Renovation of old barn into a woodworking shop

[Greger77]

I have an old barn where I plan to insulate the part where the animals were kept and build a carpentry workshop.

I will build an insulated wall between this part and the rest of the barn. There likely was a wall here before when they had animals (which, as I understand, ended in the '60s).

I have a pretty clear idea of how to make the wall. However, I'm now pondering over other details.

In some places (see pictures), there are supports that seem to uphold the rafters/ceiling. I would like to remove these supports (and if necessary, replace them with new supports in the middle of the room). However, there seems to be quite a bit of weight on them, so I'm a bit worried about what will happen if I remove them.

I made a simple (not entirely to scale) drawing:


The red markings are where the supports stand (as well as the parts of the old interior wall that remain). The thicker supports look like they might have been left behind from partition walls in the old barn. Perhaps there was no weight on them initially, but now it certainly feels like they're bearing weight. Even the thin 45x45 plank (small red dot) is under pressure, but it likely doesn't affect the load-bearing capacity.

If it's possible to do away with supports entirely, that would be great, but otherwise, I would like a row of supports in the middle of the room.

Above the ceiling, there's a loft with sawdust and some items on top. Nothing that should weigh particularly much. I plan to store boards there. Possibly, something needs to be built on top of the sawdust to prevent it from being compressed too much (insulates worse).

Supports left side:


Supports right side:


I might add that the room is built with thick walls, with the space in between seemingly filled with sawdust or something similar. The other parts of the barn structure are entirely wooden.

In the middle of the room runs the old manure gutter, and at the far end, I have found what appears to be a deep manure pit or something similar (I looked down there and it mostly resembles a sewer). The pit, or sewer, leads to an adjacent space, where the manure hatch also leads. The sewer extends under the old outhouse as well.

About a meter below the floor surface is water. And there is quite a lot of it, as I tested with sticks to feel it, and I estimate the shaft is at least 2 m deep. At one point, I feel a bottom maybe 1.80 down, but it could have been a stone or something because elsewhere I feel no bottom at all or a muddy bottom (old manure?).

Above the manure hatch, you can see that the wall has cracked. This has been repaired at some point but has cracked more since.

My guess is that the outer walls have sunk into the ground, while the supports inside the room hold against it. Perhaps it would straighten out if the supports were removed? I also wonder if the sewer system might be a contributing factor.

The crack in the wall (seen from inside the barn). The "sewer pit" is under the boards on the floor right under the manure hatch.


The crack seen from the other side:



I have a few things on my to-do list:

1. Build an insulated wall.
2. Fill in the manure pit/sewer with gravel/stone or similar. Should I pump out the water first?
3. Remove supports and possibly replace with something else.
4. Break up parts of the floor and fill in the manure gutter, pit, etc.
5. Identify and address the cause of the wall cracking.

Regarding item 5, I've considered using a chain to pull the outer walls together to prevent them from sliding apart more. Alternatively, one might consider lifting the outer walls (which seems difficult since it's masonry).

What should I use to fill the holes? It will likely take several cubic meters of gravel or other material. Is crushed stone the most suitable/cheapest?

What do you think about the building's structural integrity if I remove the supports? Do I need to replace them with something else?