The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Buildings & planning => Topic started by: Jay2 on October 14, 2020, 12:27:46 pm
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I wonder if anybody on here can advise on whether or not this is a sensible idea?
We have recently purchased a smallholding with an, at a guess, 1950s ATCOST asbestos roofed pole barn with concrete uprights. The structure itself is in pretty good nick but is quite exposed on 2 sides.
I have been thinking about the cheapest way of enclosing the sides a bit to provide more shelter for lambing etc. and also for protection for stored hay and straw which is getting totally soaked and ruined at the moment.
The cheapest idea I can come up with myself is to fix big tanalised planks to the uprights (easy - there are pre-drilled holes through them) and use them to anchor wind-break netting to like this stuff (https://www.networldsports.co.uk/livestock-protection-windscreen.html (https://www.networldsports.co.uk/livestock-protection-windscreen.html)) .
Has anybody tried this stuff? Would it work or am I wasting my time on such an apparently cheap solution?
Thanks.
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I don't know how costs compare but what we have used for our pole barn type implement shed, is the offcut sides of pine logs. How much they cost depends of course on how close you are to a sawmill. Our local one has now closed but we still use the principal for our sheep shelters. It is important to have spaces between the strips to allow some air circulation other wise for livestock you end up with problems of pneumonia, and with implements and vehicles you get damage from them sitting wet, with no air circulation to dry them out. Some snow filters in if it's blowy but equally it dries out promptly afterwards.
The same applies to hay and straw which need air movement to prevent over heating and rotting in storage.
I have seen windbreak mesh, the kind specifically designed for agricultural buildings, being used but I have no experience of using it myself.
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We use something similar for our chicken runs. Scaffolding debris netting which comes in a 3m x50m roll. The windbreak effect is 40% I think, but we leave ours doubled over to increase the effect. It tends to catch the rain water droplets, but you do get a fine mist coming through in driving rain.
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I have a barn which I have hung sheeted gates on two sides, and Yorkshire boarding down to just above the gates on the long side. I am in the process of getting a roller screen fitted on the short side above the gates. This gives plenty of ventilation but keeps the worst of the weather out.
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The product in the link looks exactly like scaffold debris netting as mentioned above. From experience of working on exposed sites this does work well as a wind break whilst letting the air flow through.
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I've used wind break netting. Doubled similar to "chrismahon" but on either side of the uprights, so there is about 6/8 inches between, this so far works really well. it does let some spray though in very heavy rain but otherwise I have had no problems.
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We have a pull down gale breakers made out of the same material as your link. They keep a lot of wind and rain out of the main shed and as they roll up we can get tractors in and out still. Ours are above 6ft sheeted steel doors.
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Not a pole barn as such but i covered a polytunnel with chicken wire and then attached a good quality transparent tarpauline. I.e. in summer it acts as a greenhouse/polytunnel and in winter chickens will live inside - nice, dry and foxproof.
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Thank you for all the replies. Given that it seems such a reasonably priced solution, we are going to give it a go. I will report back next year on its effectiveness.