Pole barn build now or wait?

[Dwellonroof]

I'm thinking about building a small pole barn 30x40x10 but wondering if I should wait until prices go down or just bite the bullit and order the kit.
For now it would be dirt/gravel floor with no insulation, build it myself the kit would be around $14,000

 

[wolc123]

I dont think prices are going to come down much. They printed up a bunch of money and raised minimum wage, so high prices are here to stay. If you need it, and can afford it, build it.

 

[Have tractor did travel]

You would be extraordinarily well advised to put in a concrete floor now, before construction of walls, etc.
1. Wood prices are now high (though falling), whereas I've not heard that concrete prices are high.
2. Ease of putting in the concrete now far exceeds the labor involved with doing it later.
3. Consider where you would put an auto (or mower) lift, and put in a footing suitable for the weight. Lifts are only about $2K, and will add a nice option for you in the future.
4. If you do the floor first, maybe by the time you're finished, wood prices will have fallen enough that will save you a grand or two on the kit. I think prices for the kit will not increase.

 

[deezler]

Build it now, if you can, but don't wait on the concrete. It really sucks to have a dirt floor - it will turn into fine powdery dust unless you gravel the whole thing. Plus trying to have a work shop or work on any vehicles... then you have to move everything back OUT someday, and regrade/compact the floor, to allow for concrete install. My 30x36 slab was only $3400 (5 years ago), so you should still be able to stay under $5k for yours.

 

[Oaktree]

Build it now, if you can, but don't wait on the concrete. It really sucks to have a dirt floor - it will turn into fine powdery dust unless you gravel the whole thing. Plus trying to have a work shop or work on any vehicles... then you have to move everything back OUT someday, and regrade/compact the floor, to allow for concrete install. My 30x36 slab was only $3400 (5 years ago), so you should still be able to stay under $5k for yours.

I guess a lot depends on whether or not the OP ever plans to put in a concrete floor, but if there's a chance he will, yes, do it now. I don't know how deep the frost line is in Ohio, but it sounds like it would be a big PITA (as well as expense) to dig footings deep enough once the building's in place.

 

[deezler]

I guess a lot depends on whether or not the OP ever plans to put in a concrete floor, but if there's a chance he will, yes, do it now. I don't know how deep the frost line is in Ohio, but it sounds like it would be a big PITA (as well as expense) to dig footings deep enough once the building's in place.

With a pole barn, the poles themselves are the actual footings - they typically get placed 3 to 4 feet down, atop concrete pucks or encased in some concrete. This is below the frost line and is what structurally holds the whole building up. You just then toss a simple slab down inside the skirt boards, no footings needed. On my 30x36 pole barn, I did dig a 2' narrow rat wall around the perimeter though.

 

[newbury]

It's a gamble,

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As you can see some lumber prices are extremely volatile. Almost like toilet paper. But both have come down greatly.

I was pleasantly surprised to see I made it through the last crunch. I had stocked up on 2x4's and 4x4's because of great prices in early '19 and was able to finish a few projects.

Steel prices however are still high
10 year chart

I'd say if your building with wood prices are down, but kit's may not be. Also consider timing and labor. Winter's coming on, a lot of people are being kicked off the extra unemployment benefits and might get back to work.

My county in Northeast Mississippi has been running a new gas line. It was about 2 miles from me in a rural area and was supposed to be to me by April, 2020. I had been talking to the project manager since Jan 2020 about every other month. Every time in 2021 I called he said me he couldn't keep a crew. They'd work enough to keep their unemployment benefits (UI) up (then quit claiming fear of Covid) and get the extra $300/week. That gravy train has been shut off. People are going to be looking for work.

/edit note that the MAXIMUM UI in Mississippi is and was $235/week, so adding even $300 to that made a big difference.

 

[3gunr]

I agree with going concrete my old shed was dirt , hated it for 20 yrs. My new 28x36 has concrete , love it.

 

[shooterdon]

Good advice about putting in a concrete floor and planning for a vehicle lift. Especially if you plan to live there for more than 10 years.

Doing it right pays off in the end.

 

[Wakey]

I did dig a 2' narrow rat wall around the perimeter though.

Never heard the term so I did a search..

“A rat wall is a barrier meant to prevent burrowing animals from getting beneath your deck or patio. ... Concrete rat walls are essentially extensions of the foundation slab. It's width is generally between 1 foot and 18 inches, often at a depth of 18 inches.”

 

[EddieWalker]

Prices on lumber are steadily decreasing, but our government is wanting to increase regulations and increase taxes. If the Spending Bill passes, prices for everything will skyrocket ket. If it fails, we should be OK. I'm going to start building hay barn as soon as I finish my storage shed. I dont want to gamble on the government doing what's best for us.

 

[TractorGuy]

Check around on pricing.

