Green Tennessee

Does the spring weather have you hankering to build? If so, University of Tennessee Extension may have a plan that's just right for your needs. UT Extension maintains a file of approximately 290 building and equipment plans. Although many of the plans are for agricultural structures, plans encompass everything from greenhouses and cattle implements to goat, sheep and rabbit plans to full-size homes. The plans are primarily available to residents of the state of Tennessee, but they can be supplied to others on a limited basis.

The plans came from many sources. Some were developed by Extension faculty in UT's Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, but most were developed in a cooperative effort with the USDA and the Cooperative Farm Building Plan Exchange. The Plan Exchange no longer exists, but the plans remain on file and are available.

The plans developed at UT are based on the research and demonstration experiences of UT scientists. The USDA plans generally originated at land grant institutions across the country and were submitted to the Cooperative Farm Building Plan Exchange, where they were edited and distributed to all states for use in their Extension education programs.

George Grandle, interim head of the Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science department says, "We have attempted to verify that each plan is appropriate for use in Tennessee. However, these plans are intended mainly for use as planning guides, and you should check with local authorities concerning building code and building permit requirements. Also, good construction practices should be followed when building from these or any other plans."

This list is available online at http://bioengr.ag.utk.edu/extension/ExtPubs/PlanList97.htm. The plans are
arranged by subject to help you locate those in which you are most interested. All of these plans are available through UT Extension county offices, although not all counties stock all plans. It may take a week to 10 days to receive your plans.

If you prefer, plans may be requested directly from the UT Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science by telephone, mail or email at the following address:

Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science
The University of Tennessee
2506 E. J. Chapman Drive
Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-4531
phone: 865-974-7237
email: ggrandle@utk.edu

A few of our plans are now available in electronic format for download; the rest must be mailed. So please include your mailing address with your request.

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