Customer Reviews

Building Small Barns, Sheds & Shelters

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If you are a "do it your selfer" you need this book. In my opinion, the title is no accurate. This book contains much more than just info on how to build small buildings. It includes how to build a good fence, how to build a smoke house, how to wire a two way switch, ect. It contains everything that is not common knowledge to the common man, and it has lots of pictures. If you live on the farm and do most things yourself, this book is a required tool.

From permits to the finish coat of paint, this book will guide you through your building process. Burch describes the advantages of different framing methods, roof styles and materials and backs his text with useful reference tables and concise construction details. The book presents plans for five small barns, two two-stall stables, a root and storm cellar, a carport, a tool shed, a woodshed, a smokehouse and shelters for hens, pigs and rabbits.

This is not a bad book, but about half is on basic building skills which anyone who is going to build a sizable strucuture ought to have acquired first. You can get that from a Time Life or Readers Digest 'Home improvement' book on basic carpentry skills. Very general instructions without a lot of detail- for example, window fininshing details, roof details- you have to figure out the details yourself, and everyone knows that is where the devil is! And when the chapter on electrical wiring starts out by reccomending that you shouldn't do it yourself, well... it's just a sign of too many lawyers in the USA.
The sections on barns and other strucuture are interesting, with lots of ideas that one can adapt to your specific needs. Most are reworked from USDA Cooperative extension plans- which you can view a huge number for free from Univ of North Dakota at this link-
http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/abeng/plans/index.htm
Since I found this website, my opinion of the book has gone down a lot, since so much is not original material.
The other challenge I would have is on pole frame constuction- all his plans show huge concerte footings 16-24" dia 8-12" thick under poles for his buildings. Digging/drilling and pouring these negates the advanage in work/cost saving of pole frame building. In the area where I live, poles are commonly set in our heavy clay with a little cement or just well tamped soil around them. I understand the concern about bearing ability, and I'm not an engineer, but these poles function as pilings- they hold up the load not just from their bottom surface area, but also from the friction of the post in the ground. Any professional can correct me if they feel otherwise.

All in all, it is an interesting book but he could omit the first half and flesh out the rest.

I bought this book for my Dad when he wanted to build a new lean-to for his tractor. He read it cover to cover and then used it many times for a manual. A very well spent investment that paid out many times over.

This is one of the best books I have seen for information of how to build for any DIYer. The pictures are clear and very well labeled. I wish I had bought this book before I started building my house and barns. I would have done a lot of things differently. Buy informational books before you build anything! Learn from other people's mistakes.

I was under the impression that it had COMPLETE plans It shows you bits and pieces of the constrution .
The book itself (for being used was in ex condition almost new condition).all in all it was worth the 8.00 bucks