creativity. And love seeing how you work together. Thank you SO very much for your continual faithfulness and pursue of your future.
Wow, the barn is gorgeous and Sander is amazing! You guys really know how to work hard and get things done and they always look so nice and are well constructed. What a wonderful dad to spend so much of his time here helping his son - you can see where the work ethic came from. Bravo.
We are definitely really grateful for Sander's dad helping out. It was a grueling time to get through all that planing and he did no (com)plaining at all through the whole ordeal. Super helpful. And yeah, in hindsight, we probably should have outsourced that. That's the benefit of having a really clear plan from the get-go, which we didn't. But this is how you learn for the next reno or build! Thanks for watching.
Thanks so much. We look forward to adding to it as we go. Maybe not a next year project, but we're relieved the outside envelope is secured and finished.
My parents happily came to visit me and my daughter in Brant Rock, Ma and helped tremendously with the renovation of an old beach house. For me it was like the good old times were immediately back and we were experiencing the Dutch way in the USA. But you need to know code and it differs from town to town. We had an amazingly great building inspector and my father and him spent hours sharing information and experiences. Your both doing amazing work and deliver high quality durable work. Love watching all your progress with the land and buildings.
My home in Walden is clad in the same way as your barn. Fifty years (built 1972) and all buildings look like they built recently. Your right to not over paint. A flat finish solid stain can breathe. Overcoating reduces the ability to breathe and moisture could be trapped. Vertical batten lets water run off , unlike horizontal siding. Nice work !
Good to know that your cladding has stood the test of time! The upper home here is 30+ years old and made of cedar and has done well. And the barns that are old here without any treatment look great, provided that they have their roofs taken care of.
Hey Guys! I’ve been a long-time follower of yours, and I genuinely enjoy staying updated with all the beautiful inspiration you share. It warms my heart to see your creative endeavors come together from the most responsible hands. I was wondering if you have a Patreon page where I could support you all to help expand your budget a bit further or a donation page.
Hi Andrew, thanks for taking the time to watch and to consider giving. We have a "Membership" here, for which you can join at whatever level you feel comfortable with. Just go to the main page ruclips.net/user/flockfingerlakes and hit "Join" and you'll see the levels. Thank you again for considering! We appreciate it.
@ Id love to sign up for that. Do you guys get 100% of it? My one issue is I don’t see the join button on this channel. I see it on other channels I follow. But for some reason it isn’t showing up for me.
Whew, I don’t think most people would put so much thought into protecting the integrity of this building. Makes this renovation so much more interesting but time consuming at the same time. My white elephant greenhouse pales in comparison.🐘
Yeah, we are definitely sticklers for detail and quality. Don't think many contractors would have put up with us! thanks for taking note and for taking the time to watch the process.
Yay I’m commenting some love quickly before I get back to my gardens I’ve saved this to watch with some cold cuts on this hot Australian night ❤ can’t wait to watch this I’ve been waiting for ages
I'd recommend 20,000 litre underground water reservoir tanks - under all the gravel, so that you can save all off the shed roof. Maybe it could supply all the water for the meadow house and the greenhouses. You have the space for it.
It's definitely an interesting consideration. I think if this were a new build we would have considered it, but the stability of the 'driveway' and gravel base is super solid, I think from all that usage when it was a nursery and the previous construction, that we would hate to have to dig it all up again (and the costs associated with the digger, which is something we'll highlight in the next video). We may consider a more above ground rain collection system for the greenhouse, but it may not be necessary entirely because we have both water and electricity and back-up all hooked up there, again from the previous owners.
Did you mention adding some solar panels to the south side of the barn roof? It would help with powering the greenhouse fans and lights if you also install a battery and eventual have EV carts or vehicles. Lastly I am sure you are aware, there are some people that have greenhouses in cold climates that do sand batteries underneath for temp stabilization so they can grown fruit and veg year round. With some solar, add a windmill to the property, sand battery, and add heating with proper airflow and you'd have a really great space to produce food and plants in a controlled, pest controllable green space.
Yeah, we're really considering solar panels on the south side roof. It's honestly the only place on the land where it really makes sense at this stage. We're maybe looking to replace the roof in 5-10 years, so imagine it would be around that time. And not sure when we would get to the greenhouse, 2 years if we're lucky? But interesting on the sand battery part. We'll definitely look into that. We're scheduled to see more greenhouse builds to see how they are constructed. Not saying that we would do the best ideas on this building given how it's already built, but it's nice to understand what's out there. Thanks for giving us more food for thought!
We considered a rain barrel but the barrel would have to be so massive because the roof square footage is so large, and then you would be dealing with such a large barrel in the field of view (maybe a 1200 gal would be needed for ~ $1400?). Burying one was not necessarily an option either because it would involve more excavation and the ground was already so solid in the area for cars and heavy equipment. Plus we have a hose hookup right there, so it just becomes extra.
great build! I work in the building industry and just an FYI that hoizontal furring or battens are generally not recommended directly against the siding as it can trap water and prevent it from draining down the wall.
