It has mows on each end, so we can store small bale straw or hay.
Any farm needs outbuildings, but they are not cheap, so one will be enough for quite a while. It's hard to find level ground on our farm close to the house, so that limits us as well. I will probably build a chicken coop along the lines of Harvey Ussery's concept in a couple years.
We used local contractor to build it, as we don't live there yet, and even if we did, this would be at the limits of my skills to do, and couldn't do by myself anyway. We are getting to know the neighbors, who are all very nice, but enlisting them in a barn raising is a bit much just yet.
Photo taken in the last couple days the contractor was on site. Dirt work took only two days, the pole barn work took the better part of two weeks. Very small crew, so really it went pretty fast. We decided on two 12' sliders so one can drive through, making it easier to unload hay, or access stuff from either side if the main floor is blocked with stored equipment.
Barry framing in a window. Yes, I have a window from the workshop out in to the barn. It will be good for cross breeze in the summer, and it was a leftover window I had been hanging on to for a couple years, so might as well use it. Will have a double door into the workshop, for those bigger projects.
I made the ceiling joists extra strong, so it can handle hay storage above. 12" I joists on 16" centers, because of the 20' span. Got a lot of good help from the lumber yard that supplied the material. Made me glad I didn't go to Menards for a "cheaper" price. This lumber yard has pole barn designers, make their own trusses, and can actually supply dimensional lumber that is grade 1, or even select structural. And it was straight! No sorting though piles of bowed, twisted stuff at Menards.
Next year I will also add power, and set up the rain collection tanks.
