How I reinforced my barn's 150-year-old timber beams 

When we were shopping for a farmhouse 20-plus years ago, I thought the more outbuildings I got for my money the better. Now I am only half sure. 

I love my massive barn, even if I do not make effective use of half the space. 

To me, it is a building of irreplaceable heritage to be taken care of; but its state of repair is a constant worry. 

The vast slate roof is supported by a magnificent timber structure which includes three wall-to-wall beams, each 9.5 metres long. 

They date from 150 years ago when there were still chestnut and oak trees of such a height that could be cut down for use in rural buildings. 

They pose no immediate problems, but one of them was affected by fire sometime in the past, and the others receive the occasional drip from small leaks that appear in the roof faster than I can patch them up.

A few months ago, therefore, I decided it would be prudent to reinforce these long beams before any serious structural issues arise.

A preliminary job was to inspect the wood to make sure it is still sound. 

Some superficial rot is par for the course in old French houses. 

The outside crust of old construction timber flakes away with time due to insect activity, but the heartwood usually stays strong as long as it does not get wet. 

Stick a bradawl in it and you soon know whether it is hard or soft. 

As a stopgap measure, I invested in some decent adjustable steel props (étais de maçon) just in case I ever notice the beams bending out of shape. 

These come in different sizes. You can get shorter ones (up to 2.9 metres) off the peg, but I ordered some longer ones on the internet to have more flexibility.

For the actual reinforcing work, I recruited a friend and he arrived with an impact driver drill (visseuse á choc), which eliminates the need to drill pilot holes and thereby saves a lot of time and effort. 

We agreed to erect upright posts under the middle of the beams to at least take some of the weight off the two ends.

Fortunately, I had salvaged a stout piece of old timber (roughly 18x12cm) from somewhere or other, and this made a perfect upright to place under the fire-blackened beam. 

We got it as vertical as we could – nothing is entirely regular in an old building – and fixed it into place with some long screws embedded diagonally. 

For the other two beams we improvised using lengths of new wood sandwiched or bridged together. 

This was not quite as pleasing a solution as reusing old wood or buying expensive new timber, but was a good second-best.

So much for the upper floor of the barn. Ideally, the weight of the roof and roofing timber is transferred to the floor. One of the beams was now standing on a wall but the other two were resting on lower beams and these, in turn, needed support. 

We used a tree trunk for one of them. I might one day replace this with something more elegant if I ever get around to converting the barn into rental accommodation (which was once the plan). 

The other beam will soon, I hope, rest on a wall that I plan to build as part of a scullery-cum-laundry-room, when I find the time. 

For now, however, I know those mighty 19th-Century beams have been given some physical support. Here’s hoping they last at least another 150 years.