Please consider linseed oil paint. Yes it costs more, but oh, man, is it worth it. I’ve been maintaining old properties for almost 50 years and wish I’d found it sooner. Other paints and stains just don’t last. A great company (I have no vested interest) is Earth and Flax in someone’s home state of Pennsylvania!
Wow, thanks for the tip. That looks like a really interesting option for future buildings. Love to test it. We have another "stain" that literally petrifies the wood (and you never supposedly have to refinish it)-slowly swapping minerals for wood, but it's limited to the natural wood color. Still have to test that too.
Wow, wow, wow, love, love, love 🙏🙏🙏 (I thought you'd want to store the rain water for when you're growing plants near the barn, even a natural pond/dam that could look pretty at the same time!)
We're fortunate because there's actually a water retention pond right in the back of the barn + we have a hose hook up at the barn, so we ruled out the need for rainwater collection in a barrel, which would have required at least a 1200 gal rain container that would have had to blockade the barn somewhat (and not all of those beefy rain barrels are the most aesthetic, unfortunately). Burying it was eliminated too because the foundation/pad around the barn in that section was super solid and the additional cost of the vessels + the digger work would have added probably $4000 - $10,000 more in cost. The whole landscape, luckily, was designed to hold and maintain water (see video here: ruclips.net/video/UOcBhvNvSDc/видео.html), so it's just about zooming out and seeing the larger picture of landscape water retention. Not ruling it out in the future, but given the priorities at the moment, we didn't see the need to invest in that and instead wanted to ensure that the water (no matter how much or how little) would drain well around the barn so there would be no standing water, which was a major issue in the past, esp. since flooding is more of an issue in this region vs droughts. What we did, however, in the new ditches around the barn is seed a biodiverse palette of native rain garden / swale plants, so it'll be interesting to see what comes up next year, seeing that we seeded in fall.
I had to look up the color of the year. Mocha Mousse would have not made the cut: too peachy and saturated. Our color-choosing process is sometimes excruciating-going back and forth to the paint store countless times ever tweaking the shade of color and always bringing in a side of the building to see what the paint looks like on the actual substrate. haha. I think the paint store knows we mean business when we walk the siding of the house into the door. ;)
Love, love, love the idea of a greenhouse! Definitely take advantage of the southern exposure, especially during winter months! Are solar panels being discussed? There’s a lot of roof space. I so appreciate your videos!
Collecting rain water on the West Coast California is ideal and necessary. How about on the East Coast? The surface area of your barn would provide significant reserve water and could be plumed into the main house and meadow house with cost savings and high quality water without some of the components that are consistently used by water district treatment plants that serve the purpose for keeping out dangerous contaminants but are not desirable for human consumption.
The landscape as a whole was designed as water catchment (refer to water mgmt video here: ruclips.net/video/UOcBhvNvSDc/видео.html if curious) and we are in a rural area and have four massive ponds and four wells, so have our own water system....Meaning, we're not on municipal water or sewage treatment plants luckily)...If anything, this region has a high water table and is typically susceptible to flooding (opposite I suppose of the majority of CA). We talked about rainwater catchment on the barn, but have a hose hook-up right there and one of the ponds collecting water and we would need at least a 1200 gal tank and couldn't really justify putting one in front of the barn; burying was potentially an option, but would have added so much extra digger costs and the area around the barn was really solid as far as foundation goes, that it didn't really make sense to do it. At least in this instance.
04:20 "...with those old barns usually they're falling apart...but you know it's just not a solid structure that will last like for millenia... 😮😳😵💫...!!! I've never heard anyone that is supposed to be all about "natural" and "sustainable" living ever getting something so incredibly wrong and then repeating those inaccuracies publicly...???...!!!...Just about everything in the above statement is utterly inaccurate and not reflect now or historically... MOST BARNS...are if speaking of the historical examples I have seen and/or worked on around the globe from Japan to the North America. They greatly surpass the sustainability and durability of this toxic archtiecture you have chosen to go with... I state that as a professional in the natural and historical design and construction industry who has been part of helping countless people at this point in my 40 plus year career with such architecture who took..."those old barns"...that people are neglecting and repurposed hundreds of them for clients all over the country...to last centuries more...as well as...being a Barnwright myself (et al) I have built many replicas such as the 1840's carriage barn I working on now in Wisconsin. With who you are, as a group claiming to be...what you tend to focus on as individuals and a group (aka "Flock") I was rather shocked to see such a grossly industrial, not sustainable and dysfunctional form of modern archtiecture being built as part of your complex...!!!...???...THAT WILL NOT LAST MILLENIA...AT ALL...as I have already taken down countless failed modern industrial "Pole Barns" and replaced them with actual traditional (and natural) timber frames resting only on stone plinth foundations...The same foundation holding up the oldest wooden archtiecture in the world at nearly 2000 plus years in continued service with the oldest undocumented one (now destroyed due to war) in Syria at 7000 years old... This type of grossly industrial architecture, the materials and methods employed are some of the leading causes for buildings post WWII to be the leading cause of building sickness, and in short order, needing major repair or replacement...YET...???...all around the countryside of this world...and most certainly the "finger lakes region"...there are countless examples of barns and farmhouses over 200 years old and in excellent operational order being virtually the apex of what "natural building" and sustainability in architecture did and should look like if anyone is sincerely interested in having a small carbon footprint and promoting more sustainable lifestyles. I know this region well and had lived there for decades, working on barns, building them and helping others do the same...You have so many Timberwrights in your area that from where your standing there is at least 25 that I know of that are in driving distance... Very little to nothing in this video is something I would ever do or recommend to my clients nor have I in the 40 plus years of designing and facilitating natural and historical architecture...If this is the trend for this Channel and "Flock" in general I'm done as a subscriber...and certainly can't recommend anything in the realm of architecture you seem to now be about...Count me very disappointed...🥺😪😭