Flooring depends on your needs and if you just want dry storage or a work shop.

I had Carolina Carports put up a 3 sides enclosed 31x42 in May of 2020 for $11,400. They were running a 10% off sale for buildings over 10 grand. It is three section with 9' outer walls and 14' center section walls. They advertised it as Florida Spec for 170 MPH winds with the upgraded 12 gauge metal frame. I much prefer metal over wood.

I had about a grand in ground prep before they arrived. I leveled the slightly sloping area with clean sand and drove my backhoe over it multiple times to pack. Then I re-smoothed it and covered with a large heavy duty tarp. I topped it off with 4 inches of crushed red brick. I didn't have enough of the brick to start so I laid out four, 4' wide by 4" deep sections for the main frame runners to sit on. I had enough brick to fill the centers with about 2" before the builders arrived. I hand tamped and checked and rechecked for level with a HF laser. My SIL checked behind me with a self leveling Bosch unit and I was within a 1/4" all around. CC said they could work with a 3" variance. The uprights slide onto the bottom runners a foot or so. My level was good enough all the uprights are bottomed on the runners. After the building was up I filled in the rest with more crushed brick to level it all out.

Two men showed up with the materials on a trailer and pulled out two and a half days later with my barn standing finished. Construction quality was AWESOME! These guys knew exactly what they were doing. Popped chalk lines for every row of screws and not a screw out of place. They picked up pretty good but I did have to go behind them with a magnet to find the stray screws they dropped.

This photo was taken before I filled in the rest of the brick. I also added about a 15' apron on the front.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Never heard the term so I did a search..

“A rat wall is a barrier meant to prevent burrowing animals from getting beneath your deck or patio. ... Concrete rat walls are essentially extensions of the foundation slab. It's width is generally between 1 foot and 18 inches, often at a depth of 18 inches.”

If you don't have one already built in, doing the same thing in coarse stone serves the same function and can be added cheaply after the fact.

 

[deezler]

Never heard the term so I did a search..

“A rat wall is a barrier meant to prevent burrowing animals from getting beneath your deck or patio. ... Concrete rat walls are essentially extensions of the foundation slab. It's width is generally between 1 foot and 18 inches, often at a depth of 18 inches.”

Yep, exactly. Since my barn is pole construction, I don't have any "foundation slab". But a 4" thick by 24" deep rat wall does sort as serve as a crude one (my slab sits on top of it around the perimeter). I was uncomfortable with the idea of burrowing critters making a deluxe condo right under my slab, so hopefully this prevents it, long term. I also lined the rat wall with R-5 insulation board on the outside, to help hold heat in my slab and building (hydronic radiant heating).

 

[fried1765]

You would be extraordinarily well advised to put in a concrete floor now, before construction of walls, etc.
1. Wood prices are now high (though falling), whereas I've not heard that concrete prices are high.
2. Ease of putting in the concrete now far exceeds the labor involved with doing it later.
3. Consider where you would put an auto (or mower) lift, and put in a footing suitable for the weight. Lifts are only about $2K, and will add a nice option for you in the future.
4. If you do the floor first, maybe by the time you're finished, wood prices will have fallen enough that will save you a grand or two on the kit. I think prices for the kit will not increase.

Totally disagree!
Building first, and floor later is just fine!
Thousands of folks prefer to do it that way....myself included!
Morton Buildings puts them up that way everyday all across the USA.

 

[bigtiller]

I agree with fried. It is so nice to finish concrete in the shade, out of the sun and wind.

 

[deezler]

I also agree, and did my slab a few months after finishing my pole barn. I wish it had been sooner, but had to let my finances recover a smidge, and do all the prep work myself (ratwall, then level/grade, compact the snot out of the sand base, lay 6 mil poly, and 2" insulation (25psi R10), then pex tubing for radiant heating, and rebar on 2' grid (atop chairs). Doing all this prep work myself cut the slab cost nearly in half, though.

The thing about doing the slab after the building is up, is that you already have all the form work in place! And if you/builder did it right, the skirt boards are nice and level around the full perimeter so there's no guess work on the slab leveling. The only tricky part is gaining cement truck chute access to the back corners of the building, depending on your door layout.

 

[Macinnis]

I did my floor 11 months after the building was up. I had to pay for a pump as a truck couldn’t get into the building (only 10x10 doors), but that was it. Morton does a great building. Nothing touches the ground that is wood, all concert (posts, rat board, everything).

 

[jaxs]

I did my floor 11 months after the building was up. I had to pay for a pump as a truck couldn’t get into the building (only 10x10 doors), but that was it.

Pumps are too exspensive for small pours. Unless there's more than 60 cu yds truck can't reach, I use Georgia Buggies or skid steers.

 

[Dwellonroof]

This is what I think of when you say rat guard.
I do plan for 20 ton of limestone gravel base after I install the poles.