Two Pole Barns, one new and one to renovate

[Ranger Rick]

I have been making slow steady progress. Yesterday I was putting in my 4 inches + of gravel. I worked by the tractor lights in the dark to finish leveling it out. Last night after I finished I realized that I should put in a conduit to bring the electric into the building. I am going to bring the electric from the other barn that is about 150 feet away. Does anyone know how big of a conduit I should put in? I only want to put in enough to get it through the concrete floor for now. Thanks

 

[fowllife]

Would need to know amperage and volts of the service to the new barn to figure conduit sizing. More then likely a 2" would work, but if you put a 3" 90 stubbed to the top of the slab you can always reduce fron there. Larger bends make it easier to pull wire.

Are you adding another treated board at the bottom? Typically the top of the concrete slab is at the joint between the top and bottom base boards.

As far as setting trusses goes. Make 2 strongbacks (an L out of 2 2x4's) for the endwall you plan on starting to set the trusses on. Nail them on the outside of the purlins at the post location, set the first truss and nail it to the strongbacks. When you set the second truss cut 2 2x's at 8' long to tie the first and second truss together. It should hang over 4' and also catch the 3rd truss (adjust length if other then 4'oc spacing) From there I usually use 16' 2x4's and lap them back 2 trusses. They will hang down some but will move easily when you swing the next truss into place. Fro trusses that small, and with that low of an eave I would just set them by hand. Take a 16' 2x4 and nail a short 2' or so piece onto the end at and angle to make a Y shaped end. Set each side on top of the walls with the ridge pointing down and then take the Y and just swing the ridge up into place. It's usually at least a 2 person job this way, one on the ground and one in the trusses.

 

[Ranger Rick]

Would need to know amperage and volts of the service to the new barn to figure conduit sizing. More then likely a 2" would work, but if you put a 3" 90 stubbed to the top of the slab you can always reduce fron there. Larger bends make it easier to pull wire.

Are you adding another treated board at the bottom? Typically the top of the concrete slab is at the joint between the top and bottom base boards.

As far as setting trusses goes. Make 2 strongbacks (an L out of 2 2x4's) for the endwall you plan on starting to set the trusses on. Nail them on the outside of the purlins at the post location, set the first truss and nail it to the strongbacks. When you set the second truss cut 2 2x's at 8' long to tie the first and second truss together. It should hang over 4' and also catch the 3rd truss (adjust length if other then 4'oc spacing) From there I usually use 16' 2x4's and lap them back 2 trusses. They will hang down some but will move easily when you swing the next truss into place. Fro trusses that small, and with that low of an eave I would just set them by hand. Take a 16' 2x4 and nail a short 2' or so piece onto the end at and angle to make a Y shaped end. Set each side on top of the walls with the ridge pointing down and then take the Y and just swing the ridge up into place. It's usually at least a 2 person job this way, one on the ground and one in the trusses.

I was planning on putting 100 amps and 220 volts because I have a table saw and planer that are 220v. I will pick up some 2" conduit to run thru the concrete.
I have not put the second 2x6 on yet. I was planning on going ahead and get the concrete done and since that is the top of the concrete I thought it would be easier to work with it off. While the concrete is being done I will work on getting the trusses ready. I have to make some repairs to the trusses as the building supply company ordered the trusses before I signed off on them and they were 2' on center. It turns out that all I have to do to make them able to be 4' oc is to add 3 feet of plywood on each end of each truss. I was not happy, but it is better then buying more trusses. Thanks for the tips on setting the trusses.

 

[Ranger Rick]

Today I was putting foam board in. It was a lot of work cutting in around all of the posts. Tomorrow I will start putting in the pex tubing and the rebar. I still need to make a form for the concrete apron outside of the garage door. I am hoping that I can get it all ready for the concrete by late next week. Trying to get the floor done before the real cold gets here.

 

[Ranger Rick]

Busy couple of days. I have been putting rebar and pex tubing in to get ready to have the concrete floor poured. Tomorrow is the big day the finishers will be here first thing in the morning and the concrete will begin arriving at 8:00. The weather is supposed to be perfect. It is supposed to be cold in the morning and warming up to the upper 50's. I will try to get more pictures tomorrow.

 

[BeezFun]

... It turns out that all I have to do to make them able to be 4' oc is to add 3 feet of plywood on each end of each truss.

Make sure you get a modified truss spec sheet that's stamped with the modification they're suggesting. Trusses are complicated to analyze, sometimes adding something to stiffen one area causes another connection to be overloaded. If they sent you trusses designed for 2' centers, don't you have twice as many trusses as you need? I'd be more comfortable putting two trusses together on 4' centers than modifying them with plywood.

 

[Ranger Rick]

Make sure you get a modified truss spec sheet that's stamped with the modification they're suggesting. Trusses are complicated to analyze, sometimes adding something to stiffen one area causes another connection to be overloaded. If they sent you trusses designed for 2' centers, don't you have twice as many trusses as you need? I'd be more comfortable putting two trusses together on 4' centers than modifying them with plywood.

When I ordered the trusses I told them how many I needed so I got 9 trusses and two gable trusses when they were delivered. What I was delivered would only do half of the building. Their engineer came up with the repair and I now have a stamped plan with the repair of the truss that I will do. Apparently their is not much difference in the trusses for 2 foot centers and 4 foot centers and making gussets for the ends of the truss will solve the problem. I was concerned also which was why I went back to them instead of just putting the trusses up on 4 foot centers without someone saying it would work which it would not of.

 

[BeezFun]

When I ordered the trusses I told them how many I needed so I got 9 trusses and two gable trusses when they were delivered. What I was delivered would only do half of the building. Their engineer came up with the repair and I now have a stamped plan with the repair of the truss that I will do. Apparently their is not much difference in the trusses for 2 foot centers and 4 foot centers and making gussets for the ends of the truss will solve the problem. I was concerned also which was why I went back to them instead of just putting the trusses up on 4 foot centers without someone saying it would work which it would not of.

Very smart. If there's problems later they can't blame it on you. Do you get snow there? Probably helps if your snow load is low.

 

[Ranger Rick]

Do you get snow there? Probably helps if your snow load is low.

Sometimes we get snow. Last year I think we had two snow storms each maybe 5 inches. A couple of years ago I think we had 10 inches in one storm. Snow here is not a big deal most of the time.

 

[Ranger Rick]

Well I got a concrete floor today. The day started out really cold for down here about 20 but it warmed up to the mid 50,s The first concrete off the truck was steaming. Things moved along well. A couple of guys that know what they are doing are amazing. They poured the 30x 40 slab, and 8x10 apron and a 4x4 stoop. I paid $1150 for them to finish all of that concrete. The concrete was $2400 for 19.5 yds of 4000 psi concrete including all surcharges and taxes.