If you’ve had an opportunity to live outside a major metro area, perhaps in the Midwest or the North East, you’ve probably seen properties that have been quaintly appointed with a structure that could be hundreds of years old. Barns are an amazing addition to any estate or farm. These structures, though magnificent, are often neglected. This neglect can lead to many hazards that we need to be aware of.
Interestingly, many new owners of a property with a barn do not intend to use it to house animals. What we often overlook is that those big stinky animals create enough heat to warm the building. If that is what the barn was originally used for, we might have a problem. Without that seemingly insignificant heat source, the foundation of could be affected by freeze-thaw cycles. In cold climates, this could ultimately result in foundation problems or structural issues. In this situation, the building will likely need to be updated in such a way to prevent these issues.