Story of Balsam Farm in Clare County Michigan by Wayne Jaynes

I just purchased a small farm with a 40 by 80 barn in fairly good shape, I plan to repair it and keep it in great shape. I’ve been told that it is best to keep hay in it or it will crumble, is this true? I don’t plan to fill it so I need your thoughts. The walls are gapped to apparently allow air to travel thru but I intend to cover the exterior with metal and possibly replace the roof metal with new. Is it possible to clean the roof metal and seal it so that it has a weathered look but with protection as I prefer the original look.

What are your thoughts as to what I should do?
Barn was built in 1949.

4 Comments

Jimmi on October 2, 2015 at 9:17 pm

This farm is so old but this farm is very beautiful. I would like to say that this farm looks really fantastic.

Wayne on June 20, 2015 at 9:16 pm

my plan is to keep my toys in the one end and use part of the loft for an observation deck to the east of the property. and eventually put animals in lower part.

Carolyn on June 20, 2015 at 9:15 pm

So glad you are repairing and saving the barn! More people need to do that. I am hiring a man to repair my father’s old barn built in 1926. It isn’t anything historic but it is special to me and a couple of my siblings. The other two think we are crazy and should tear it down, just because we don’t plan to keep animals in it. They also keep repeating that it has to have hay or animals in it or it will deterioratefast. What do you plan to keep in yours?

The Barn Geek on June 17, 2015 at 9:15 pm

Thanks for sharing your barn story. There are many beautiful barns in Clare County!

To answer some of your questions: No you do not need to fill it with hay, that is a myth. What you do need to do is keep the roof leak free. The fastest killer of barns is a leaky roof! You can purchase the old style corrugated roofing steel or standing seam metal, if you want to maintain that look. Or any metal roofing looks great on a barn. I would not recommend covering the wood siding with steel because you can seal it up too much and make the humidity stay in the barn and contribute to rotting inside the barn.

If the siding has some broken places they can be replaced. And you can add wood batten strips to the barn to cover the gaps if you find that necessary. During the different seasons, wood expands and contracts, so you want to work with that wood. Battens should be nailed on only one side to allow for that movement, or staggered on both sides.

-The Barn Geek Crew