Economy of the Round Dairy Barn

by Wilber J. Fraser

Fig. 25. Showing how this 60-foot barn may be arranged to accommodate 40 cows in stalls. To supply this sized herd and the necessary young stock with silage for eight months would require a 370-ton silo, or one 18 feet in diameter and 56 feet deep; With a seven-foot feed alley and a 2¹⁄₂-foot manger, the circle at the stanchions would be 38 feet in diameter, or 119¹⁄₃ feet in circumference; Allowing 4¹⁄₄ feet for two passage ways, the stalls would be 2 feet 10-1/2 inches wide at the stanchion, and 3 feet 6 inches at the drop.

Itemized Cost of this Round Barn

Excavating, foundation, and first story brick wall																		$904.00
Lumber:
	149	pieces,	1		×	4		×	16			Y. P.
	31	„	1		×	4		×	14			Cypress
	16	„	1		×	4		×	12			„
	165	„	1		×	6		×	16			Y. P.
	17	„	1		×	6		×	14			„
	226	„	2		×	4		×	12			„
	20	„	2		×	4		×	16			„
	6	„	2		×	4		×	14			„
	15	„	4		×	4		×	14			„
	120	„	2		×	12		×	16			„
	23	„	2		×	12		×	14			„
	100	„	2		×	6		×	20			„
	144	„	2		×	6		×	16			„
	67	„	2		×	6		×	18			„
	4	„	2		×	6		×	26			„
	60	„	2		×	6		×	12			„
	30	„	2		×	6		×	22			„
	4	„	2		×	6		×	24			„
	6	„	2		×	8		×	10			„
	9	„	2		×	8		×	16			„
	4	„	2		×	10		×	14			„
	11	„	2		×	10		×	12			„
	1	„	2		×	10		×	22			„
	1	„	1		×	10		×	12			„
	1	„	1		×	10		×	14			Cypress
	2	„	1		×	12		×	14			„
	22	„	1	1⁄8	×	8		×	10			Cyp. S2S
	2	„	1		×	1	1⁄8	×	12	×	14	„
	2	„	1		×	1	1⁄8	×	12	×	16	„
	6000	feet of 8-inch ship lap
	3150	feet of 10-inch ship lap
	71	M 5⁄2 red cedar shingles
	165	Lineal feet of 2-inch Cr. molding
	240	Lineal feet of Cr. molding
	270	feet of 4-inch Y. P. S1S
	4000	feet of 6-inch rough pine
	62	feet of 3⁄8-inch Y. P. Ceiling
	850	feet of 6-inch No. 1 flooring
	230	feet of 6-inch fence flooring
	56	lineal feet of 1⁄2 × 3-inch battening
	32	lineal feet of lattice
	444	lineal feet of 4-inch cypress
	3	10-foot cedar posts
Total cost of lumber																		$1,313.63
Mill work:
Window sash and doors																		$270.00
Window and door frames																		71.00
Sawing lumber for silo, roof, bridge and stanchions																		29.78
Cost of hardware																		96.57
Carpenter work:
	Head carpenter												518 hrs.	@	40c	=	$207.20
	Carpenters												1057 hrs.	@	35c	=	369.95
	Common labor												429 hrs.	@	20c	=	85.80
Total cost for carpenter work																		662.95
Tiling around barn and silo, sewer from dairy room, retaining wall, cement floor in alley, dairy,doorway of barn, and steps and tanks																		128.54
Plastering dairy room and inside of silo																		104.60
Painting																		89.54
Total cost of barn																		$3670.61

Fig. 26. Barn No. 2. 80 feet in diameter; Engine room in foreground.

The cost of this barn, if built on the ordinary dairy farm, could be materially reduced without shortening the life of the barn. Owing to the conditions under which this barn was built, it was necessary to pay for hauling all material to the farm, two and one-half miles from town. All of the labor had to be hired, and as it was necessary for the men to board themselves the wages paid were proportionately higher. The farmer usually does the excavating and hauls the brick, sand, and lumber with his own teams, tends the mason, and does quite an amount of the rough work with his own help, besides boarding the men, all of which would greatly reduce the cost. The construction could also be cheapened by using drop siding to cover the outside, instead of shingles, which in this case were used over ship lap on the side walls to improve the appearance. This barn could be still further cheapened by putting hoops, five feet apart, around the studs, and covering with common 1 × 12 boards, put on vertically, as is done in some cases. A saving could also be made on the mill work and large doors by having the carpenters make these plainer and leave the windows out of them.

Anyone wishing to build a round barn can get local bids on the lumber bill, and determine approximately the cost in his locality. This will vary with both the location and the year.

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