Should I Be Afraid of a Pole Barn

[300UGUY]

The State of Colorado wants at minimum a 24" concrete pad. Does not matter what the guys here put under their post. You must follow the local code and put what your local building official wants under the posts.

Lots of guy down here in the states will do whatever they can get away with. Local authorities are chasing a guy around now that put a trailer on a foundation, in a sub of stick built homes. I'm thinking he will lose, but the case has been ongoing for years.

 

[Luremaker]

Lots of guy down here in the states will do whatever they can get away with. Local authorities are chasing a guy around now that put a trailer on a foundation, in a sub of stick built homes. I'm thinking he will lose, but the case has been ongoing for years.

I am sure that goes on everywhere! I say if you are going to do you might as well do it right the first time!

 

[buck12]

We have 4 pole barns from 40 years old to 10 years old. Have not had any trouble.
The treated post used in a pole building, whether laminated or not, with good drainage will last a very very very long time. Typically the post will rot because of poor drainage due to no over hang or gutters to keep the water running away from the poles. The poles will rot where the post meets the ground with poor drainage not below the ground. Lack of oxygen helps preserve the part in the ground and if treated properly no bugs will eat it either. The best part of a utility pole is typically the part below the ground. The top is in the weather and will show splitting as the sun drys it out and where its meets the soil is where it will rot, same as a fence post.
Concrete should always go under the post to act a footer, not around it as this wil premote rotting. Sand or a mellow well drained soil should go around the post. Most of the post building companies in our area have a preformed round concrete footers to put under the post. A bag of powdered premixed concrete will work as well.
Now since some areas that have drainage issues there is what is called a perma collumn which is a cyclinder form you place in the ground and pour concrete in. It should come up above the ground. You then have a bracket you bolt the post to above ground. These are used to repair post that have rotted at the ground and are used in new constuction as well.
I wouldn't be afraid of a pole/post building as they go up fast and are economical alternative to a foundation building. :thumbsup:

We used a similar process to repair a rotted post on my Dad's barn. The barn is 30 plus years old. I helped Dad build it when I was a kid. Probably more in the way than help. Any way one post out of the original ten rotted at ground level a few years ago. We temporally jacked that corner of the barn, poured a concrete base with steel uprights, cut out rotted post section and secured post to steel. Good as new. I don't know if the post rotted due to poor drainage or if the treatment didn't penetrate the one post. To the op this building has held up fine for 30 plus years with one post repair so I would not shy away from a pole barn.

 

[Gizmo2]

It's pretty ingnorant on their part to say that a 24" cookie is needed.

Big difference between a 24' building on 8 foot center vs. a 80' or more on a 10 or 12 foot center.

Well I was thinking the same thing.

 

[ray66v]

You call it ignorant, I call it doing it right.

Codes are not usually based on unknown factors, they are based on previous failures. Most builders know what it takes to do it right, rather than the minimum they can get away with. If they would do it right that all the time, we would not need inspectors.

I don't go for precast plugs, or throwing a bag of dry cement or two in the hole, and putting a building on top of it. Yes, they can work. But, I have also seen these settle. Is that going to matter much if it is a chicken barn? Nope. It will matter though, if it is a finished garage.

10" x 24" poured, does not take a lot of cement or time, and it certainly is solid.

That's doing it right.

 

[Gizmo2]

You call it ignorant, I call it doing it right.

Codes are not usually based on unknown factors, they are based on previous failures. Most builders know what it takes to do it right, rather than the minimum they can get away with. If they would do it right that all the time, we would not need inspectors.

I don't go for precast plugs, or throwing a bag of dry cement or two in the hole, and putting a building on top of it. Yes, they can work. But, I have also seen these settle. Is that going to matter much if it is a chicken barn? Nope. It will matter though, if it is a finished garage.

10" x 24" poured, does not take a lot of cement or time, and it certainly is solid.

That's doing it right.

Really?
In this case I think the code is a one code fits all.

 

[deereman75]

My uncle has a few pole barns on a lease, and he is required not to use any concrete. They are still holding just fine years later. If you are on a lease, you can only use wood foundations, no pouring.

 

[Bigkrank]

Don't think in all my years of digging I've ever seen any piece of wood that was buried more than a foot deep rot. They always rot near the top of the ground. I've dug up old fence post anchors 100 years old that looked almost new.

On my 4 pole barns concrete went under and around the posts until a foot below the surface, then gravel. Still like new.

 

[slowzuki]

Exactly, they try to simply what is really needed.

We've got 50+ psf snow loading on low slope roofs here. My sister has a 24 x 60 something pole machine shed with 12 ft spacing on the untreated spruce posts set directly into clay about 2 feet deep. (No we didn't build it)

It is 30+ years old now and I had to replace the first posts last year. The previous owner spent barely anything on it and it lasted quite well. Depends what you want to do with your building.

Really?
In this case I think the code is a one code fits all.

 

[Duffster]

You call it ignorant, I call it doing it right.

Codes are not usually based on unknown factors, they are based on previous failures. Most builders know what it takes to do it right, rather than the minimum they can get away with. If they would do it right that all the time, we would not need inspectors.

I don't go for precast plugs, or throwing a bag of dry cement or two in the hole, and putting a building on top of it. Yes, they can work. But, I have also seen these settle. Is that going to matter much if it is a chicken barn? Nope. It will matter though, if it is a finished garage.

10" x 24" poured, does not take a lot of cement or time, and it certainly is solid.

That's overkill.

Fixed it fir you.