Barn Addition~Update #6

Isn't it sad, how quickly your hopes and excitement can be crushed?

Our barn has issues, structural issues, safety and convenience issues, and probably a few more.

We had two contractor/construction friends come by to look at some repair jobs inside our house and while they were here we asked them if they'd like to have a look at our new barn roof addition.
We had a few concerns about the contruction, but nothing major.

So we were shocked and terribly dissapointed at the number of mistakes and issues that they pointed out. To do it right, we may even have to disassemble (because saying 'tear it apart' sounds too awful).

At the very least we must get a structural engineer out here to inspect it. We cannot have the roof blowing off in a 60 mph gust (or more) or being crushed by the weight of a 14-16" snowfall. We'd not only lose a valuable barn, we could lose our livestock/pets, and possibly damage our neighbor's homes or property, as well as our own, too.

Suffice it to say we are quite concerned and upset. The contractor seems to think that everything he built is fine and up-to-code. And he is not swayed by the opinions of our experienced contractor friends. We hope that the inspection by the structural engineer isn't as bad as we believe it might be, and that with a few repairs or upgrades, we can still move forward with the completion of this project.

We've already paid this newly licensed contractor over $4,000 and he wants to complete the job so he can get the remainder $1,500. I can understand where he is coming from, but we have valid concerns and want to make sure that we are getting what we paid for, and that it will not only last for years to come, but will add value to our property and be a safe place for our animals, our children, our neighbors and family.

So today I took some photos, and added text to explain what is going on in each photo. So, please click on each photo to see a larger view and to read the text.