I'm replacing a burned down barn so am working with Insurance Claims money.. i.e. a fraction of actual cost to replace the lost structure if I were to pay the pros to build one..... so I'm looking at buying a post and beam kit and putting it up myself (with friends, neighbors, and anyone willing to grow a beard, chew on straw, and wear bib overalls, and it wouldn't hurt if you owned Oxen........)
Materials offered so far for the most competitive bids have been with structural members in Eastern White Pine (EWP) from vendor "A", and Hemlock from vendor "B".
The structural stuff SHOULD stay dry and out of the rain which can be long seasoned and copious here in Northern California.
Hemlock has a miserable rot resistance rating, but Eastern White Pine is rated only marginally better. I plan on having the structure sprayed in a Borate before we install the sheathing and siding. I've considered treating the lumber in "boat soup", but then quickly dismissed material that ENHANCES flammability... the last thing I need.
I'd love to have Douglas Fir as an option, but the suppliers who use that material exclusively have lost interest in bidding in my project. It's fairly modest at 30' x 40' in that its purely a Agricultural building with many of the Post and Beam suppliers catering to highly stylized barns used for houses.
BTW.. a Steel building has been dismissed without question... it would be akin to asking me to love a fiberglass boat.. sorry.....
So Questions:
- Borate Treatments - are they any good in a "Spray On" application to fend off termites and the various fungi that love wood?
- Between Hemlock and EWP, does either have a propensity to more readily absorb the Borate?
SUPPLIERS - YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS?
I'll throw it out there while I'm shopping.. any recommendations on Barn Kit Builders? I'm trying to keep the kit with Engineering, Shipping to California, Roof Sheathing and Siding to under $50K.
I'll still need to supply 1/2" plywood to go under the siding for shear resistance to meet seismic, doors, windows, and roofing material. Trying to reuse the old foundation as that would be deal killer if I had to rebuild it.