Leveling 1900's Barn

One of my fall projects will be trying to re-level and square up an old oak barn that was built in 1906. A number of the foundation stones have shifted and I’d like to save it. Use of the original foundation stones isn’t a requirement. I have the equipment required to lift and crib it but where do I start. I know some of you have probably done this and can offer much good advice. I’ll keep you posted on my progress after I start

Lol,guess I got the wrong interpertation of "leveling",can't help you as where to start,but hope you guys are carefull and don't end up underneath instead of inside.

I would pour a new foundation if the budget allows.Set the barn on the new foundation level the floor and start plumbing the walls.it.This can be done by removing the diagonal braces in the bents ,racking and re insatlling braces.That's a good starting point.

It all really depends, are you talking about a barn that is setting on the ground with main uprights on rock foudations? or are you talking about a barn set on a 3 or 4 foot stone pony wall? or even one that has a full stone wall first floor?

Yes the barn was built with the main uprights supported by sandstone blocks. Most of the original blocks are in place but over the years the barn has moved slightly causing sandstone blocks to move or visa versa.
All I really want to do is save the structure from collapse. It isn't about to but if unattended in a few years it will.
I can jack it up and crib it inside since it isn't used but I really don't know where or how to start.
For instance should I start where the barn is the lowest and work from that point or do something entirely different.
I think after I get it leveled I can square it up with come-a-longs.

I have done 2 barns in the same situation. What I did was start with the beam that was in the worst situation. I jacked up the beam then used come alongs to two different beams to pull the beam in to the place it needs to be. I dug out the original stones footers and poured a 18"x18"x3' concrete footer for each beam to set on. The barn I did most recently had 12" square beams so the 18" footers worked great. I did cut off the bottom couple inches of each beam so it was a good stout flat surface. I used a laser transit to set the level on each of the new footers. The footers I did were taller than the old stones to keep the beam up away from the moisture a little more. When I got to the point where most of the beams were set in place and carrying weight, I did not use those to pull on any more. I then used my 5020 as a dead weight to pull the remaining beams in place. Be carefull pulling the beams back in place, once the weight is off the ground, they should not pull hard so if you are encountering to much resistance, stop and figure out why. A chain or cable that lets go pulling in a beam could be a recipe for disaster.
I am a week or so from buying a house with barn that is going to need two of the beams reset, so it looks like I will get to do it again.

is it post and beam contruction or nailed together? When one post is jacked up, only that post raises, not the rest of the structure. Therefore the nails in that post will pull out & separate from the part it is nailed to. Also jacking should be slow, maybe 1/2 inch a day. You need to consult with an experienced person or you will be leveling it flat. It seems simple but its not.

The most important thing to remember is, when you jack up those old buildings. Do so very slowly. That way they will flex. A little at a time - each day is best. Don't hurry it.

This is really good information and at the very least gives me some idea what I'm faced with and where I should start.
Using the tractor for a dead weight is a good idea that I hadn't though of. Thanks again.

Thank you guys for all the good information...

Pictures.........we like pictures.

I just helped a neighbor do the same thing. We raised the lowest corner, put a new pad under it, then pulled everything square. We didn't try to pull everything at once. Once pulled up square, we used metal wind braces nailed in diagonally to hold it square. The wind braces are availble at lumber yards.

I just jacked mine up level with a 4x4 and a bottle jack. Took that old river boulder out. I dug down about 3 and a half feet. Compacted some state rock in there and built a form to pour a new footing. This is a big barn so I made that footing about 2 feet square. It probably doesn't need to be thet big but it looks nice. I also sealed the exposed wood to deter rotting. That was almost 10 years ago and it hasn't moved a bit. We get alot of wind out here on the plains in Central Missouri.

Once again thank you guys for all this valuable information.
I think based on for what I've learned here this may be an all winter project. Oh well, you've got to have something to do on cold days.
I will post progress pictures starting in a couple weeks.

Yeah... I was thinking a '6' would be about the right size for the job.

Rod