Thanks for all of the replies. They have been helpful and reassuring. Responses to certain individuals:
Yes, it is a pole barn. Our original thoughts were to make it 30x80 with space included for a cattle loading shute, hay storage, storage for a travel trailer (my son may want to live there someday, he says), and a concrete pad next to the travel trailer. Don't think we will be able to accomplish all of those goals. Such is life on hilly land.
The bulldozer man is a good guy but his experience is with doing farm ponds and other types of grading. Probably not so much grading for a building. I asked him to scrape off the top soil first so we could use it to put on top surrounding the outside of the building perimeter. He did a fair job of that. I had considered digging out the rocks with my tractor loader as he pushed them out but then did not do that. There were a lot of them.
Manual post hole auger --- My nephew has one that was given to him by his mother. I think she got it at a garage sale. I have been looking to buy one for years and cannot find them anywhere. All I can find is the clam shell type.
Another problem we are going to have to deal with is water run-off from the hill above. This area has been quite wet in previous winters. Not sure if it caused by actual run-off from the hill above, which could be solved with a small trench to drain it around the building, or if it is water coming through the rock layers from up above. Either way, I figure I will have to put down a fair amount of crushed rock. Might also put down pallets on the ground to set the round bales on.
Yes, it is a pole barn. Our original thoughts were to make it 30x80 with space included for a cattle loading shute, hay storage, storage for a travel trailer (my son may want to live there someday, he says), and a concrete pad next to the travel trailer. Don't think we will be able to accomplish all of those goals. Such is life on hilly land.
The bulldozer man is a good guy but his experience is with doing farm ponds and other types of grading. Probably not so much grading for a building. I asked him to scrape off the top soil first so we could use it to put on top surrounding the outside of the building perimeter. He did a fair job of that. I had considered digging out the rocks with my tractor loader as he pushed them out but then did not do that. There were a lot of them.
Manual post hole auger --- My nephew has one that was given to him by his mother. I think she got it at a garage sale. I have been looking to buy one for years and cannot find them anywhere. All I can find is the clam shell type.
Another problem we are going to have to deal with is water run-off from the hill above. This area has been quite wet in previous winters. Not sure if it caused by actual run-off from the hill above, which could be solved with a small trench to drain it around the building, or if it is water coming through the rock layers from up above. Either way, I figure I will have to put down a fair amount of crushed rock. Might also put down pallets on the ground to set the round bales on.