The GMTF crew has been hard at work dismantling the Benson barn frame, a structure that we will restore into a beautiful Vermont barn home. Despite the cold and snow, we’ve made great progress on the project and put together some videos of our work.

(For more details about this barn, check out our last entry.)

After removing the roof boards and rafters by hand, we used a telehandler to lift down the rafter support queen system. Once we were down to the main cube of the structure, we had a crane come in for 6 hours to help out, although back when this historic barn was built in the 1870s or 1880s, they certainly didn’t have such a machine around to assist. The silo made it a real challenge to maneuver, but the local crane operator (and our team) were amazing and it went off without a hitch.

This first video is a timelapse video, showing the process of removing first the 48-foot top plate timbers, and then the bents:

When removing the top plate timbers that form the eve of the historic barn, the crane delicately set them down in the tight quarters. We had attached a guide rope to one end, and we were able to spin and then hold steady as it was set down on the ground. In the next photo, you can see the second barn on the property. We are delighted that the owner is keeping this barn in place.

The 48-foot timbers are remarkable, and are hewn of pine. Imagine the trees that they were used for these beams, and also imagine how they got them up there without the use of a crane! The whole community must have come together to hoist this frame into place.

The “bents,” (wall sections) that were being swung around the silo are 34-feet wide, 16-feet tall and about 5,000 pounds each.

In this second video, you can see us lifting the basement wall as a truss unit. The wall consists of two, 48-foot long timbers, connected with 6-foot oak posts and many braces.

The 6-foot posts are mini gunstocks, meaning that they are flared to be wider at the top than they are at the base. A couple of them measure 10×16 inches where they are mortised into the upper timber.

We added extra “strong back” planks to stiffen the truss, but it turned out not to be necessary as it did not bend at all as the crane lifted it. Really incredible!

Once we lifted up the beams and laid them flat, we popped all the pegs, disassembled the truss, and labeled everything.

We hope that the next owner of the Benson Barn Frame will want a walk-out basement underneath so that this wall truss can be put back right where it belongs.

Here’s a shot of some of the awesome GMTF team during our take-down of the barn. The team was just taking a breather on a 34-foot, hand-hewn barn timber from the 1880s. We are a lucky bunch to get to be involved in saving and restoring these historic barns!

If you’re interested in learning more, please contact us at 802-774-8972 or Luke@GreenMountainTimberFrames.com