Advice on removing an old grainery

[Deeds86]

I have an old grainery on my property thats been really getting tough lately! Its starting to collapse and bow really badly and im unsure if it will make it through the winter with the snow weight... the walls are out two feet on the longside and the roofs starting to collapse. I guess im looking for advice on whether yall think I should rent a mini excavator with thumb and get a couple rolloffs or possible burn the thing once moved as its too close to my house/septic and lp tank... its also alongside my driveway so dont want it to block access until spring when I could deal with it... if it was you what way would you go about this? Not just the fun aspect cause thats a no brainer! But from cost and hassle? Should I just have a company do it?

 

[pigdoc]

First thing I'd do is let my fingers do the walking.
Around here, (southeast PA), there are at least a dozen outfits in the area that would buy the entire building outright for the scrap lumber. They'd have something like that gone in a week. You would not need to lift a finger.

There's also quite a market for that kind of scrap lumber, so I DEFINITELY would not burn it. Do you know any backyard woodworkers in the area?

In 2012, I was living on a place (renting) where a crew like that tore down a HUGE old dairy bank barn. Poplar beams were rotten, and it wasn't feasible ($$$) to refurbish it. Still had wood shingles on it. I cherry-picked a few nice old boards out of the wreckage including a few 20"-wide heart pine floor boards. My TV now sits on top of one of those...

Start preparing for the great rodent migration (to the house), once you start disturbing the footprint. They'll all be looking for a new home, especially this time of year.

Got terriers?
-Paul

 

[Elliott in GA]

I do not know your age/physical limits, but I removed a hog parlor (about 1/2 that size) by myself. I used a crowbar, sledge hammer, bolt cutter, sawzall and my LX 2610. I pulled it apart board by board by tin roof panel by panel. I piled it up, and then I used my LX with the grapple to load it into roll offs. I also used the LX to loosen and then pull out the main posts from the ground. I made it out with no injuries and more surprising - no flat tires. I did it in the middle of winter to avoid any pest issues (stings, bites and etc.).

If I were going to rent equipment, I would want a TLB (M62?) with a grapple and foam filled tires.

 

[McMXi]

I have an old grainery on my property thats been really getting tough lately! Its starting to collapse and bow really badly and im unsure if it will make it through the winter with the snow weight... the walls are out two feet on the longside and the roofs starting to collapse. I guess im looking for advice on whether yall think I should rent a mini excavator with thumb and get a couple rolloffs or possible burn the thing once moved as its too close to my house/septic and lp tank... its also alongside my driveway so dont want it to block access until spring when I could deal with it... if it was you what way would you go about this? Not just the fun aspect cause thats a no brainer! But from cost and hassle? Should I just have a company do it?

I'd contact the local fire department and have them come out and burn it down as a training exercise. Yeah, maybe there's some value in the old wood, but who doesn't like a good fire. You might get lucky and wipe out an entire mouse dynasty, particularly if you did a trench around it and fill it with oil and set it ablaze. You could sell tickets to that sort of show on a cold, winter's night.

 

[old and tired]

I would let mother nature knock it down over time.... Do you need the space for another building?

 

[Deeds86]

I'd contact the local fire department and have them come out and burn it down as a training exercise. Yeah, maybe there's some value in the old wood, but who doesn't like a good fire. You might get lucky and wipe out an entire mouse dynasty, particularly if you did a trench around it and fill it with oil and set it ablaze. You could sell tickets to that sort of show on a cold, winter's night.

Haha yes sounds great! But unfortunately I did try this route probably 7 years ago and was told a firm no, to close to lp and other structures, and not a dwelling so the excersise would serve no purpose as they had other houses that would fit the bill available to them... great idea though!

 

[McMXi]

Haha yes sounds great! But unfortunately I did try this route probably 7 years ago and was told a firm no, to close to lp and other structures, and not a dwelling so the excersise would serve no purpose as they had other houses that would fit the bill available to them... great idea though!

Well, if it's insured I can swing by sometime next week and sort it out for you! I jest ....

 

[Deeds86]

I would let mother nature knock it down over time.... Do you need the space for another building?

I do not need the space and it serves as a great windblock! But it is right alongside my driveway and worry it will end up blocking it in the near future and at that point id be a little unprepared... I also have 3 boys under the age of 13 so I worry they'll mess around in it at some point and possibly get injured... I've also gotten a few nails in tires and am sick of picking up shingles after a good wind!

 

[Deeds86]

Well, if it's insured I can swing by sometime next week and sort it out for you! I jest ....

Lol hard to Insure something like that, but if you wanna sort it out another way have at it

 

[Deeds86]

If anyone has any guesses on what this might cost to professionally remove i might help to have a ballpark... I have a couple company's giving quotes next week but won't be able to do anything for a few weeks, I wanna beat the snow if I can! I priced out a mini ex and its $340 a day or $1400 per week and about $440 for a 30 yard rolloff of building materials and id probably need 3 of em after crunching and packing the rolloffs with the mini so roughly $2k for me to do it...

 

[D2Cat]

That building may look like it's about to fall over/in, but it could easily be standing there 10 years down the road. Wood buildings are the most over designed structures made. They may look bad, but they don't just fall in.

Years back a buddy and I had the opportunity to tear down a barn looking like it wouldn't make it though the winter. We cut some of the columns and corners with chain saws, then used chains to pull with a 580 Case. We ended up getting some good materials and then abandoned the rest. It never fell in because of our activity. Did scare the crap out of us one Saturday morning when a peacock let out a squeal.