Importance of Regular Inspection and Maintenance
It can easily be seen, based on the potential difficulty and related high costs of repair that the best practices of barn conservation are those based on good maintenance. Good stewardship involves regular inspections, securing skilled professionals to do the required work that is beyond the abilities of the barn owner, and a budget for the needed labor and materials. These are common practices for homes and vehicles, but all too often not for barns and outbuildings. This usually results in extended periods of time during which little or no investment is made in them. The results are slow but steady deterioration. Eventually major repairs are required to save them. Even worse the neglect may result in partial or total collapse and the loss of a century or more old structure.

The decision as to what a barn owner should do first, after he has decided to break the cycle of neglect and deterioration, will be based on the barn's current condition. In some instances barns survive being neglected quite well. If the roofing and siding are entirely intact, careful inspections should be made of the gutters, downspouts, doors and window openings. Leaking gutters and damaged downspouts can concentrate water in small areas causing serious problems. It is also crucial that rain water collected in downspouts be conducted away from the foundation. Plugged or defective drainage lines can quickly damage foundations by undermining walls or causing them to fail due to hydraulic and freezing pressure.