Pole Barn Site Prep and Back Fill

[LukeDuke30]

It will be either a 30x40 or 30x48.

 

[LukeDuke30]

You need to find another builder. It is his responsibility to have the dirt work done correctly. If you do it, and you do a poor job, how could he build a quality building?

This company builds lots of barns around here with a good reputation. They list pad specs in their quote (must be able to drill through pad material with auger, and pad should be within +/- 3'') They will do some dirt work, but they prefer not to. Crews are mainly Amish.

 

[ericm979]

Make the pad level if you can. I had an interesting time attaching my new to me backhoe after putting it on sloped pavement. Every time I raised it up with the stabilizers it'd shift sideways a bit, which made aligning the tractor more difficult. If you put implements on dollies it'll be easier to move them around on a flat surface.

 

[cat fever]

It will be either a 30x40 or 30x48.

If it is optional, go bigger. The only time you will not like it is when you pay for it. Later on you'll be glad you went bigger.:thumbsup:

 

[747driver]

I done the site prep for my 30x50 myself. Make sure you get all the grass sod and dirt scraped away. You don't want to put concrete over a loose soil base. Its a whole lot easier if you can get your site leveled without a building in the way ! My box blade did all the leveling...just put rippers down and scrap off the grass sod and made a separate dirt pile for later use. Then where the low spots were I just used the boxblade to take down the high spots and pull it to the low spots. Or you can rent a skid loader for the day. Once the barn was layed out I put 2 inches of stone down before they started building. Keeps the area free of mud when it rains...plus easier to just back a stone truck up and tailgate it...no building in the way ! The builder I used required a level site within 2 inches of grade.

 

[s219]

For a pole barn you only need to make the worksite level enough to work on. You can backfill inside the barn (inside skirt boards) afterwards for final leveling. Whether or not this makes sense depends on the barn, the site, available pole length, and other factors, so I'm just giving general advice. I have built a couple on sloped ground and the downhill side just gets an extra skirt board. Fill and level the inside with gravel.

BEFORE SKIRTS INSTALLED:


AFTER:

 

[LukeDuke30]

For a pole barn you only need to make the worksite level enough to work on. You can backfill inside the barn (inside skirt boards) afterwards for final leveling. Whether or not this makes sense depends on the barn, the site, available pole length, and other factors, so I'm just giving general advice. I have built a couple on sloped ground and the downhill side just gets an extra skirt board. Fill and level the inside with gravel.

BEFORE SKIRTS INSTALLED:
View attachment 599591

AFTER:
View attachment 599590

Thanks - this is basically what the builder would like for me to have prepared. Another option for me would be to rototill the sod first, and then scoop it out with the loader. That might be a little easier. After I removed the base sod I would level it out with either the box blade or soil pulverizer.

 

[rgr33]

There aren’t many areas on my property that are anywhere near level. When I built my barn in 1988, I did my own site work to get the experience and save a little money.
I graded to a slight slope to the rear of the barn, and like s219, I used extra skirting on the low end to bring the floor up to level.

So far, it has worked out well, that is if you ignore the fact I should have made it twice as large, and delayed putting in the concrete floor for way too long.

 

[s219]

So far, it has worked out well, that is if you ignore the fact I should have made it twice as large

Amen to that.

 

[BoylermanCT]

Thanks - this is basically what the builder would like for me to have prepared. Another option for me would be to rototill the sod first, and then scoop it out with the loader. That might be a little easier. After I removed the base sod I would level it out with either the box blade or soil pulverizer.

I was thinking the same thing. A tiller should be able to break up the sod so you can scrape it all level and smooth. I used my tiller to finish the yard around my parent's pool when it was installed. I just went in circles with people jumping in an picking out rocks and roots. After a while it was smooth and level.