Asked by Dave from Minnesota
We have a 100 year old barn on our property that we would like to renovate for our daughters wedding. In total it is a 70′ x 75′ barn structure.
The center section is 30 x 75 and it is a true post and beam piece of art. The ceiling height is very low in the center section and we are wondering if we can remove the floor boards and joists from the center section to make additional headspace (leaving all of the major posts and beams).
It is possible that your old barn could be modified in the way you described. However, we would recommend having your barn evaluated by a local barn expert or timber framer before making any changes to the existing structure. Though the barn is in good condition, there may be hidden weaknesses in the structure that you can’t see.
It would be a good idea, regardless of what you are going to do to the barn, to have a local barn restoration professional do a site evaluation. You would benefit from having them make recommendations to get the barn to a serviceable condition.