Locating and Preparing the Site
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Select a spot that is near your harvesting sites or near where you will feed your animals, yet far enough away to keep them safe in the event of a fire. Since hay is highly flammable, be sure to build your hay barn at least 75 feet away from other structures.
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To prevent water from collecting on or seeping through the floor of a hay barn, it should be built in a location where rain and snow melt drain away. Aim for a downward slope of at least five percent, or a five-foot vertical drop per 100 feet horizontally.
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Grade the ground where the floor of the hay barn will lie toward the center of the floor to prevent stacked bales of hay from tipping out.
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Consider the orientation of your hay barn. To reduce wind loads on the structure, position your hay barn with the open end facing away from prevailing winds.
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Plan your barn's access to include enough room for maneuvering trucks and any hay-lifting equipment you plan on using to transport hay.
Erect Your Pole Barn
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Dig holes for the post and place your stake in the slot corners.
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Fill in a concrete base for maximum support.
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Brace the poles upright, and make sure they are completely secure.
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Install the roof trusses.
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Use 2-by-4-foot braces to install your barn's walls, and use plywood for your walls
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Use roofing nails to nail on the tin roof. Short sections of the roofing will need to be overlapped to give it extra protection against the elements.
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Install a tin ridge cap at the roof's peak to complete the project
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Lay down or pour your floor using your choice of materials, or feel free to leave your floor bare. It is not uncommon for hay barns to have dirt floors.