What Sander shared is that we too gravitate to the old barns in the area here, but if they aren't up kept (like having their roof replaced or foundation repaired, as he shared), then they easily fall into disrepair and it gets more and more complicated to restore them. That is unfortunately the reality for a lot of barns in this area here. One just down the road, which was an old train station barn, had been removed for that reason. (But then, in the same right, you have other barns like this one we filmed, ruclips.net/video/aFImmLEFch0/видео.html - which when taken care of, are maintained, but it of course requires lots of hard work and money too). The first land that we looked at had a barn from the 1800s and it was SO cool-lots of character, but we realize now that it would have been a BEAST to get it fully repaired / restored to its original glory. We obviously didn't end up with that property or barn. That is of course, comparing it to this pole barn, which was built prior to us coming here, but only maybe 10 years ago. Now, of course, any structure can fall into disrepair if it's not taken care of, but luckily for us, this was in very, very good shape and was designed to accept lots of dump truck traffic. The people before us took care of it, we just didn't like the look of the metal cladding, so we removed it for hemlock siding instead. Now, would we have chosen to construct the barn this way if we had to build it from scratch? Probably not. But we're just grateful to have a barn in good condition and one that we can simply clad to get the aesthetic look that we enjoy while still having the functionality. For us, it's the combination of practicality with working with what we already have vs. tearing a perfectly fine structure down and rebuilding. As Sander shared, trying to build this building from scratch would have probably been more than the cost that we bought the land for with all the structures.
It also seems as if you think we built the structures on the land from scratch, which isn't the case. There are 5 buildings that came with the land (none of them historic) and we've just been renovating them slowly as we can, working with what we have. This is our first renovation, which was the old nursery office: ruclips.net/video/XeTJmuLMwOk/видео.html and the kitchen reno: ruclips.net/video/fYp0LTq51Ao/видео.html, and it was a great learning experience, particularly for Sander, because he can really see how the buildings were built and work within the context / building footprint of the pre-existing building. Again, would we have built the building in that way if building it from scratch? Probably not. But for us, it seems to be a much more practical, sensible and sustainable approach to work with the original building vs. tearing it down and starting all over again. And we actually brought in barn historian and builder Rick Lazarus (from this video; ruclips.net/video/aFImmLEFch0/видео.html) and consulted with him on what we were thinking in regards to re-cladding, and he shared for what we're using it for it seemed a sensible approach, which is always good to have confirmation. But In your last paragraph, you mention, "Very little to nothing in this video is something I would ever do or recommend to my clients nor have I in the 40 plus years of designing and facilitating natural and historical architecture." - So I would be curious, if a client came to you and said, "I have this pre-existing pole barn that was built 10 years ago, seems to be in great condition, solid structure, cement floor, we're using it to build our current renovations in... but I don't care for the metal cladding on it and have $30,000 to do some aesthetic changes and work on water drainage"- what would you direct them to do?
@@FlockFingerLakes To be clear and transparent, I was overly shocked by this video, and I own 100% of that emotional reaction. Perhaps counter productive, yet also nothing in my comment “technically” that I would step back from. I sincerely thank you for the reply and for engaging on this topic… To your points and in order. No, I did not think you had this built but rather inherited it with the property. The way it is being finished off is not in line with what…”I thought”...(???)...your general ethos was and/or is. You're using all modern industrial materials (it would seem) rather than trying your very best to avoid all these or supporting the industries that manufacture them very often at nature’s expense and their ever expanding profit margins because of it. I have zero issue with the renovation or needing to augment the architecture “in situ” that you must to fit your needs. However, the means and methods, that is another topic entirely… Video one, all in all, I can more than see that you tried your best with what you “think” you understand and know about the many topics you commented on. I did not comment then as it was pointless as the work is done, and it is a common practice today for folks that “go back to country living” after living in urban cultures most or the majority of their lives (guessing at that on my part) typically do renovation work this way. What I often call suffering from "This Old House Syndrome" which is a TV show that has led to more vintage homes being destroyed than actually restored as those standards not only do not meet UNESCO criteria (what I follow in restoration work) nor are they allowing in Europe on historic vernacular architecture. In general not bad work at all, but certainly not the means and methods again that I would recommend or that I facilitate/teach. Video two, is you doing the work, and aesthetically, there is little to fault with your taste or “design eye,” at all. Again some elements I would do differently for sure, but that is a “design perspective” and certainly not a criticism for the general work done “craft wise” which