Small pole barn advice

[mopardude318]

So I'm building a 24x24x10' tall pole barn with a 6&12 pitch roof. I just barely cleared an area and did the layout. I'm undecided if I should leave the ground as is and do a gravel floor, or do a concrete slab. If I do a slab, which I really do want, the elevation rises 2 feet from right to the left. So if I want to level, would it be best to remove a foot from one side and add a foot to the other? Just trying to get ideas. I intend to use a total of 8-8x8's for the sides, leaving the front & back open.
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This is the area I'm working with.

Falls 1 foot over the span of 8 feet, but 2 feet total from right to left over 24 feet.

 

[Deere Dude]

It looks like the topsoil is off, but if not, take it all off.

I would make the level high enough so any concrete will be above grade so water won't run in. If you need to add to the low part add 3/4 clear stone and run a packer over it and get it all leveled nice. Make the pad wide enough so gravel won't run out from under the floor.

I'm not sure I would put a pole shed up for that small of building because I have been hearing tales of wood rotting off. Why not just stud the building out on to of the concrete? Just a thought, but either way the base would have to be done so it doesn't settle out.

 

[LD1]

Floor depends on how you intend to use the building.

If just storage, gravel will be fine. Don't like dirt, because dirt turns to mud when wet. So if a door is left open and rain blows in, or you pull in equipment while wet... It's a mess.

If you plan on doing any kind of work...concrete for sure.

If you do concrete...frame the perimeter....apply band boards, and fill with gravel.

Don't dig/excavate because you will end up lower than surrounding grade.

And 8x8 posts sounds like massive overkill, and alot more money, and a bear to set in place. What does code require? Don't know if 8x8's are required for quakes or something...but seems you would be just fine downsizing to 6x6 corners and 4x6 mid posts

 

[Ron of Va]

I would use 8 X 8 X 12's if I could.

 

[KennyG]

4 x 6 is the appropriate size for this building. More than strong enough and they stay straight. Make sure it's all high enough that poles will not stay wet at surface.

 

[Pete6114]

Without a question, Concrete!
Rodents of all sorts and sizes will dig under the wall to get inside for shelter

 

[LD1]

I would use 8 X 8 X 12's if I could.

Why? Because you have money to throw away?

 

[HarryVanderpool]

I have built several pole buildings and do things a little different than others.
Once I have a general idea of the size of the building, I pay a visit to local truss manufacturers and see what they have laying out in their bone pile.
These are trusses that folks ordered and did not end up buying for one reason or another.
I have built 3 buildings with bone pile trusses and saved a tremendous amount of money.
One building was going to be 24 x 36 but I found 28' trusses at one place.
I payed $350.00 for them including engineering paperwork for the county.
The other reason to start with your trusses is because this will largely dictate what size and spacing of poles.

To lay concrete or not is your choice. But I highly recommend that your outside edges go down a couple of feet, monolithic style to keep burrowing critters from undermining the slab.

 

[davedj1]

6x6 corners and only two 4x6's at 12' center, no real need for 8 of them.
Trusses can be engineered to be 16", 2', 4', 8' or 12' on center then use purlins.
Personally if I could afford it I would go with the concrete slab, use Simpson post bases bolted into the slab at the appropriate locations. One thing I would do too is make sure I have a good overhang like 2' or more.
I would fill in the low side and make sure it's compacted well and far enough out so it won't wash away under the slab as Deere dude said.

 

[davedj1]

I have built several pole buildings and do things a little different than others.
Once I have a general idea of the size of the building, I pay a visit to local truss manufacturers and see what they have laying out in their bone pile.
These are trusses that folks ordered and did not end up buying for one reason or another.
I have built 3 buildings with bone pile trusses and saved a tremendous amount of money.
One building was going to be 24 x 36 but I found 28' trusses at one place.
I payed $350.00 for them including engineering paperwork for the county.
The other reason to start with your trusses is because this will largely dictate what size and spacing of poles.

To lay concrete or not is your choice. But I highly recommend that your outside edges go down a couple of feet, monolithic style to keep burrowing critters from undermining the slab.

I'm right there with ya on the truss deal, I was at a Curtis lumber yard a few years back and they had a pile, I asked and they said same thing, customer ordered then didn't want for whatever reason, I called my brother who was thinking about building a garage in that size vicinity, they gave him a killer deal and he bought them, a couple of weeks later they called him and asked if he was interested in the metal roofing to go with them, a crappy beige color but they sold it to him cheap. To top it off at almost the same time his neighbor who owns a concrete form business called him and said they had three truck loads of concrete that the engineer wouldn't accept and it had to go somewhere,they were installing the last form board on one end while they started pouring on the other end, it's nearly a foot thick! All at a bargain price.