Building up Pad site for Barn

[npaden]

Okay, I'm pretty much done I think. Ended up using a LOT more dirt than I thought I would and am not going to save quite as much money as I thought doing it myself, but it was a good experience and I know it is packed in good and solid.

Ended up using 8 - 8 yard dump trucks of dirt and I used around 10 yards of my own dirt from another site that I moved over 1 bucket at a time to get it all level at the end. We still have to pack in the last layer with the jumping jack tomorrow afternoon but that's about all.

I'm 2" low still, but I think I will just leave it. It may end up 3" low by the time we pack this last layer some more but even that isn't bad for a 40 foot length. I'll just let the concrete guys deal with that, I'm sure they don't get perfectly level spots very often anyway. It would be a lot of work to add one more layer for 2 or 3 more inches.

Here's a picture of me packing in the last layer of dirt:

All the pictures are in this directory, the titles are pretty much self explanatory.

http://padens.com/files/tractor/barn/

We ended up doing 4 layers and packed them down with the tractor and then the jumping jack between each layer. We ended up having to wet down the dirt before packing down each layer also. The best method seemed to be leveling out the dirt with the tractor, spraying it down really good with the hose, getting a big scoop of dirt in the bucket and driving back and forth over the site, then running over it a couple times with the jumping jack. Then repeating.

Thanks again for all the input!

 

[EddieWalker]

Nathan,

Thanks for the picture, but ..... Where are the trees???? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Eddie

 

[Builder]

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We ended up doing 4 layers and packed them down with the tractor and then the jumping jack between each layer. We ended up having to wet down the dirt before packing down each layer also. The best method seemed to be leveling out the dirt with the tractor, spraying it down really good with the hose, getting a big scoop of dirt in the bucket and driving back and forth over the site, then running over it a couple times with the jumping jack. Then repeating.

Thanks again for all the input!

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That's what i do. i use the dual wheels of the loaded truck and the front tires of the tractor with loaded bucket to help pack the dirt. The jumping jack does all the spots along the edges and other areas.

 

[npaden]

Okay, it was a little dark but I lightened the pic. Not going to win any photography awards but I think you get the idea.

The builder is bringing his concrete guy over tomorrow to check it out and they may start on the slab by the end of the week!

Thanks again for all the input and advice.

 

[EddieWalker]

Looks like you did a nice job of it!!

I'm assuming the doors will be on the end that you didn't build up??

What side do you plan to put the future overhang on??

The side by the house might not be very attractive to look at from the house. Overhang storage areas have a way of looking cluttered and even if your super organized, it's still not the most attractive thing to see.

The other side is where you have the big elevation change. If this is the side you plan to have it, I'd suggest you get the dirt work done for it now. It's allot easier to do it now when you have all the open space to work with. Once the building is in place, there's also going to be other "stuf" that is always in the way.

Thanks for the pics, it's fun to see a project from start to finish.

Eddie

 

[npaden]

Thanks, it seems to be packed in good. I can drive the tractor with a load of dirt in the bucket and not even leave tire tracks.

Yes the doors will be on the right side of that first picture where the ground is even with the pad. I do plan on putting a future overhang on the side closest to you in the pictures. I do have some more building up to do on the pad if I end up putting the overhang on it.

I thought about building up the pad on that side now, but I don't know if it will be 1 year or 5 years until I need it. I thought that I could just start putting a layer down periodically building it up and letting it settle on it's own. Depending on how wide I decide on making the overhang, I would be building up the pad almost 1/2 as large as the one I just did. It would probably be the smart thing to do, but right now I don't know if I can stomach the work!

Let's see, it would take 4 more dump trucks of dirt, another weekend rental of the jumping jack and maybe 10 hours of work. Probably another $500 of materials and equipment rental and if my helper can work another weekend for me. Even without the overhang that would give me a nice flat spot to park my implements I guess. I may just wait until my toothbar gets here and keep using my own dirt and building it up over time though.

I'll have to think about it.

Thanks, Nathan

 

[npaden]

Well, they are out there this morning getting the forms set.

Turns out I was 5" off level instead of 2" like I thought. I guess a transit is a little better tool for that type of thing than a $5 laser level! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif I built it up high enough in the middle, it just sloped off toward the corners.

They said they could make it work, they will just pour the slab a little thicker on those corners. They are also going to put in 24" square piers in those corners that I built up just to make sure it is good and solid. The rest of the slab will just have a 12" footer around the perimeter.

They were impressed on the packing job that we did. They had to use sledge hammers to pound in the stakes and they may have even been harder to pound in on the area that we packed than in the area at the front that was untouched.

I was off square by 2" which I thought was pretty good because I did all the measuring by myself with a 25' tape measure and squared it up using a 100' extension cord and a magic marker! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

They are waiting on concrete so it will be early next week before they pour but the forms should be set by the end of the day. I'll go ahead and continue to update this thread with the rest of the construction. Looks like I will have a barn in a couple weeks!

 

[TwinWillows]

You might want to reconsider making up the out of level w/crushed stone instead of concrete especially since you're about 3" out. Around here concrete is approaching $100/cy so the extra concrete would run you an extra $1 per sf. Crushed stone would be a a lot cheaper! Just something to consider.

 

[Builder]

I second that. 3/4" gravel @$20/yd is a lot cheaper than 'crete @ $100+/yd!!

 

[npaden]

I didn't get any pictures of the forms and rebar before they poured the cement but here are some pictures of the slab.

All the pics are in this directory if you want to look at some more: http://padens.com/files/tractor/barn/