was/is excellent… As for “building from scratch” and “probably not” doing so, that gives me solace and hope, as does this conversation and your response. As for “practical and sensible approach to work,” that is a matter of really taking a step back and asking what are these methods we are using? What are they rooted in…traditional natural methods…or…modern industrial methods? I would not have you ever “tear down” an existing structure as this only expands a carbon footprint but the methods, means, and materials employed to “renovate” and repurpose modern architecture is critically important if one is on the path of natural sustainable architectural methods. Video 3 was interesting and I had not gotten an update by “Boobtube” of its release as I’m rather diligent in watching your ever expanding channel. I have never met Rick in person, but have known of him for about a decade plus through mutual connections and my friend Jan Lewandoski. The general presentation of that video, and its message was excellent…again perhaps…(?)...why I felt the current work on the pole barn is going in a more industrial rather than natural and traditional proven path. I can more than respect Rick's work in this field, yet by his own description he grew up in the city and went to prep schools and came to this as a “DIYer” mostly with roots in “pool concrete work” which is a material in this day and age I will have nothing to do with other than what a client has already locked themselves into since OPC cements are a leading cause to this planets compromised water, and air quality. My “roots” are completely different than Rick’s as I have an ecology and field biology background, grew up traditionally, and germane to this conversation is the fact that I grew up near a Japanese tea house carpenter ( 数寄屋大工 “sukiya-daiku") then from age 13 till 23 apprentice with old order Amish as an actual Barnwright before joining the Marines and getting to travel and study timber framing overseas in my free time. So my bias, I will own, is very strong about what is sustainable, natural and traditional in context to vernacular architecture and its means of facilitation…as I renovated my first historic home that I purchase at age 17, designed and built my first timber frame "solo" at 19 and by my 30 was well versed in several vernacular forms of folk timber architecture (my specialty) of both North America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Per your query (thank you for asking) of, “...if a client came to you and said, "I have this pre-existing pole barn that was built 10 years ago, seems to be in great condition, solid structure, cement floor, we're using it to build our current renovations in…but I don't care for the metal cladding on it and have $30,000 to do some aesthetic changes and work on water drainage"- what would you direct them to do?...” First, I would have to see the structure in person, and meet with those people that would be doing (or wanting to do) the work themselves, which is my preferred client/student type. Then we would collectively assess where current skills are, what (if any) the pressing time line might be, what are the local natural material in the way of earthen cobs, plaster, timber, stone and related natural resources. Because concrete has become this insidious and ubiquitous material it is common to find these “slabs” poured just about everywhere and I often have them removed as standing and work on these, either as a human or for livestock is horrid for long term joint and body health (feel free to ask an orthopedist medical provider what they think of working and standing on concrete long term.) I would replace the floor with wood, gravel and/or earthen style like...三和土 “tataki.” If it was more cost effective (and often is) I would just “float” a wood floor similar to the “threshing floor” in the third video that you pointed to and Rick stated he did not know about the actual history of the construction if it was the farmer but he suspect a “professional” crew, which historically was actually the farmer or some other “‘barnwright” within that community. From there we would examine the goals (long term) for the pole barn to be repurposed and what general aesthetic you, as the client, wished to achieve. Often adding to the structure with actual timber frames as most of the $30K would go toward only the material costs project as I presume you would do most of the work yourselves. This is, of course, not a complete answer but thorough enough for my pedantic reply on the topic…LOL! Again thank you sincerely for your reply, and taking my "overreaction" in good form, by asking questions. Feel free to reach out any time if you have more questions as I've often wanted to visit when I was living and working in Altamont, N.Y. with several timber frame companies such as the Antique Barn Company, out of Orford, New Hampshire (see Don Polaski) et al. If your goals are truly "natural and sustainable" in nature, and not aimed at "profit" my work is "pro-bono" and I only charge for expenses incurred be that design or actual construction on site.
I am continuously amazed by the level of thoughtfulness you all incorporate into every project. Saunder is brilliant, such a talented craftsman.
Wonderful to see the process!
That yellow is so cheerful.
It makes the barn come alive❤.it.
We were skeptical at first. If we didn't have photoshop to really envision it in advance, then we likely wouldn't have gone that "bold".... But now that its winter, the yellow is really inviting and warm in the landscape.
Saunders, you never stops to amaze me. Such a team player. You are so thorough in your work. glad your parents were there to help you. Thank you papa and mama for helping your son.
Wonderful choice of colors. I love how professional the quality of work you both do. Nice Job!
Thanks so much. We really appreciate attention to detail.
Amazing transformation!
You both do not shy away from hard work..great job
It was a challenging project for sure, but now that it's done, we can be really proud of all the effort that went into it. Thank you.
You two are amazing! And Sander, you are a such detail person with brilliant mind and creativity. And love seeing how you work together. Thank you SO very much for your continual faithfulness and pursue of your future.
Thank you for writing such a lovely missive.
Beautiful barn
Thank you so much !
Wow, the barn is gorgeous and Sander is amazing! You guys really know how to work hard and get things done and they always look so nice and are well constructed. What a wonderful dad to spend so much of his time here helping his son - you can see where the work ethic came from. Bravo.
