Ric,
Last fall I had a similar project in which my old barn had a wooden floor in it. Seems two owners before used the 36x24 barn for a wood shop. When I moved there the floor was totally rotted, seems the brainchild that built it put the floor joist, rough cut 2X8's, directly on the ground. Well you know what happens to wood when it lays on the ground for years? It rots and draws termites. I had sections of joist that were 2x8's at the outside walls and then went to nothing towards the center of the barn. I appears that you don't have such a problem so heres how I fixed mine.
My barn was sitting on 6" cedar post every six feet or so, they too were rotted and infested with termites. I ripped out all the rotten flooring, plywood, and the joist leaving the dirt floor. With the flooring removed I noticed that the post raised the barn about 8" off the ground. I knew that I also wanted to concrete the floor eventually and that the post needed replacing.
I opted to dig a trench along the perimeter of the barn while it was supported by the posts in order to pour a concrete footer. I had decided that I would not use posts again and set the barn back on a concrete block foundation. So with my trench dug I jacked the barn up slightly and blocked it with short RR ties that I had laying around, I cut the post off about half way up and began pulling the post out with a Hi-Lift jack and chain. I repeated the process of jacking, blocking and pulling post until I had all the post out and the barn was sitting on RR ties.
Next I finished cleaning out my trench and then poured a footer. I did this with a gas powered Concrete mixer, 72 bags of quickrete and a whelbarrow, remember I am tractor impaired. What a pain, but I was afraid that a concrete truck would show up and rush the job and I needed to do somethings as we went along. If I was doing it again I would defintiely get a truckload of concrete.
After the concrete cured and I removed any forms that I had I began laying one course of Concrete Block around the perimeter, leaving spaces around my RR ties to jack it up and remove them. Once he blocks set up I set the barn back down on the Concrete Blocks and anchored it down.
I ordered 20 cubic yards of #57 gravel and placed it inside the barn for a floor. My buddy with a Bobcat came over and helped with this thank goodness. My wheelbarrow was already stressed from the concrete.
Anyway this is getting very long winded just to tell you that it still sits in that condition, I am saving up for a load of concrete someday and in the meantime my gravel is getting packed down to provide a nice base. I figure I will pour a 4" wire mesh reinforced slab and that will bring me up just to the top of my Block I laid and should last forever.
I will try and post a picture.
Matt
