Gravel around pole barn posts?

[marrt]

What's the "best practice" for setting posts for a pole barn. I'd like to set the posts on a concrete pier but it's too much work. Instead, can I just pour a nice pad, set the posts, and fill the hole with gravel around the posts? I assume gravel would be better than dirt because of better drainage.

 

[pwl]

For the camp I built that is on 6" X 6" posts, I drilled the holes, put 6" of pea gravel in the bottom, set the posts and backfilled the holes with pea gravel. My area is heavy snow load. Camp has stayed perfectly level and plumb for 10 years. The pea gravel allows the holes to drain. The posts are pressure treated.

 

[Jerome]

when I was building barns for a living that is how we did it.

 

[davitk]

I built an attached garage for an insurance claim. Original pole barn was sucked out of the ground (posts and all) in an updraft. Apparently no code dictates fastening the posts to the footing. Homeowner didn't want to take that chance again....

 

[radman1]

I poured cement in the bottom of each hole. Some buildings will come with a 4"x12-16" cement "cookie" to set in the bottom. I used crushed 1/4 limestone to set around the posts. When tamped in, they set up real firm. Some people will run a peice of rebar through the post, or screw pressure treated 2x6 blocks at the bottom of each post to keep the bottom of the post from lifting in high winds. I used 2x6 blocks with stainless steel screws.

 

[Farwell]

The contractor that built my pole barn poured a couple of bags of dry post cement that has rocks in it around each pole. Under the pole he put a round piece of concrete that was around 2 inches thick and the size of the hole before setting the pole. I haven't had any problems in the past 6 years that I have had it.
I did the same thing on a lean-to that I have. I had to remove one of the poles a few months after I installed it. The concrete had bonded solid to the pole and had to be removed with a sledge hammer.