We are definitely really grateful for Sander's dad helping out. It was a grueling time to get through all that planing and he did no (com)plaining at all through the whole ordeal. Super helpful. And yeah, in hindsight, we probably should have outsourced that. That's the benefit of having a really clear plan from the get-go, which we didn't. But this is how you learn for the next reno or build! Thanks for watching.
Huge project. Great results. It will get better and better with every future project. Bravo.
Thanks so much. We look forward to adding to it as we go. Maybe not a next year project, but we're relieved the outside envelope is secured and finished.
Great job you guys , do you like barn quilts? That d be a neat addition too
Had to look that up. What a Cool idea.
We're imagining a modern day hex sign on the outside designed by one of our friends, which would likely take the place of the barn quilt idea.
My parents happily came to visit me and my daughter in Brant Rock, Ma and helped tremendously with the renovation of an old beach house. For me it was like the good old times were immediately back and we were experiencing the Dutch way in the USA. But you need to know code and it differs from town to town. We had an amazingly great building inspector and my father and him spent hours sharing information and experiences. Your both doing amazing work and deliver high quality durable work. Love watching all your progress with the land and buildings.
It's just lovely when family comes together to chip in. Thanks for sharing your personal experience with your own; sounds like fond memories.
Amazing!
Love it. Very inspiring!
My home in Walden is clad in the same way as your barn.
Fifty years (built 1972) and all buildings look like they built recently.
Your right to not over paint. A flat finish solid stain can breathe. Overcoating reduces the ability to breathe and moisture could be trapped. Vertical batten lets water run off , unlike horizontal siding.
Nice work !
Good to know that your cladding has stood the test of time! The upper home here is 30+ years old and made of cedar and has done well. And the barns that are old here without any treatment look great, provided that they have their roofs taken care of.
Hey Guys! I’ve been a long-time follower of yours, and I genuinely enjoy staying updated with all the beautiful inspiration you share. It warms my heart to see your creative endeavors come together from the most responsible hands. I was wondering if you have a Patreon page where I could support you all to help expand your budget a bit further or a donation page.
Hi Andrew, thanks for taking the time to watch and to consider giving. We have a "Membership" here, for which you can join at whatever level you feel comfortable with. Just go to the main page ruclips.net/user/flockfingerlakes and hit "Join" and you'll see the levels. Thank you again for considering! We appreciate it.
@ Id love to sign up for that. Do you guys get 100% of it?
My one issue is I don’t see the join button on this channel. I see it on other channels I follow. But for some reason it isn’t showing up for me.
Whew, I don’t think most people would put so much thought into protecting the integrity of this building. Makes this renovation so much more interesting but time consuming at the same time. My white elephant greenhouse pales in comparison.🐘
Yeah, we are definitely sticklers for detail and quality. Don't think many contractors would have put up with us! thanks for taking note and for taking the time to watch the process.
I love that man!
Yay I’m commenting some love quickly before I get back to my gardens I’ve saved this to watch with some cold cuts on this hot Australian night ❤ can’t wait to watch this I’ve been waiting for ages
It took us ages to finally do but alas, it's finally clad. Good luck gardening in the heat! It's cold here now.
Love the YELLOW
I'd recommend 20,000 litre underground water reservoir tanks - under all the gravel, so that you can save all off the shed roof. Maybe it could supply all the water for the meadow house and the greenhouses. You have the space for it.
It's definitely an interesting consideration. I think if this were a new build we would have considered it, but the stability of the 'driveway' and gravel base is super solid, I think from all that usage when it was a nursery and the previous construction, that we would hate to have to dig it all up again (and the costs associated with the digger, which is something we'll highlight in the next video). We may consider a more above ground rain collection system for the greenhouse, but it may not be necessary entirely because we have both water and electricity and back-up all hooked up there, again from the previous owners.
@@FlockFingerLakes Underground storage systems don't have to be that close to the source. You could harvest an awful lot of water from the barn roof.
Very cool, the taupe looks great
Thank you. It's a beautiful tone, particularly set in the landscape. Love it with the fall foliage.
Congratulations!!!! Saunders you are Great 😊
Did you mention adding some solar panels to the south side of the barn roof? It would help with powering the greenhouse fans and lights if you also install a battery and eventual have EV carts or vehicles. Lastly I am sure you are aware, there are some people that have greenhouses in cold climates that do sand batteries underneath for temp stabilization so they can grown fruit and veg year round. With some solar, add a windmill to the property, sand battery, and add heating with proper airflow and you'd have a really great space to produce food and plants in a controlled, pest controllable green space.
Yeah, we're really considering solar panels on the south side roof. It's honestly the only place on the land where it really makes sense at this stage. We're maybe looking to replace the roof in 5-10 years, so imagine it would be around that time. And not sure when we would get to the greenhouse, 2 years if we're lucky? But interesting on the sand battery part. We'll definitely look into that. We're scheduled to see more greenhouse builds to see how they are constructed. Not saying that we would do the best ideas on this building given how it's already built, but it's nice to understand what's out there. Thanks for giving us more food for thought!
Looks fantastic ! Where the gutter comes down, a water butt would look good and be useful in collecting water for the planters.
