Millercameron97
New member
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2023
- Messages
- 8
- Tractor
- New Holland Powerstar 75
Gents,
I joined up the other day after seeing Cat Fever's barn thread and now I'm going through an over planning existential crisis. That's probably not a bad thing, but I'm hoping I can get some insight and direction from the guys more experienced than me. I've built a little 8x12 shed in my residential backyard, remodeled a few houses (my own), giant porch addition, and kind of an all around jack of all trades. I've worked offshore for 16 years now and have a bit of a knack for rigging, lifting, fastening etc. But, I've never taken on a project of this size. My wife and I sold our Neighborhood home last year and bought a 14 acre plot of rolling hill and 50/50 wooded, pasture property. Chasing a lifestyle neither one of us have really ever lived, but excited about nonetheless. I quickly bought a New Holland powerstar 75 without a place to put it, and a 32 ft trailer. My wife didn't really like that much but, it's a necessity so. She's focusing on our house, I'm focusing on my barn. I believe I have the size narrowed down to either a 40x80 or 100 if I can swing that. I have gone back and forth between red iron and post frame and eventually landed on post frame for one, because the cost of steel is super high and the labor to erect them, also very high. I'm not a steel guy per say, but I can deal with wood, so I figure I'm saving quite a bit by handling what labor I can. I am struggling a bit though with what exactly is the best way to go about it.
For instance do you uses 6x6's? 6x6's seem kinda small... any reason why you don't use something bigger (other than cost) 10x10? 12x12?
is it better do do the slab first and use the wet set brackets to keep the post out of the ground? If so, what about wind shear loads?
How far do you bury them if you bury them?
Do you wrap the beam or tar it before you concrete it in? Do you leave it open and put gravel in the bottom of the pier?
Do you worry about uplift? should you run some rebar through the post before concrete to help with that?
Should you do the bell piers or just a straight hole?
Do you use perimeter beams and interior beams in the concrete and do a monolithic pour?
What thickness concrete for tractor, truck, trailer, maybe some heavy equipment later. Rebar size and spacing?
This is what I have come up with so far. I'm in the southeast Texas area, and the soil samples we've gotten back for the house site indicate use of helical piers. A foot of top soil, about 8 ft of clay, 3 ft of loamy stuff, and then around 12-15 ft it gets to be a watery, sandy, soupy mixture. I don't think I'll go so far as to use those piers for the barn build, but it does have me a bit nervous, maybe for no good reason. I admittedly don't know anything about that part of it. I have about 3ft of fall from one corner of the building to the opposite, diagonally, and I've already sourced out a fellow that will over dig the site and come in with 6" lifts of compacted select fill until we get above grade. I think I want to do a more robust post, a 10x10 is where I am right now, with about 4 ft buried, 14 ft eave height. I believe I've decided on some steel trusses that bolt together at the peak. They have the purlin saddles welded in for a quick and easy layout, which I think will be a benefit from a DIY stand point. They also run on 10 ft centers so it comes out cheaper than wood trusses. One of the things I'm undecided on is the sheathing vs wall girts. It appears to me that sheathing would help more with potential racking with stronger winds. I realize this is approaching a stick framed building but I truly do want strength and longevity in this building. Also, considering I want to eventually insulate this whole building, a sheet good, especially a radiant barrier, would be all the more better in my eyes. It gets hotter the hinges of hells gate down here and I don't like to sweat on purpose. I think it would be awesome to have a cabinet building project, vehicle restoration etc, whatever it may be, with something to knock down the temps to even 80 degrees or so. Zip system sheathing looks awesome and acts as a vapor barrier too but that gets pretty costly. Maybe its all not worth it and I just stick to the simple 2x6 wall girts... talk me in or out of it! Do's and dont's!
I'm sure I've left out plenty of talking points so feel free to add them. Please give me your critiques if you have the time!
I joined up the other day after seeing Cat Fever's barn thread and now I'm going through an over planning existential crisis. That's probably not a bad thing, but I'm hoping I can get some insight and direction from the guys more experienced than me. I've built a little 8x12 shed in my residential backyard, remodeled a few houses (my own), giant porch addition, and kind of an all around jack of all trades. I've worked offshore for 16 years now and have a bit of a knack for rigging, lifting, fastening etc. But, I've never taken on a project of this size. My wife and I sold our Neighborhood home last year and bought a 14 acre plot of rolling hill and 50/50 wooded, pasture property. Chasing a lifestyle neither one of us have really ever lived, but excited about nonetheless. I quickly bought a New Holland powerstar 75 without a place to put it, and a 32 ft trailer. My wife didn't really like that much but, it's a necessity so. She's focusing on our house, I'm focusing on my barn. I believe I have the size narrowed down to either a 40x80 or 100 if I can swing that. I have gone back and forth between red iron and post frame and eventually landed on post frame for one, because the cost of steel is super high and the labor to erect them, also very high. I'm not a steel guy per say, but I can deal with wood, so I figure I'm saving quite a bit by handling what labor I can. I am struggling a bit though with what exactly is the best way to go about it.
For instance do you uses 6x6's? 6x6's seem kinda small... any reason why you don't use something bigger (other than cost) 10x10? 12x12?
is it better do do the slab first and use the wet set brackets to keep the post out of the ground? If so, what about wind shear loads?
How far do you bury them if you bury them?
Do you wrap the beam or tar it before you concrete it in? Do you leave it open and put gravel in the bottom of the pier?
Do you worry about uplift? should you run some rebar through the post before concrete to help with that?
Should you do the bell piers or just a straight hole?
Do you use perimeter beams and interior beams in the concrete and do a monolithic pour?
What thickness concrete for tractor, truck, trailer, maybe some heavy equipment later. Rebar size and spacing?
This is what I have come up with so far. I'm in the southeast Texas area, and the soil samples we've gotten back for the house site indicate use of helical piers. A foot of top soil, about 8 ft of clay, 3 ft of loamy stuff, and then around 12-15 ft it gets to be a watery, sandy, soupy mixture. I don't think I'll go so far as to use those piers for the barn build, but it does have me a bit nervous, maybe for no good reason. I admittedly don't know anything about that part of it. I have about 3ft of fall from one corner of the building to the opposite, diagonally, and I've already sourced out a fellow that will over dig the site and come in with 6" lifts of compacted select fill until we get above grade. I think I want to do a more robust post, a 10x10 is where I am right now, with about 4 ft buried, 14 ft eave height. I believe I've decided on some steel trusses that bolt together at the peak. They have the purlin saddles welded in for a quick and easy layout, which I think will be a benefit from a DIY stand point. They also run on 10 ft centers so it comes out cheaper than wood trusses. One of the things I'm undecided on is the sheathing vs wall girts. It appears to me that sheathing would help more with potential racking with stronger winds. I realize this is approaching a stick framed building but I truly do want strength and longevity in this building. Also, considering I want to eventually insulate this whole building, a sheet good, especially a radiant barrier, would be all the more better in my eyes. It gets hotter the hinges of hells gate down here and I don't like to sweat on purpose. I think it would be awesome to have a cabinet building project, vehicle restoration etc, whatever it may be, with something to knock down the temps to even 80 degrees or so. Zip system sheathing looks awesome and acts as a vapor barrier too but that gets pretty costly. Maybe its all not worth it and I just stick to the simple 2x6 wall girts... talk me in or out of it! Do's and dont's!
I'm sure I've left out plenty of talking points so feel free to add them. Please give me your critiques if you have the time!
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