Hey guys

Jamie - funny that you say "early" because I've been whining and moaning about being in my 30's when I figured this all out.

For insulating, I used kraft backed insulation in the office space, and am doing the same now that I'm getting around to insulating the shop space. But ultimately, the barn will be skinned in vertical steel siding (like a pole barn) because of the mish mash of materials on the outside and 70+ years of negect it's not worth saving. But the barn breathes overly well on top of that! Do you think I'm on the right track?

For the brackets that you mention, do you mean collar ties on the 2nd story? If yes, that's in the plans (although I've seen no deflection up there even with heavy snow). Or something else?

I LOVE getting comments, don't be shy!

Ray - you've summed up my skill set perfectly.. cut, grind, squeeze, bang it into submission, give up and watch the game while having a cold one.