We considered a rain barrel but the barrel would have to be so massive because the roof square footage is so large, and then you would be dealing with such a large barrel in the field of view (maybe a 1200 gal would be needed for ~ $1400?). Burying one was not necessarily an option either because it would involve more excavation and the ground was already so solid in the area for cars and heavy equipment. Plus we have a hose hookup right there, so it just becomes extra.
Looks very dutch proper.
You could always put window tint on the door windows inside and out
He likes yellow, he loves GOOOLD!
great build! I work in the building industry and just an FYI that hoizontal furring or battens are generally not recommended directly against the siding as it can trap water and prevent it from draining down the wall.
Nice.❤
Beautiful barn. !!!!🍒🌲😎
Glad you like it. It's just a start for this building, but we're glad its clad before the winter.
Please consider linseed oil paint. Yes it costs more, but oh, man, is it worth it. I’ve been maintaining old properties for almost 50 years and wish I’d found it sooner. Other paints and stains just don’t last. A great company (I have no vested interest) is Earth and Flax in someone’s home state of Pennsylvania!
Wow, thanks for the tip. That looks like a really interesting option for future buildings. Love to test it. We have another "stain" that literally petrifies the wood (and you never supposedly have to refinish it)-slowly swapping minerals for wood, but it's limited to the natural wood color. Still have to test that too.
Wow, wow, wow, love, love, love 🙏🙏🙏 (I thought you'd want to store the rain water for when you're growing plants near the barn, even a natural pond/dam that could look pretty at the same time!)
We're fortunate because there's actually a water retention pond right in the back of the barn + we have a hose hook up at the barn, so we ruled out the need for rainwater collection in a barrel, which would have required at least a 1200 gal rain container that would have had to blockade the barn somewhat (and not all of those beefy rain barrels are the most aesthetic, unfortunately). Burying it was eliminated too because the foundation/pad around the barn in that section was super solid and the additional cost of the vessels + the digger work would have added probably $4000 - $10,000 more in cost. The whole landscape, luckily, was designed to hold and maintain water (see video here: ruclips.net/video/UOcBhvNvSDc/видео.html), so it's just about zooming out and seeing the larger picture of landscape water retention. Not ruling it out in the future, but given the priorities at the moment, we didn't see the need to invest in that and instead wanted to ensure that the water (no matter how much or how little) would drain well around the barn so there would be no standing water, which was a major issue in the past, esp. since flooding is more of an issue in this region vs droughts. What we did, however, in the new ditches around the barn is seed a biodiverse palette of native rain garden / swale plants, so it'll be interesting to see what comes up next year, seeing that we seeded in fall.
It's so funny how it matches the Pantone color of the year.
I had to look up the color of the year. Mocha Mousse would have not made the cut: too peachy and saturated. Our color-choosing process is sometimes excruciating-going back and forth to the paint store countless times ever tweaking the shade of color and always bringing in a side of the building to see what the paint looks like on the actual substrate. haha. I think the paint store knows we mean business when we walk the siding of the house into the door. ;)
Love, love, love the idea of a greenhouse! Definitely take advantage of the southern exposure, especially during winter months! Are solar panels being discussed? There’s a lot of roof space. I so appreciate your videos!
Maybe consider incorporating large rain barrels with the gutters. Free rain water for your future plantings and greenhouse! I love my rain barrels.
Beautiful. Will you put some bird-strike preventor stickers on the windows?
Collecting rain water on the West Coast California is ideal and necessary. How about on the East Coast? The surface area of your barn would provide significant reserve water and could be plumed into the main house and meadow house with cost savings and high quality water without some of the components that are consistently used by water district treatment plants that serve the purpose for keeping out dangerous contaminants but are not desirable for human consumption.
The landscape as a whole was designed as water catchment (refer to water mgmt video here: ruclips.net/video/UOcBhvNvSDc/видео.html if curious) and we are in a rural area and have four massive ponds and four wells, so have our own water system....Meaning, we're not on municipal water or sewage treatment plants luckily)...If anything, this region has a high water table and is typically susceptible to flooding (opposite I suppose of the majority of CA). We talked about rainwater catchment on the barn, but have a hose hook-up right there and one of the ponds collecting water and we would need at least a 1200 gal tank and couldn't really justify putting one in front of the barn; burying was potentially an option, but would have added so much extra digger costs and the area around the barn was really solid as far as foundation goes, that it didn't really make sense to do it. At least in this instance.
Bedec barn paint. Do it once and it will last 30 years.
Never heard of the brand. Had to look it up. But it only looks available in the UK.
04:20 "...with those old barns usually they're falling apart...but you know it's just not a solid structure that will last like for millenia...
😮😳😵💫...!!!
I've never heard anyone that is supposed to be all about "natural" and "sustainable" living ever getting something so incredibly wrong and then repeating those inaccuracies publicly...???...!!!...Just about everything in the above statement is utterly inaccurate and not reflect now or historically...
MOST BARNS...are if speaking of the historical examples I have seen and/or worked on around the globe from Japan to the North America. They greatly surpass the sustainability and durability of this toxic archtiecture you have chosen to go with...
