My new barn / tractor shed

[Uncle Wayne]

The storms of last month in north Alabama pushed my decision to build a new tractor shed up a couple of years. My insurance company, ALFA, is working on my claim for the damage to my old barn now but they are swamped with much more important claims than mine right now due to the tremendous damage from the tornadoes of April 27th.

I'm building a 40' x 40' with a 14' lean-to on each side. My roll up "barrel" doors will be 12' x 12' and I'll have one 3' walk-in door. I'm planning for a 6" concrete slab thru the center where the tractor will be be parked / pulled and approximately 4" everywhere else. I plan to have electricity and water available also. I'll keep you updated to the progress via photos.

Photo 1: shooting the grade for my slab.
Photo 2: It took just over 24 ton of gravel for the base. I fine tuned it with my JD 4320 FEL and a 6' landscape box
Photo 3: Final gravel base leveled to the stakes driven earlier. Note the string that is approximately grade level.
Photo 4:They tried drilling the holes with this small hole digger but my red dirt was too hard.
Photo 5: The bobcat attachment still had to work to drill the holes for the 6" x 6" pt posts.
Photo 6: Placing the 6" x 6" poles in the holes.
Photo 7: A look at the the poles.
Photo 8: Framing started.

 

[Uncle Wayne]

Concrete photos. We had spread the gravel to grade and put down a layer of plastic and then reinforcing wire over the plastic before pouring the concrete.

I'm very pleased with the way the slab turned out. The slab as poured took 21.25 yards of concrete which cost $1986. That includes the concrete, tax, environmental fees and fuel surcharge. I paid the finishers $440 to pour and finish the concrete and they did an excellent job.

 

[EddieWalker]

Very impressive!!! Looks like you know what you're doing. Have you done this before?

Eddie

 

[JB4310]

yeah, in those photos you make everything looks so smooth and easy.

Are those posts just set in tamped earth? or are they set in/on concrete.

JB.

 

[Crow4x4]

I dont know 40x40, mine is 30x56 and it to small now.

 

[crbr]

I dont know 40x40, mine is 30x56 and it to small now.

I have a 40 x 40 garage and it's too small already. My next building will be a 60 x 80.

Nice looking project regardless of my woes. Thanks for the pics.



.

 

[wirenut]

I am not a builder, but have never seen concrete poured on top of grass. Was always told to remover the grass/top soil first.

 

[crazyal]

I'm jealous. Building down there is so simple. And the garage too. My 28x32 two level is close to full and I'm ready to build a barn.

 

[Uncle Wayne]

I'll try to answer the questions in one post:

Eddie: I've worked in and around construction all my life but my primary trade is an Electrician. I've hired a "barn builder" to help me.

JB: The post are in tamped earth, really tamped hard. I wrestled with the idea of filling the holes with concrete around the poles but didn't.

Crow: Yeah, I wanted a 40 x 60 but the cost was so much more. The way this barn is built I can add on to either end and extend the barn if needed in the future. The "from start to finish" quote for this barn with a dirt floor as a 40 x 60 building was over $20K. The 40 x 40 was just under $12K. I know it won't be any cheaper down the road but just couldn't justify it right now and I can't explain the huge out of proportion price difference.

wirenut: Interesting. The builder told me it was my option but with the firmness of my ground he didn't see any need of it. He suggested I mow it as close as possible and I did.

 

[Uncle Wayne]

The barn is ready for the metal now although I don't have the pictures ready yet. It is terrible hot here now. The temperature today between 2 and 3 pm was 98 degrees and the heat index around 105. Some more pictures: