Framing the house in a grain bin

I began framing by adhering mitered 2 foot lengths of 2x4 to the slab inside the perimeter of the bin. I screwed a running bond layer on top to form a bottom plate. From outside I ran 3 inch screws and washers through the bolt holes in the bottom ring into the 2x4 bottom plate. I used construction adhesive, spray foam and flashing to seal the bin to the slab.

Family and friends helped put studs on 24 inch centers. Then a top plate was layered on similar to the bottom plate. I layered 2x6 boards to create 4 posts around the room to hold the beams supporting the second story.

Spanning the 18' bins required sturdy beams. Fortunately, my dad had three 30 foot long 4x12 beams from deconstructing a 100 year old school house. Lumber like this native hard wood is barely even available these days, and definitely not affordable.

The beams were cut to 16 foot lengths and placed 6 feet apart. Lifting them into place was challenging but not as difficult as I expected. I had bolted chain hoists high up on the bin walls, but we didn't end up needing their help.

Since I'm usually working alone, I try to engineer methods that allow me to get things done within my own capabilities. I frequently utilize clamps, hoists, extra ladders and whatever is at hand to help me.

The 2x8 joists were repurposed from a concrete project. They have 1 inch holes drilled every couple of feet, but worked perfectly for my project and they were free!

As the last photo shows, the opening into the bin does not go down to the slab. To make work easier, I did eventually cut the opening about halfway down into the bottom ring, but I was really scared to cut the bottom ring all the way down. I waited until the majority of framing was done and the two bins were bound together by exterior walls and a roof.

Next post will cover building platform and recycled hard wood floor for the upstairs room.