I state that as a professional in the natural and historical design and construction industry who has been part of helping countless people at this point in my 40 plus year career with such architecture who took..."those old barns"...that people are neglecting and repurposed hundreds of them for clients all over the country...to last centuries more...as well as...being a Barnwright myself (et al) I have built many replicas such as the 1840's carriage barn I working on now in Wisconsin.
With who you are, as a group claiming to be...what you tend to focus on as individuals and a group (aka "Flock") I was rather shocked to see such a grossly industrial, not sustainable and dysfunctional form of modern archtiecture being built as part of your complex...!!!...???...THAT WILL NOT LAST MILLENIA...AT ALL...as I have already taken down countless failed modern industrial "Pole Barns" and replaced them with actual traditional (and natural) timber frames resting only on stone plinth foundations...The same foundation holding up the oldest wooden archtiecture in the world at nearly 2000 plus years in continued service with the oldest undocumented one (now destroyed due to war) in Syria at 7000 years old...
This type of grossly industrial architecture, the materials and methods employed are some of the leading causes for buildings post WWII to be the leading cause of building sickness, and in short order, needing major repair or replacement...YET...???...all around the countryside of this world...and most certainly the "finger lakes region"...there are countless examples of barns and farmhouses over 200 years old and in excellent operational order being virtually the apex of what "natural building" and sustainability in architecture did and should look like if anyone is sincerely interested in having a small carbon footprint and promoting more sustainable lifestyles. I know this region well and had lived there for decades, working on barns, building them and helping others do the same...You have so many Timberwrights in your area that from where your standing there is at least 25 that I know of that are in driving distance...
Very little to nothing in this video is something I would ever do or recommend to my clients nor have I in the 40 plus years of designing and facilitating natural and historical architecture...If this is the trend for this Channel and "Flock" in general I'm done as a subscriber...and certainly can't recommend anything in the realm of architecture you seem to now be about...Count me very disappointed...🥺😪😭
What Sander shared is that we too gravitate to the old barns in the area here, but if they aren't up kept (like having their roof replaced or foundation repaired, as he shared), then they easily fall into disrepair and it gets more and more complicated to restore them. That is unfortunately the reality for a lot of barns in this area here. One just down the road, which was an old train station barn, had been removed for that reason. (But then, in the same right, you have other barns like this one we filmed, ruclips.net/video/aFImmLEFch0/видео.html - which when taken care of, are maintained, but it of course requires lots of hard work and money too). The first land that we looked at had a barn from the 1800s and it was SO cool-lots of character, but we realize now that it would have been a BEAST to get it fully repaired / restored to its original glory. We obviously didn't end up with that property or barn. That is of course, comparing it to this pole barn, which was built prior to us coming here, but only maybe 10 years ago. Now, of course, any structure can fall into disrepair if it's not taken care of, but luckily for us, this was in very, very good shape and was designed to accept lots of dump truck traffic. The people before us took care of it, we just didn't like the look of the metal cladding, so we removed it for hemlock siding instead. Now, would we have chosen to construct the barn this way if we had to build it from scratch? Probably not. But we're just grateful to have a barn in good condition and one that we can simply clad to get the aesthetic look that we enjoy while still having the functionality. For us, it's the combination of practicality with working with what we already have vs. tearing a perfectly fine structure down and rebuilding. As Sander shared, trying to build this building from scratch would have probably been more than the cost that we bought the land for with all the structures.
It also seems as if you think we built the structures on the land from scratch, which isn't the case. There are 5 buildings that came with the land (none of them historic) and we've just been renovating them slowly as we can, working with what we have. This is our first renovation, which was the old nursery office: ruclips.net/video/XeTJmuLMwOk/видео.html and the kitchen reno: ruclips.net/video/fYp0LTq51Ao/видео.html, and it was a great learning experience, particularly for Sander, because he can really see how the buildings were built and work within the context / building footprint of the pre-existing building. Again, would we have built the building in that way if building it from scratch? Probably not. But for us, it seems to be a much more practical, sensible and sustainable approach to work with the original building vs. tearing it down and starting all over again. And we actually brought in barn historian and builder Rick Lazarus (from this video; ruclips.net/video/aFImmLEFch0/видео.html) and consulted with him on what we were thinking in regards to re-cladding, and he shared for what we're using it for it seemed a sensible approach, which is always good to have confirmation. But In your last paragraph, you mention, "Very little to nothing in this video is something I would ever do or recommend to my clients nor have I in the 40 plus years of designing and facilitating natural and historical architecture." - So I would be curious, if a client came to you and said, "I have this pre-existing pole barn that was built 10 years ago, seems to be in great condition, solid structure, cement floor, we're using it to build our current renovations in... but I don't care for the metal cladding on it and have $30,000 to do some aesthetic changes and work on water drainage"- what would you direct them to do?
