why do farmers keep barns that are falling down? (chickens, property, lumber)
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Probably costs much money time and effort to knock em down and remove the wood then re-landscape where the barn used to be. If it aint bothering anyone just leave it alone.
Yep, if you do take down or burn a barn, if you don't then sink money into excavation, you'll go from having a dilapidated barn to an empty stone or concrete foundation/hole with a bunch of weeds growing up in it. Some would rather just leave the barn up than make that extra work.
Here, they get donated for controlled burns for fire dept. training purposes.
They used to do that in many areas of my state but, to my knowledge, mostly stopped because of potential liability issues (plus the barn needed to fit very strict criteria to even be considered). In addition, there would still be cleanup after the "controlled burn".
We had our old farm house, one shed and a garage demolished and it cost almost $20,000. I shudder to think about how much it would cost to demolish a huge barn, especially one with a stone foundation and concrete floor.
In my old farm neighborhood there used to be dozens of active farms within a few miles, now there are only two, maybe, three farms in operation. That is a lot of empty barns.
1. The old barns and sheds may represent local and family history.
2. Usually the wood inside is old, strong, better than today's lumber since it was likely taken from old, mature trees when they were more available. Everyone thinks that one day there may be a use for the wood, and keeping it inside will preserve it. If you take the barn down and want to keep the wood you need some place out of the weather to store it. So why not let it stay as it is?
3. Also, in some counties, once the structure is removed you cannot build another in its place with out burdensome permits. So think of them as 'space holders'.
4. Some absentee land owners don't care what their places look like and are just speculating on the land.
They're waiting for some rich folk from the Big City to come by and offer them a small fortune for the 'lovely old barn wood' that is showcased in all the House Beautiful and Martha Stewart magazines.
Other real reason - old barn equals old farmer. Ain't got the time, money, or interest in dismantling it and if you burn it without help from the local fire department, it could spread to the rest of your acreage, get you accused of arson, etc. And there's lots of critters living in that derelict old thing that no one wants to immolate.
They do controlled burns on old houses and dilapidated barns around here as well. There was one just last week. What they then do is have someone come in with a bulldozer and bury the remnants and smooth it out. If they sit vacant, they become an attraction for people late at night with drugs, etc. So, it gets it off the tax rolls and resolves the other issues as well. If left sitting, once the roof goes, it all starts to come down fairly fast.
I've never seen property taxes go "down" before. I'm not buying it. someone stretegically sabatogeing their own land to save a few hundred a year in taxes?
That was what was claimed in this area years ago about a certain wealthy farmer who would buy up farms from people quitting the business for the land. A few months or maybe a year later, the barn would go up in flames. Then the farmer would fix up the house, have an acre or two around the house surveyed, and sell the house and the lot.
As Ryan R said, most farmers with unwanted wooden barns have the local fire department burn them for practice.
Unfortunately, our unwanted barn is metal, so we'll probably have to take it down. We keep hoping that the snow would bring it down but no such luck. We'll probably attach some logging chains/hay ropes to the roof supports and see if we can pull them down with a couple of tractors. Once we get the thing collapsed, we can salvage the metal and sell it.
My BFF's great room is covered in 100 year old heart-of-pine flooring that was taken out of a falling down 100 year old barn.
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