Pole Barn or Metal building?

Granthol · Oct 14, 2018

Mine is a metal building also not a pole barn. With a pole barn, fill would be much less of an issue than the metal framed that sits on top of the ground.

BMan2005 · Oct 15, 2018

To answer about the floor I will concrete a section in it for my work shop area, the rest would be gravel.

buckeyefarmer · Oct 15, 2018

Check out some of the pole barn threads here. I think you can get a sturdier pole barn built for similar $$$.

buckeyefarmer · Oct 15, 2018

Just went to DIYpolebarns dot com,

Similar size with lean to is $15,800, didnt enter doors and windows. Thats material delivered.

ovrszd · Oct 15, 2018

buckeyefarmer said:
Just went to DIYpolebarns dot com,

Similar size with lean to is $15,800, didnt enter doors and windows. Thats material delivered.

Yeah, there's gobs of choices. Will give you brain freeze if you let it. Very hard to not miss something. I'd recomend hand drawing a blueprint of sorts on paper with all the dimensions proportionate including door/window sizes and accurate locations. Colors, wainscoat or not, roof overhangs or not, distance between poles, trusses, beams, purlins, etc. Many, many variables to consider and compare to fully understand how good a price quote is.

Fallon · Oct 15, 2018

Fill material settles 1" per year per foot of fill, or something along those lines. Unless you properly compact it in 6" lifts. Running a tractor over it doesn't come close to proper compaction.

I've got a pile of trenches I've dug then filled in over the past few years. I keep running over them with my box blade or LPGS. The divot keeps showing back up as it keeps settling. Granted I didnt do a great job back filling, but it's still surprising. I had the tractor & impliments so I didnt wory about it when putting them in. I knew it was going to some degree & didnt care. It's one thing when it's the middle of a field or gravel driveway. By far another when it's under your foundation.

Even if the poles for a pole barn will be in undisturbed ground it's still a pain. Have to deal with grading to make sure water & what not still flows away as required as the ground settles.

joeu235 · Oct 18, 2018

I have a 36 x 28 pole barn that I built myself and a 40 x 60 metal building that I paid someone to build.

Materials for the pole barn was around $8K, took me 6 months to complete working half the weekends
Metal building was $56K, with $24K for the slab, $18K for steel materials, & $14 for erection labor (our black clay is difficult to build on)

BMan2005 · Oct 18, 2018

joeu235 said:
I have a 36 x 28 pole barn that I build myself and a 40 x 60 metal building that I paid someone to build.

Materials for the pole barn was around $8K, took me 6 months to complete working half the weekends
Metal building was $56K, with $24K for the slab, $18K for steel materials, & $14 for erection labor (our black clay is difficult to build on)

What is your opinion of the two?

joeu235 · Oct 18, 2018

BMan2005 said:
What is your opinion of the two?

My pole barn is a true barn with a gravel floor and used mostly for storing hay. I can't imagine paying for a concrete slab for an ag barn. $500 of gravel vs $20K in concrete. The metal building is great as a shop and for equipment storage.

RR Buildings on YouTube makes some amazing post frame buildings that would be similar to my metal building but I wouldn't call them a pole barn.

Stimw · Oct 18, 2018

joeu235 said:
I have a 36 x 28 pole barn that I built myself and a 40 x 60 metal building that I paid someone to build.

Materials for the pole barn was around $8K, took me 6 months to complete working half the weekends
Metal building was $56K, with $24K for the slab, $18K for steel materials, & $14 for erection labor (our black clay is difficult to build on)

OUCH!! My concrete was $12,000. and assembly crew was $7500. on my 40' X 60' in 2015.