Stabilizing Old Ruins

[Kashka-Kat]

Visiting CO ghost towns was when I first became aware of the concept of stabilizing old ruined bldgs. vs. restoring or renovating them - CO's old historic stuff is recognized as an asset including such fine specimens as this:

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Im in WI where things are either fixed up (often buried in vinyl or aluminum) or torn down.

Ill be looking at a property which has a beautiful old barn (below) which I would prefer to leave as a beautiful old barn - but stabilized & kept from falling down - maybe even have it be useful as a shell. Any thoughts as to methodology, costs, who Id even approach to do this sort of thing? Obviously much would depend on the specifics - condition of structural elements etc. but would love to get some preliminary thoughts on it.

oldbarn1.jpg (13.06 KiB) Viewed 384 times

[Mick_VT]

What they do with barns around here is to make sure the roof is sound above all, then its a case of making sure the frame has no huge issues. Siding etc are largely cosmetic compared to those two.

[Casey]

Keep a roof on it/keep it dry. Keep potential vandals out.
There must be checklists for mothballing houses.
If the roof fails, the structure will follow suit.
Casey