Need some pole barn advice

[rbstern]

The acreage where the wife and I hope to retire to in the next few years has a home with a drive-under single car garage. I park a golf cart in there, and keep a workbench, tools, building supplies, etc. The single car garage is the only unfinished part of the home and the only suitable workshop space. But even without the golf cart, it's too small a space for our eventual uses.

I've got several ATVs, riding lawnmower, my Yanmar 2210, and implements parked out in the weather, near the house. I also have two boat trailers parked on the property, both of which have boats on them during the winter. We've talked about some type of building to get this stuff out of the weather. To further complicate the matter, my wife is an artist and will continue to make art once we retire to the acreage. We have a basement workshop set up in our current residence with woodworking machines, shop compressor, workbenches, etc. As it stands now, we have no place to put the machinery, tools, art supplies, or my hobby stuff like reloading bench, at the retirement place.

I'm thinking about a multi-purpose, enclosed pole barn, with side sheds for additional covered storage. The pole barn would be on a pad.

My question: Can we make an enclosed pole barn comfortable enough for year-round (Georgia) use as a workshop, while still serving as a storage space for the outdoor gear, or would we be better off building two buildings: An unsided pole barn for storing outdoor equipment, and a dedicated workshop building? The anticipated location for the pole barn is close enough to the house to run a sub panel and water line. I suppose we'd need a small septic tank if we had a sink in the barn.

Any comments about similar situations or anticipated problems or opportunities appreciated.

 

[JimRB]

Pole barn is posts or laminated 2X lumber in the ground 3-4 feet deep and sticking up 8-12 feet and build off those poles. If you are going to pour a pad personally I would be doing straight 2x4 or 2x6 framing. I did a 36x72 pole barn with a concrete walkway poured after the barn was up. My next out building will be on a pad with some sort of steel or wood framing.

Georgia has three climates. South and coastal, central and mountains. Down south all you need to do is deal with humidity and heat. Central is hot and cold. In the mountains they sometimes get snow and cold. It takes little to build a room out of 2x6, insulate with fiberglass batts and toss a combo heat/ac unit in a hole in the wall. A 100 watt light bulb keeps a 12'x12'x8'tall with 2x6" insulated walls and ceiling room warm enough in the winter to prevent water pipe freezing 30 miles east of Atlanta. A dehumidifier keeps the tack from getting moldy but makes for a hot room in the summer. I wish I had framed for a window unit. I guess I could get a spot cool for the room with a heat vent. We have a half bath, laundry hook up wash rack and a full septic tank along with 100 amp sub-panel service.

So your question should be how big of a workshop do I want/need, how tall of ceilings, and do I want to share with equipment storage? I have seen plenty of outbuildings with work shops inside the shell. Even plenty of 2,000 sf houses attached to the outbuilding.

 

[rbstern]

Jim, thanks.

I understand how a pole barn is built. I shouldn't have said it will be on a pad. What I meant was we'll pour a pad for the pole barn floor, and possible for the side shed floors as well.

Does traditional framing have advantages over a pole barn, besides the insulation space for the walls?

 

[Larro Darro]

The roof on my ten year old pole barn started leaking this summer. I would build with wood framing for the workshop, with plenty of insulation. Then do a smaller pole barn for the equipment. You can build them together or apart, according to what works best for the site.

My shed doesn't have any insulation and it is too hot through much of our NW Florida summers to work in. I use a shop fan when I have to be out there, but that is noisy. I wind up doing more in the open pole barn. The shed is likewise cold in winter{when we have cold weather}. I have an old wood heater that I have been planning on putting out there. I just haven't done it.

As far as septic, we live in the sticks, but I ran the drain from my sink out of my shed onto the ground outside. If the building is going to be inspected, just wait until later to put the sink in. No more water than a sink will use, it would be a waste to put in a septic system. {IMHO} Let us know what you decide to do.

Larro

 

[JimRB]

Depends on if you are building it yourself or not. I spent a few months digging holes, tipping poles and hoeing concrete for poles. If you do a pad, then you just need help tipping up walls. A bit easier work than tipping 16 and 20 foot 6x6 by hand. That said I could have done the pole barn all by myself, but I had a bit of help with rafters and decking. Doing 2x walls it would be easier to have a few friends to help tip them up. Next building will be stick or metal framed on a slab. No idea if there is a real advantage of one over the other. I like shingle roofs so I framed the roof for shingles. Some folks save a lot of money framing the roof with trusses 2 foot on center and metal roofs. If you do not insulate the roof it is noisy and sweats. I just framed the room inside the barn after the fact and it works well, except for the attack of termites.

Pole Barn Building

I like concrete floors for less dust and the ability to jack the tractor, trailer or car up wherever it sits. I suspect that framing method is more a personal choice. My brother had a nice pole garage built this spring up in Ohio. Concrete went in after the framing was done. I have no idea if he insulated the walls or not. It works great to store his Duster street drag car, his little JD with a loader and other misc stuff. Works great as a party center as he has lots of friends visit for his decade birthday parties. Just had his 50th.

 

[Rustyiron]

Jim, thanks.

Does traditional framing have advantages over a pole barn, besides the insulation space for the walls?

I would say no. That is unless you plan to insulate AND finish the interior walls, there's not much sence in "common" 16" framing. I would think that in GA you would be fine with the wider, white faced roll out type insulation that is pretty common for "pole bldg's". If you decide to go with the pole type (post frame) construction, I would use the cement post base, or the "wet dip" pole bracket's that you set into concrete.
Today's wood presertive is not up to the long term task. I prefer to laminate my own posts out of 2x6 and I have not seen any thing that is rated for "ground contact" in any thing less than a 6x6 timber since they stopped using the old "CCA" treatment. These I do not care for as the "treatment" does not really penetrate that deeply into it. They do make several types of vinyl (and other materials) that make a sleeve over the portion of the post that is below grade, but when it comes to what is esentially the "foundation" of your building, do you really want to save a few bucks here?
And for a sink, I'd dig a 4x4x6' deep hole, fill it with gravel and run you pipe to that.:thumbsup:

 

[dave1949]

Since you are planning on a concrete floor, I don't see much advantage to a pole barn for your art making, reloading, workshop, etc. uses. By the time you do what is needed to pole barn walls and ceilings, to make that conditioned and finished space, you would be better off with a framed building.

These are some pros and cons:

You would be trading 8" of concrete perimeter for a set of poles basically if you use standard framing. As JimRB said, framing is easier than poles for DIY.

Given a choice, I would use an enclosed building for storing anything mice or other critters can destroy. Blowing snow would be an issue here too.

It will be cheaper to run power and/or water to one building rather than two.

Two buildings with separation reduces your chance of total loss in a fire. Two buildings probably cost more in property taxes.

You don't need high ceilings for workshops and art, but they are necessary or nice to have for large boats and tractors.

Pole barns are more economical for unfinished storage space with tall ceilings. You don't need a concrete floor for storage/parking.

You could have one "tractor workshop" bay in a conditioned building with concrete floors where you use and keep your tools and repair stuff.

One large, do everything building might dwarf your house aesthetically.