@@FlockFingerLakes To be clear and transparent, I was overly shocked by this video, and I own 100% of that emotional reaction. Perhaps counter productive, yet also nothing in my comment “technically” that I would step back from. I sincerely thank you for the reply and for engaging on this topic…
To your points and in order. No, I did not think you had this built but rather inherited it with the property. The way it is being finished off is not in line with what…”I thought”...(???)...your general ethos was and/or is. You're using all modern industrial materials (it would seem) rather than trying your very best to avoid all these or supporting the industries that manufacture them very often at nature’s expense and their ever expanding profit margins because of it. I have zero issue with the renovation or needing to augment the architecture “in situ” that you must to fit your needs. However, the means and methods, that is another topic entirely…
Video one, all in all, I can more than see that you tried your best with what you “think” you understand and know about the many topics you commented on. I did not comment then as it was pointless as the work is done, and it is a common practice today for folks that “go back to country living” after living in urban cultures most or the majority of their lives (guessing at that on my part) typically do renovation work this way. What I often call suffering from "This Old House Syndrome" which is a TV show that has led to more vintage homes being destroyed than actually restored as those standards not only do not meet UNESCO criteria (what I follow in restoration work) nor are they allowing in Europe on historic vernacular architecture. In general not bad work at all, but certainly not the means and methods again that I would recommend or that I facilitate/teach.
Video two, is you doing the work, and aesthetically, there is little to fault with your taste or “design eye,” at all. Again some elements I would do differently for sure, but that is a “design perspective” and certainly not a criticism for the general work done “craft wise” which was/is excellent…
As for “building from scratch” and “probably not” doing so, that gives me solace and hope, as does this conversation and your response. As for “practical and sensible approach to work,” that is a matter of really taking a step back and asking what are these methods we are using? What are they rooted in…traditional natural methods…or…modern industrial methods? I would not have you ever “tear down” an existing structure as this only expands a carbon footprint but the methods, means, and materials employed to “renovate” and repurpose modern architecture is critically important if one is on the path of natural sustainable architectural methods.
Video 3 was interesting and I had not gotten an update by “Boobtube” of its release as I’m rather diligent in watching your ever expanding channel. I have never met Rick in person, but have known of him for about a decade plus through mutual connections and my friend Jan Lewandoski. The general presentation of that video, and its message was excellent…again perhaps…(?)...why I felt the current work on the pole barn is going in a more industrial rather than natural and traditional proven path. I can more than respect Rick's work in this field, yet by his own description he grew up in the city and went to prep schools and came to this as a “DIYer” mostly with roots in “pool concrete work” which is a material in this day and age I will have nothing to do with other than what a client has already locked themselves into since OPC cements are a leading cause to this planets compromised water, and air quality. My “roots” are completely different than Rick’s as I have an ecology and field biology background, grew up traditionally, and germane to this conversation is the fact that I grew up near a Japanese tea house carpenter ( 数寄屋大工 “sukiya-daiku") then from age 13 till 23 apprentice with old order Amish as an actual Barnwright before joining the Marines and getting to travel and study timber framing overseas in my free time. So my bias, I will own, is very strong about what is sustainable, natural and traditional in context to vernacular architecture and its means of facilitation…as I renovated my first historic home that I purchase at age 17, designed and built my first timber frame "solo" at 19 and by my 30 was well versed in several vernacular forms of folk timber architecture (my specialty) of both North America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Per your query (thank you for asking) of, “...if a client came to you and said, "I have this pre-existing pole barn that was built 10 years ago, seems to be in great condition, solid structure, cement floor, we're using it to build our current renovations in…but I don't care for the metal cladding on it and have $30,000 to do some aesthetic changes and work on water drainage"- what would you direct them to do?...”
First, I would have to see the structure in person, and meet with those people that would be doing (or wanting to do) the work themselves, which is my preferred client/student type. Then we would collectively assess where current skills are, what (if any) the pressing time line might be, what are the local natural material in the way of earthen cobs, plaster, timber, stone and related natural resources. Because concrete has become this insidious and ubiquitous material it is common to find these “slabs” poured just about everywhere and I often have them removed as standing and work on these, either as a human or for livestock is horrid for long term joint and body health (feel free to ask an orthopedist medical provider what they think of working and standing on concrete long term.) I would replace the floor with wood, gravel and/or earthen style like...三和土 “tataki.” If it was more cost effective (and often is) I would just “float” a wood floor similar to the “threshing floor” in the third video that you pointed to and Rick stated he did not know about the actual history of the construction if it was the farmer but he suspect a “professional” crew, which historically was actually the farmer or some other “‘barnwright” within that community. From there we would examine the goals (long term) for the pole barn to be repurposed and what general aesthetic you, as the client, wished to achieve. Often adding to the structure with actual timber frames as most of the $30K would go toward only the material costs project as I presume you would do most of the work yourselves. This is, of course, not a complete answer but thorough enough for my pedantic reply on the topic…LOL!
Again thank you sincerely for your reply, and taking my "overreaction" in good form, by asking questions. Feel free to reach out any time if you have more questions as I've often wanted to visit when I was living and working in Altamont, N.Y. with several timber frame companies such as the Antique Barn Company, out of Orford, New Hampshire (see Don Polaski) et al. If your goals are truly "natural and sustainable" in nature, and not aimed at "profit" my work is "pro-bono" and I only charge for expenses incurred be that design or actual construction on site.