He's Happy With His Three Silver Stream Hoop Buildings

He's Happy With His Three Silver Stream Hoop Buildings BUILDINGS New Techniques 29-2-13 Roger Zummach of Hutchinson, Minn., recently called FARM SHOW to tell us he's happy with three different hoop-type Silver Stream buildings that he has put up. Two were built with the company's wood hoops and one has steel trusses (Silver Stream Shelters, Altona, Manitoba ph toll-free 877 547-4738 or 204 324-4592; www.silver streamshelters.com). Silver Stream's laminated wood "hoops" are covered by canvas like any other hoop-type building. The difference is that the buildings cost less and they make it easier to insulate the building or convert it into a more permanent structure. The wood frame also makes it easy to replace the canvas with metal siding, if desired. The steel hoop buildings feature truss-type hoops made from sq. tubing rather than round, which the company says gives them added strength. "These buildings are cost efficient and very versatile," says Zummach, who farms with Tim McCloud. "We did 80 percent of the labor ourselves. We had a contractor dig the holes and put in the concrete, and a carpenter square up each building. We did everything else. We used wooden planks, which we bought from a company that tears down old bridges, to put up sidewalls and to frame up the doors on all the buildings. It saved us about one third the cost of new lumber." He put up the first building for livestock in 2001, a wood hoop model with 4-ft. 8-in. high concrete sidewalls. It measures 36 by 90 ft. and is 18 ft. high. It has two 12 by 10-ft. doors on one side and a 12 by 12-ft. door at one end. The other end of the building is closed off. There are three pens inside, each with an outdoor entry. One pen is for steers and bulls, one for heifers, and the third for calves. "This was the first wood hoop building the company built with side dormers in it," says Zummach. "I like wood because I can quickly nail on additional partitions to the rafters or posts. There's no need to tap or weld anything. I decided to use concrete sidewalls instead of wood because concrete is much more durable than wood. I don't have to worry about accidentally breaking boards with my skid loader. It cost $975 more to install concrete sidewalls than wood but it was worth it. "Condensation hasn't been a problem because I usually keep the doors open so air can flow through. If I want I can use a roll-up tarp on the building's end door to keep snow from blowing in during the winter. "I spent $15,000. I considered buying a straight-sided conventional 60 by 124-ft. steel building but it would have cost about $58,000." He put up a machine shed with steel trusses in 2002. It measures 50 by 112 ft. with a 27-ft. high center and has 5 1/2-ft. sidewalls made from salvaged wooden bridge planks. It's open at one end, with a 26 by 16-ft. door at the other end. There's a 12 by 12-ft. dormer-type door on one side. "I keep machinery in one half of the building and hay and straw in the other half. The side door is big enough that I can drive a tractor and wagon through it and load hay rides. It's really handy. In fact, I use the side door more than I use the end door. "I made the end door 16 ft. high, instead of the usual 14 ft., so the extensions on my combine's grain tank would fit through it. I like having one end of the building open because it lets me drive in without having to worry about running into posts or door columns. I paid $25,000 total to put up this building." Zummach and McCloud put up what they call their "toy shed" in 2003. It's a wood hoop structure that measures 30 by 72 ft. with a 16-ft. high center and 3-ft. sidewalls made from wooden bridge planks. One end is closed off. "My partner and I use this building to keep snowmobiles, boats, camper trailers, boats, and other toys. My partner was going to add two more stalls onto his double car garage which would've cost him about $9,000. Silver Stream sells this building without sidewalls for $3,200. Our total cost was $5,500." Zummach says calls and visitors are welcome. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Rog

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