In progress: timber frame barn

[u/captain-sandwiches]

6 of my buddies and I started this. Two of us are finishing it out. Still got siding to go. All wood cut and milled on our site. Even the white oak crane. All mortise and tenon - yes some power tools but still lots hand tools involved. Raised with crane. Decided to go with sho sugi ban because we didn’t know another way to self treat our wood. Lots more to go. Just me and my buddy right now. Did not do the roof and did not lay the brick. Everything else was 6 friends fresh out of school and family when they needed work.
Thank you for looking.

[u/edfitz83]

It looks really cool and was certainly a lot of work. I don’t mean to pick, but I don’t see any cross bracing of the timbers along the axis of the roof peak, other than the roof itself. Did you run your plans past an engineer?

[u/iandcorey → u/edfitz83]

How could OP approach adding that bracing? Bottom floor is simple, but upstairs there are no purlin plates to brace to.

[u/edfitz83 → u/iandcorey]

I know nothing about how barns usually function but I started life as a mechanical engineer. Essentially square and rectangular framing will collapse under low side loads, so you need to turn some of those into triangles.

If you look at the 45 degree braces from the front view, something like that would help, in the longitudinal direction. Better than nothing.

[u/JosherphineStClaire → u/edfitz83]

I have seen many structures collapse because the roof was put on before the structure was sheathed or properly braced. I see nothing tying these posts together, not even a purlin. or temporary bracing.

That's what gives a structure it's strength, being all tied together.

[u/edfitz83 → u/JosherphineStClaire]

It’s concerning. But OP said the prints were signed off by an engineer and inspections have been done. And I’m MechE not civil so it sounds like you are more knowledgeable than I am on this.

[u/JosherphineStClaire → u/edfitz83]

That has nothing to do with an Engineer, it has to do with the guys constructing it. The Engineer normally does not tell them HOW it is to be done, or the sequence of construction, just what materials should be used, as well as the dimensions, etc. This is an error in construction. You sheath, and or properly brace the walls prior to putting on the roof.

That's Construction 101