Stromberg Barn

Somewhere in Vermont

Summer 2005

My work on the barn finished on 10 September 2005 after reaching the goal of a finished roof.

The quick lowdown:

Perhaps the best innovation of the project was the Roof-a-majig, made from my folding ladder laid out with the hinge on the roof's ridge, and four swivel casters attached on each side. We used this device to roll out the roofing felt and ultimately decided it was the easiest way to carry roofing panels to where they would be installed. Here is a crazy movie of the Roof-a-majig in action.

mason's line tied to a batter board
apple tree in front of old barn
a small tractor digs up sod next to a barn
a blue tractor rides across a lawn
a bull sniffs some lumber
concrete pier form sitting in a hole
backfilled concrete pier form
a pile of dirt and rocks on a building site
building site with concrete piers
concrete piers in a line
large rocks on a building site
a guy stands next to stacked lumber holding a rope
a bald guy leans on a timber showing his tools
a barn building site
barn posts and beams raised in a row
post, beam, and knee brace
fingers hold a coin against the end of a timber
post about to be raised with rope and pulleys
vertical posts secured with angle bracing to the ground
beer cans and bottles inside a box beam
post and beam barn construction next to older barn
view down a series of posts and beams
view up at floor joists across beams
view from above floor joists with boards across them
looking out a window at a pile of planks
a planer in a wood shop
view through a door at flooring being laid
miter saw in the middle of a floor installation
plastic-covered futon
joist framing for a hatch in a floor
corner view of post and beam barn in progress
end view of post and beam barn in progress
a newly installed tongue and groove floor
tapered rafter tail with curved tip detail
bald guy on ladder next to rafters
crate lids attached to rafters
a guy places a crate lid on a roof
3 guys stand in front of a series of rafters
view of underside of roof eave
exterior view of roof construction in progress
looking out through rafters at blue sky
looking down a line of rafter tails
a guy pulls on a rope to hoist a truss
exterior view of roof construction in progress
a bald guy smiles next to a rafter
a bald guy straddles the end of a beam
interior view of a series of rafters
interior detail of rafters, ridge board, and collar tie
far
exterior corner view of barn construction in progress
close exterior view up at roof eave
a guy sits on a ladder with wheels to lay out roofing felt
a guy sits on a ladder with wheels to lay out roofing felt
a guy works on a roof
a guy works on a roof
black metal roofing partially installed on a barn
a guy screws down metal roofing
a partially constructed barn

2006 Updates

Christian has been sending photos of his progress for your viewing pleasure. Note his use of compact fluorescent light bulbs. The very heavy planer and shaper were hoisted through the purpose-built floor hatch. The chain hoist was hung from the reinforced roof trusses located over the hatch. Christian reports that there was no discernible deflection in the trusses even when hoisting the 600-pound planer.

interior of barn with electric lights
a planer hangs from a chain hoist
a jointer hangs from a chain hoist
interior view of partially constructed wall
a lawn tractor and trailer with a load of foam insualtion
outside view of a french door