busting a cap on a new pole barn shop

[mx842]

I asked this in another thread but felt like I was trying to horn in on someone else's dime so I started a new thread. This is a low budget project as I am having to move out of a shop I am now renting because of the downturn in the economy. I decided to take advantage of the downturn and slow business to put up a building at home where I can put all my stuff until things get better or possibly just doing what I do right here at my house. I have plenty of room to go as big as I want but for now the 32x40 will work very well for what I want. I can always add on if I need to later on but I don't really see that need at this time unless the presidents Change really takes place.LOL

My question is, does anyone have a post foundation plan for how they connected their post to the concrete footing? I am working on my post footings now and don't want my post buried in the ground for a couple reasons. One is post rot and the other is the cost of the post themselves. I can get by with 12' post by sitting them on the top of the footing at grade where it would take 14 maybe 16 footers by going in on top of a 8 or 10 inch footing buried in the soil. It may not be much savings maybe $25 or $30 bucks a post but every buck I can save leaves me more bucks to spend on my concrete pad once the roof is up.

 

[Scotty370]

Here's an interesting link, probably not cheap, but an interesting video that you can learn from: Wood Joinery System | Socket Systems | Home

 

[QRTRHRS]

The buider I used to haul material for would place anchor bolts in strategic locations where the posts would end up. They would lay down a standard sill sealer then a PT mud sill then stand the posts up and anchor them with a large galvanized "L" shaped angle.

Been too long so I do not recall if the first side plate was flush with concrete wall or hung out. Nor do I know where they sourced the brackets.

 

[MarkV]

Guess it depends where you are but the posts in the ground have a great deal to do with the ability of that large of building to withstand wind load and frost heave. Individual footings 8 or 10" deep that are not tied together with rebar and concrete like a continues footing have almost no resistance to wind or frost. You may not be subject to building codes where you are, where I am the system you propose would not pass code.

MarkV

 

[mx842]

Guess it depends where you are but the posts in the ground have a great deal to do with the ability of that large of building to withstand wind load and frost heave. Individual footings 8 or 10" deep that are not tied together with rebar and concrete like a continues footing have almost no resistance to wind or frost. You may not be subject to building codes where you are, where I am the system you propose would not pass code.

MarkV

I think you misunderstood or maybe I was not clear enough. I didn't mean that my footing was 8" deep. They are at least 18" below grade and down to really good solid hard dirt. In the area I am we don't have a lot of rock to deal with and the dirt in my area is not of the shrink/swell version that a lot of people have problems with. Our footings codes just call for the bottom of the footing to be at least 18" deep or to good solid undisturbed soil. All it is said about it is that they have to be clean of all roots loose dirt or water and other materials. They need to be at least 18" wide and flat. I do remember seeing somewhere that said with deck or porch post if a round hole was dug they had to be 24" but if you dig a sq hole it only had to be 18". When I said 8" to 10" of concrete I meant that the concrete in the hole is that deep not that it was only that deep. Sorry for the way I worded that.

Where I am I'm not worried about getting a permit because it is considered agricultural for this type building. I'm sure the county would like to get their cut but because of all the bull you have to go through because of the Chesapeake bay preservation act and site assessment mess where it can cost three or four thousand bucks for some clown to come out and look at your lot and see you don't have any wet lands or creeks you will be disturbing and if you do God help you because they are likely to condemn your whole property. Most people that put up pole barns here just do it and never have any problems. We are not in what you call a sub division and don't have all that many ratty neighbors to worry about. Also my house is 1000 feet off the road back in the woods out of the sight of of the watchful eye of the local building inspector.LOL

My plan is to use anchor bolts like someone above mentioned. I made me some brackets out of 2" angle that is 1/4 thick. I drilled a 1/2" hole in one of the flat and 7 staggered 3/16 holes on the upright part. These holes I will use regular teco nails to nail into the post and the 1/2" hole will be bolted to the concrete via a 1/2" anchor bolt. I also welded a strap of 1/4" flat bar 3" wide and 8" long to the top of the up right part of the angle and have a 1/2" hole drilled in it where I can run a 3/8 bolt through the post and bracket to hopefully hold down the post to the concrete and keep it from doing a Dorothy and toto thing the first wind storm that comes along. Also I am in the woods so the main thing I worry about more than wind is a tree blowing over on it and crushing it to the ground.

I have bought two different sets of drawings and neither set has a foundation plan or shows how they suggest you anchor the building. I also have been on the internet for days reading and searching but everything is so sketchy. I guess I'll end up doing this like every other thing I do.....trial and error and hope for the best. Most of the time when I do this I way over build everything and with this project I was trying to save money where I could because right now things are kind of tight.

 

[whistlepig]

I drilled holes through my posts, ran rebar through them, and then poured the concrete floor over the rebar.

 

[mx842]

Here's an interesting link, probably not cheap, but an interesting video that you can learn from: Wood Joinery System | Socket Systems | Home

Yeah that looks pretty neat but you are right about not being cheap. Those brackets look real simple and from looking at the video and the way they work I can't see me having any problems with what I plan on doing. Thanks for the link and it gave me a few more Ideas for later on in the build.

 

[mx842]

I drilled holes through my posts, ran rebar through them, and then poured the concrete floor over the rebar.

I thought about that but I didn't want to put the poles in the concrete. That is because of a couple different reasons. I have seen too many salt treated post rot off in concrete, some sooner than others and some I put in 20 years ago and they still look solid. As I said before one other reason is purely because of the money thing and there is a third reason. That being if something happened like a tree fell on part of the building or my wife missed the big door again like she did on the garage that is attached to the house one time and took out one of the post all I would have to replace is the post and some siding and not the whole footing the post is sitting in. That would probably never happen but that is just forward thinking another thing I have a problem with.LOL

 

[whistlepig]

My posts aren't set in concrete. There is just 6" of rebar sticking out the side of my concrete floor going through my 6"x6" posts.

 

[mx842]

My posts aren't set in concrete. There is just 6" of rebar sticking out the side of my concrete floor going through my 6"x6" posts.

OH, and that is all that is securing the post to your foundation? There is nothing else to keep them from walking from side to side or outward? I don't guess it would take too much to hold them in place especially from looking at the silly looking light weight brackets they sell at Lowes that cost almost 30 bucks a piece. It's hardly nothing to them. I guess in that case I'll just keep on with my plan and go with the brackets I'm working on. I might even powder coat them while I'm at it to keep them from rusting. It looks like the weather is going to be bad here the next couple days so at least I'll be able to work on something.