Usually, here in the "Barn Showcase" we show off the photos that you nice folks send in of your barn building projects just like we have for the last ten years. Well, this month we're gonna do things a little different. In the hundreds of phone calls and e-mails that we get each month, a good portion consist of inquiries about converting to a gambrel roof on an existing structure using our truss design. Well, it's not only possibly....it just makes good sense! You can almost double the total square footage of your existing house or garage for just a few thousand dollars and we're gonna show you exactly how it's done!!

BarnPlans, Inc. is enjoying it's tenth year in business on the internet and still growing.....so much so that we decided to build a nice new office. And where better for BarnPlans to have it's new office but in a new barn!?!? Go figure! Besides that, I just like building these things!!

We started with this plain ol' 26x30 garage. It was in real good shape, built on a slab about ten years ago. 2x4 wall framing with 5/8 inch T1-11 siding.

Then we stripped off the roofing and took up the 1/2 inch CDX roof sheeting which we stacked away and saved for later.

One by one, we yarded off the old trusses and began setting up the new floor joists.

As we'd take down a truss we'd set up another joist.

We used 26 foot long by 16 inch deep Boise Cascade BCI's with 3 1/2 inch LVL flanges, the beefiest ones they make, spaced at 16 inches on center. We came up with close to an 80 psf floor load....this thing's built!

Then Jarrett and "Gruff" began gluing and nailing the 3/4 inch T&G OSB floor sheeting.

Good friend and master builder, Steve Jones, got busy on the stairs.....

....while we went up topside to cut and lay out the first truss.

Once we were sure that the layout was correct we disassembled the first truss and used the individual chords as the templates to mark and cut all of the chords for the rest of the trusses.

All of the truss chords and gussets are cut and stacked. We used the perfectly good 1/2 inch CDX we stripped off the old roof for the gussets! Now for a test fit.

We laid it back down one more time to nail down the 2x4 pieces that form the "jig" in which all the rest of the trusses will be built.

The trusses really go fast once you get going. We started building one truss in a half an hour....but once we got a routine going the four of us got it down to one every fifteen minutes!!

We nailed down a 2x4 sill plate along the top of both side walls to set the trusses on spaced at 24 inches on center.

With all of the trusses standing, the eave purlins are cut-in in preparation for installation of the fascia and "Crow's Beak".

The "Crow's Beak" and fascia are in place and the new 5/8 inch plywood roof sheeting is installed.

The shed roof, with an enclosed portion for the tank room, is framed and sheeted.

T1-11 siding is added to the "tank room" and we cut the hole for the first dormer window.

The trusses have been cut and plywood stripped back to reveal the location of the first dormer. The outside "window wall" of the dormer is framed and ready to go into place.

Although not nearly as elaborate, the dormer window trusses are laid out and assembled in a "jig" just like their larger counterparts.

The "window wall" is up, side walls framed in and the little dormer truss are in place. Nice on this side....we've got the shed roof to work from!

The third and fourth dormer windows are completed and the roofers are nailing down the 30 pound felt.

The roof's done and the front gable end wall is framed to accommodate the new double pane, low-E, mirror tinted "trap" windows that will be installed.

The last few sheets of siding go up as we get the new barn "dried-in"....just in time, too!!

A fresh coat of paint and it's a done deal....well, done on the outside, at least.

How's that for a before and after!?!? We went from an ordinary 26x30 garage with 780 sq/ft to a beautiful two story gambrel barn with over 1500 sq/ft of useable floor space for under $15K, just as you see it right here!!

But we're not done yet... Let's go inside!